Former Child Stars You May Not Know Passed Away

Acting is already one of the most competitive career fields imaginable, with every aspiring performer needing a mix of raw talent and a dose of good luck to make it in Hollywood. It can be even more challenging for child actors, who must navigate the complicated and sometimes dangerous entertainment world with a developing mind. As such, the field of young performing artists has gained an unsavory reputation, credited with burning out some of the brightest stars before their time.

Unfortunately, many former child actors are no longer with us. For some, it was a medical condition that eventually became unmanageable, while for others their deaths occurred under far more preventable circumstances. You may recognize them better by either their work or by their name, but at least a few are sure to surprise you. So below, we'll remember some of the most famous former child stars you may not know passed away.

As a result of being born with a form of dwarfism, Josh Ryan Evans was able to portray children and even infants well after most actors would have aged out of the roles. Though he only spent six years acting in both films and television, the late actor starred in several noteworthy projects. 

He first appeared on the '90s sitcom "Family Matters," playing the ventriloquist dummy Stevil in a pair of episodes at the age of 14. From there, he had a recurring role in the drama series "Passions" from 1999 to 2002, and performed in a number of voice acting roles in popular shows like "Hey Arnold!" and "Rugrats." For his final, and perhaps most memorable film role, Evans played a part in the 2000 adaptation of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," where he played an eight-year-old version of the titular green grump in a flashback sequence.

Unfortunately, the talented actor had a congenital heart ailment and had to undergo numerous surgeries throughout his life. While he once recalled that the frequent recuperation periods he went through post-surgery inspired him to begin acting, the condition tragically ended his life at a young age. Evans was pronounced dead at 20 years old on August 5, 2002, while undergoing another treatment for the disease at a hospital in San Diego.

Skye Bartusiak began her acting career at six years old in the three-part 1999 television adaptation of Stephen King's "Storm of the Century." A year later, she was part of high-profile projects on the small screen with minor roles in "Frasier" and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." That same year Bartusiak starred in the Mel Gibson-led war drama "The Patriot," where she played Susan Martin, the youngest of the revolutionaries' daughters. Two years later she returned with a memorable role in the Kiefer Sutherland-led drama series "24," where she played Megan Matheson.

Most of Bartusiak's most distinctive performances were all when she was very young, as her career was tragically cut short in 2014. The actor had suffered from intermittent seizures since birth, and they returned days before she was found unresponsive in her family's home on July 19. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate her and she regrettably passed away at the age of 21 in her hometown of Houston, Texas. 

Speaking to CNN, Bartusiak's mother stated that the paramedics "were working on her for 45 minutes and could not get a heartbeat," before adding that "the girl has lived such an amazing life." Painfully, it was later uncovered that she did not die from the seizures as originally thought, but from an accidental overdose.

After getting his start as Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera "One Life to Live," Jonathan Brandis spent the rest of the '80s appearing in minor roles on both the big and small screen. By the time he turned 14 in 1990, Brandis' career really took off when he played Bill Denbrough in the two-part TV miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's "It." In the same year, he played Bastian in "The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter" and in 1993 landed a lead role in the sci-fi series "SeaQuest DSV" alongside "Jaws" star Roy Scheider. 

Behind all the glitz and glam of Hollywood, and despite such a promising start to his career, Brandis' personal life was far from idyllic, and the young actor took his own life in November 2003. In the years since, both friends and relatives of the late star have shed a little light on his passing. His father, Greg Brandis, said in a 2021 interview, "I look back now, and in his 20s, he showed signs of manic depression. I hope that anyone suffering can go get help."

By the time he was four years old, Austin Majors had already achieved fame as a child star in the hit series "NYPD Blue", where he played Theo, the son of Detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). While working on the police procedural show, Majors was also cast to provide the voice of a younger Jim in the 2002 Disney film "Treasure Planet." The actor went on to appear in one-off episodes of "ER" and "NCIS," before experiencing a career slowdown and departure from acting by the end of the '00s.

Unfortunately, it seems that things got worse for Majors after his on-screen career ended, and he wound up in the throes of substance abuse. In a story that's tragically seen far too often in the world of show business, the former "NYPD Blue" star was found dead on February 11, 2023, with major news outlets reporting that the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose. While not the youngest star to die before their time, Majors' death at the age of 27 underscored how serious the issue of drug abuse could be in the entertainment industry.

After getting her start on television in a one-off episode of "Fantasy Island," Heather O'Rourke found a regular role on the 10th season of "Happy Days" at the age of six, where she played Heather Pfister, the young daughter of Ashley Pfister (Linda Purl). Later, she received a Young Artist Award for her appearance on the '80s sitcom "Webster." However, it is not her work in television, but a certain horror film trilogy that O'Rourke is likely best known for. The actor starred in all three entries of the "Poltergeist" trilogy as Carol Freeling, the youngest member of a family whose lives are tormented when poltergeists invade their home.

Sadly, the last two years of O'Rourke's life were plagued with medical issues, which began with a misdiagnosis for Crohn's disease in 1987, and a subsequent emergency the following year that required surgery. Tragically, complications from that surgery led to her sudden death at 12 years old on February 1, 1988. The cause of her untimely death was officially stated as cardiac arrest after suffering a bowel obstruction mid-surgery.

It's a rare achievement for actors to land a hit on their very first theatrical outing, but Brad Renfro did just that at the age of 12. Renfro starred in "The Client" in 1994 alongside legendary actors Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. The film was a certified success, and Renfro's acting career quickly skyrocketed from there. He found himself cast in similar dramas, taking on lead roles in "The Cure," "Tom and Huck," and "Apt Pupil."

Unfortunately, the flurry of stardom had disastrous effects on Renfro, who wasn't even a teenager by the time he became famous. Halfway through his career, and after a number of appearances on the wrong side of the law, it was clear that the then-teenaged actor was already caught up in drugs — which would prove to be his tragic undoing. In the early hours of January 15, 2008, at the age of 25, Renfro was found dead in a Los Angeles apartment, in what was later ruled an accidental overdose by way of heroin intoxication.

Disney Channel television series have been some of the most prolific places for child actors to kick-start their careers, with Lee Thompson Young being among them. His promising career began with the titular role on "The Famous Jett Jackson," a metaseries that saw his character balancing a normal teenage life with one as an actor on a hit TV series. Several years after that ended, he had a supporting role as Chris Comer on the sports drama "Friday Night Lights," and later a role in the less than enthusiastically received sequel "The Hill Have Eyes 2." Young would later find success in the crime drama "Rizzoli and Isles" as Barold "Barry" Frost.

Despite seeming like he was well on his way to further success, it was revealed to the world far too late that Young was struggling internally. On August 19, 2013, at the age of 29, the star took his own life. After the tragedy, Young's family talked openly about their loss, with his mother Velma Love stating in an interview, "In his late teenage years, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I noticed some periods of sadness ... Some of a person's inner life, you really don't know." A foundation has since been created in his name by his surviving family in the hopes of preventing others from suffering as Young did.

Though her acting career may not include as many recognizable titles as some of our previous entries, Ashleigh Moore still carved out a comfortable niche during her time on set. First appearing on the children's adventure series "The Odyssey" as the companion to series lead Keith (Tony Sampson), she went on to appear in a handful of television films such as "Liar, Liar," and "Family of Strangers." Finally, in 1995, Moore landed her first theatrical release with "Now and Then," where she played the younger Chrissy Dewitt, one of four friends who return to their old stomping grounds of Shelby, Indiana.

Despite a promising start to her career as an actress, Moore had effectively quit acting by the turn of the millennium. Sadly, nearly a decade after vanishing from the spotlight, her life was cut short on December 10, 2007 by a fatal overdose of heroin. The former child star was just 26 years old at the time of her death.

Debuting in fall 1978, "Diff'rent Strokes" quickly cemented itself into pop culture in ways that are still remembered today. The sitcom defied convention at the time by coupling the reserved and upper-class Drummond family with a pair of young orphans from the mean streets of Harlem. It also occasionally tackled heavier themes than its predominantly light-hearted tone would make audiences suspect. 

Among its talented cast was then-10-year-old Gary Coleman, who played Arnold Jackson, one of the two adoptees. Though it was certainly the most memorable role of Coleman's nearly 40-year-long career, it was far from the only one, as the actor appeared in various other sitcom projects.

Despite achieving fame that some actors only dream of, behind-the-scenes life was far from easy for Coleman. The actor had a number of health ailments throughout his life, with a kidney disease that contributed to his short stature being perhaps the most apparent. Tragically, on May 28, 2010, at the age of 42, the "Diff'rent Strokes" star was taken off life support days after suffering a serious fall in his Utah home.

Though her time as an actor came to a premature end, Judith Barsi was still a part of some noteworthy projects. On the live-action side, she most famously starred as the young Thea Brody in 1987's "Jaws: The Revenge." She did some work in animation as well, voicing Ducky in "The Land Before Time" and Anne-Marie in the film "All Dogs Go to Heaven," her final role. Additionally, she appeared in a handful of television episodes, playing Bertie in an episode of the 1985 "Twilight Zone" revival and a younger version of Tracy Gold's Carol in two episodes of "Growing Pains."

One of the most painful deaths on this list, Judith Barsi was sadly a victim of a violent murder on July 25, 1988, at the age of 10. Worse still, it was at the hands of her own father, who ended the lives of his wife and child before taking his own. In light of the horrific incident, details emerged that revealed her home had been a place of abuse for years, straining her parents' relationship before that terrible night.

By the early '00s, musician and actor Jack Black was well on his way to becoming a household name. His rise to fame was in part thanks to films like the cult classic "High Fidelity" and, just a few years later, the hit comedy "School of Rock." This time, Black was cast as Dewey Finn, a floundering musician who reinvents himself in the classroom with a gaggle of elementary schoolers at his side. Among them was Kevin Clark's Freddy Jones, the drummer for their unlikely band.

Though the 2003 film remained the only acting credit to Clark's name, it seemed his passion for music was something that stayed with him. By 2021, the former child star was a member of a brand new band that performed in and around Chicago. But sadly, when he made headlines on May 26, 2021, it wasn't for good news. While riding his bicycle late at night, Clark was struck and killed by a motorist at the age of 32. After the accident, his mother Allison Clark recalled (via the Chicago Sun-Times), "He told his bandmates just yesterday: You know, this is finally the life I want to live. And we're going to make it. You're my musical family — my family — and we're all going to make it."

Over the nearly 10 years it was on the air, "Everybody Loves Raymond" managed to rise above the competitive genre of sitcoms that existed at the time. Climbing to over 22 million viewers by the turn of the millennium, there's no arguing that the series was a hit. The sitcom revolved around Raymond Barone (Ray Romano), a Long Island sportswriter who tries to keep both his career and burdensome family down the street in check. 

Among the lovable cast was Sawyer Sweeten, who portrayed Raymond's nephew Geoffrey Barone across all nine seasons. Though "Everybody Loves Raymond" was easily the most iconic entry in his brief career, he also starred in a single episode of "Even Stevens," and portrayed a younger version of Frank in the 2002 comedy "Frank McKlusky, C.I."

A decade after "Everybody Loves Raymond" came to a close, Sweeten tragically took his own life on April 23, 2015, at 19 years old. In the days after the shocking news broke, his family opened up on what may have contributed to his untimely passing, with his aunt Jacklyn telling The Daily Mail, "There is a history of depression in the family, all through. Many of them are on medication for depression." Since then, a pair of theaters in Los Angeles were renovated and dedicated as a tribute to the late child star.

Unfortunately, Gary Coleman wasn't the only child actor from "Diff'rent Strokes" who has since passed away. Dana Plato — who played the Jackson brothers' adopted sister Kimberly Drummond for eight years on the series — got her start with a single unnamed part in an episode of "The Six Million Dollar Man." She went on to appear in films such as "Exorcist II: The Heretic," and made a number of minor appearances across television sitcoms and crime dramas. However, no role in her career reached the same heights as her time on "Diff'rent Strokes."

Unfortunately, the '90s weren't as kind to Plato, and in 1991 she was arrested for robbery and further charged in 1992 for forging Valium prescriptions. Though she claimed to have been sober for nearly a decade by 1999, that same year on May 8th, she took a mixture of Lortab and Valium before taking a nap that she would never wake up from. At 34 years old, Plato sadly became another victim of what's since been called "The Diff'rent Strokes Curse" thanks to the unfortunate events that have happened to many of its former cast members.

Born in 1947, Rusty Hamer found his way to his most recognizable role almost from the start. At the age of six, he landed a role on "The Danny Thomas Show," which may be remembered by some viewers by its alternate title, "Make Room for Daddy," before its fourth season rebrand. As traditional an American sitcom as they come, the long-running series saw entertainer Danny Thomas take on the role of Danny Williams, a New York performer who tries to balance his career in show business with his family back at home. Hamer starred as the Williams' son Rusty for all 11 seasons, and later returned for the continuation "Make Room for Granddaddy" in 1970. 

After the series ended for good in 1971, Hamer retired from acting at 24 years old. Years later, after effectively vanishing from any media coverage, Hamer was sadly found dead at the age of 42 by his brother John Hamer from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 18, 1990. While still reeling from the loss, his brother told the Los Angeles Times that Hamer "didn't show any signs of this happening. It was just all of a sudden." He went on to speculate that the stressors of being a young actor may have contributed to Rusty's troubles in adulthood, which at the time weren't as recognized as today.

It's not at all uncommon for the children of superstars to take after their parents and try to make it in the world of Hollywood, and this was a path that Sylvester Stallone's son Sage embraced at a young age. Making his cinematic debut in "Rocky V," where he mirrored real life by playing the son of Rocky Balboa, he would once again star alongside his father in the 1996 film "Daylight," albeit with a more minor role than in "Rocky V." Later on in his career, Sage tried his hand at directing with the short film "Vic," just a few years before tragedy would befall the family.

At the age of 36 on July 13th, 2012, Sage was suddenly found dead in his Los Angeles home. Given that a leading cause of death among young actors is drug overdose, it wouldn't have been a stretch to assume that drugs had a hand in his unexpected passing. But as an autopsy report in late August of that year revealed, it was nothing more than unusually advanced coronary problems that led to a heart attack, killing the eldest of Sylvester Stallone's children.

Though he began his acting career at the age of nine — starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland in the 2008 horror flick "Mirrors" — it took a few years for Cameron Boyce to truly make a name for himself. By 2010 he had a supporting role in the irreverent Adam Sandler-led comedy "Grown Ups," as well as its sequel "Grown Ups 2." On the television side, he saw greater success, with a main role for four years in the Disney series "Jessie" as Luke Ross. He later starred as Conor in the Disney XD series "Gamer's Guide to Pretty Much Everything," and played Carlos in the "Descendants" series of Disney television movies.

By the time he turned 18, Cameron Boyce had made quite a name for himself as an accomplished performer, but his time as an actor would soon come to a close long before it should have. On July 6, 2019, shortly after turning 20 years old — and in what was revealed to be the unfortunate conclusion to a long history of medical issues — Boyce died in his sleep after suffering a sudden epileptic seizure. 

Perhaps best known for starring in "The Lost Boys" in 1987, the edgy dark comedy that imagined a sunny California beach town as home to a horde of vampires, Corey Haim quickly became one of the hottest stars of the '90s. That wasn't his first role, however, as a 12-year-old Haim starred alongside a young Robert Downey Jr. in the 1984 drama "Firstborn," a whirlwind story of love, addiction, and manipulation. He spent his teenage years acting in films like Stephen King's "Silver Bullet," the coming-of-age drama "Lucas,' and the oddball body-swap comedy "Dream a Little Dream."

Later on in his career, things took a downward turn for the former child star, who battled both personal addictions and allegations of sexual abuse that would cast a dark shadow on his meteoric rise to fame. On March 10, 2010, Haim was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after collapsing in his family home, where he was promptly declared dead. Despite a history of substance abuse being known upon his passing, autopsy reports in the weeks that followed revealed that it wasn't an accidental or even intentional overdose, but instead, pneumonia that caused his death.

Any child of the '90s who grew up watching episodes of "Saved by the Bell" can probably remember the character of Samuel "Screech" Powers. The high school sitcom saw the oddball Screech and the rest of his classmates trying to survive the day-to-day happenings at the fictional Bayside High. While the 12 years he spent as Screech meant that any other role would be untouchable in terms of pop culture impact, Diamond also appeared in episodes of "The Wonder Years." After "Saved by the Bell" came to a close, Diamond gravitated towards projects that embraced his status as a former child star, with minor roles playing himself in films like "Big Fat Liar" and "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."

Diamond had recently turned 44 when he was diagnosed in January 2021 with an aggressive form of lung cancer. The beloved '90s star immediately began treatment for the disease, including a round of chemotherapy, but on February 1, 2021, he passed away within just weeks of his diagnosis. While reflecting on the late actor's life and sudden death to CNN, his former manager Roger Paul stated, "Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful."

A handful of minor roles defined actor Rob Knox's acting career, which began at the age of 14 with bit parts in the British crime drama "The Bill" and as an extra in the 2004 summer blockbuster "King Arthur." But the film that the British-born actor is likely best remembered for is "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," in which he played Ravenclaw student Marcus Belby. This should have been a huge stepping stone in his career, had it not regrettably been released over a year after his untimely death.

On May 24, 2008, 18-year-old Rob Knox and his brother Jamie were involved in an altercation with another patron at a bar. The brawl quickly escalated and turned violent, ultimately ending with Knox coming between the knife-wielding attacker and his brother at the cost of his own life. The murderer was later identified as Karl Bishop, who was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in a case that attracted quite a bit of attention in the United Kingdom, but not as much abroad. And even though Knox's sacrifice happened over a decade ago, it hasn't been forgotten, especially by his brother Jamie, who named his firstborn son in honor of his late sibling.

Arriving in theaters in 1964 and going on to dominate that year's domestic box office, "Mary Poppins" has since become one of the most recognizable titles ever produced by Disney which, considering the studio's extensive catalog, is truly impressive. The musical tale begins when a nanny skips out on the job of watching a pair of mischievous children, Michael (Matthew Garber) and Jane (Karen Dotrice), only for them to be visited by a mysterious woman (Julie Andrews) who flies in on a magic umbrella.

One of just three films that Garber starred in, his role in "Mary Poppins" was his most acclaimed and memorable, and was bookended by appearances in "The Three Lives of Thomasina" and "The Gnome-Mobile." Sometime after his career as an actor ended, however, an adult Garber found himself in India. While abroad, the former "Mary Poppins" star contracted hepatitis, which ultimately led to his death at the age of 21 on June 13, 1977.

A year after breaking into acting in 1990 with guest appearances in episodes of shows like "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and an award-winning performance on "Doogie Howser, M.D," Christopher Pettiet already achieved some of his career highlights. 

First up was a performance in the 1991 dark teen comedy "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead," as Zach Crandell, one of a handful of teens left to their own devices for the summer after their elderly babysitter turns up dead. A few months later, he joined the cast of the Western series "The Young Riders" during its third and final season, cast as the infamous outlaw Jesse James.

Pettiet went on to appear in a number of other films and TV series throughout the decade, including episodes of "LA Law," "Baywatch Hawaii," and even an episode of "SeaQuest DSV." Unexpectedly, on April 12, 2000, Pettiet suffered an accidental drug overdose at the age of 24 that ended his life.

After just a year of acting, Adam Rich landed the role that would make him famous at the age of eight. Starring as Nicholas in the comedy-drama series "Eight is Enough," the show saw stressed-out parents Tom and Joan Bradford tackling life with eight children, Rich also starred in plenty more projects through the decade. Episodes of "CHiPs," a lead role in "Code Red," and voiceover work on the "Dungeons and Dragons" animated series all meant that the young actor managed to keep busy.

As we've seen, it can be difficult for child actors to continue the successes of their youth into adulthood, which rang true for Adam Rich. After the '80s, he made an appearance in a single episode of "Baywatch," before almost completely retiring. In 2003, he was another actor making a guest appearance in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," which wound up being the last time the "Eight is Enough" star would be in front of the camera. 

Unfortunately, he wound up on the wrong side of the law, with a pair of arrests in 1991 and 2002, while also entering into rehabilitation for drug addiction. Nearly 20 years later, and at the age of 54, Rich suffered an overdose after using Fentanyl that proved fatal on January 7, 2023.

Actor Hudson Meek was easily best known for playing the younger version of Miles/Baby in Edgar Wright's 2017 car-based actioner "Baby Driver." But he had a bigger role in the movie "90 Minutes in Heaven," playing the son of a pastor who had been pronounced dead in a car accident and claims to have been in heaven before he was revived. On television, Meek had appeared on the shows "MacGyver" (2016), "Legacies," "Found," and "Genius."

Meek's career was only just getting started when the young actor's life was cut short in December 2024 at age 16. Investigators said that he died from injuries sustained after falling out of a moving vehicle. His family set up a scholarship in his honor, to be distributed at the Alabama high school Meek was still attending at the time of his death. Meek's final film, "The School Duel," was making the festival rounds when he died and had won the special jury prize at the Deauville American Film Festival two months prior. 

It's not easy to steal scenes that feature both Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, but child actors Houston Tumlin and Grayson Russell managed to do exactly that almost any time they were on screen in 2006's "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Playing Ricky's (Ferrell) sons Walker and Texas Ranger, respectively, the pair flawlessly portrayed the kinds of kids that a guy like Ricky Bobby would have raised — cocky, brash, and not willing to take any pushback from anyone. Not even their poor elderly grandfather, unfortunately.

While Russell continued to act, playing Fregley in multiple "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movies and appearing in the 2020 Tom Hanks war film "Greyhound," "Talladega Nights" became Tumlin's sole acting credit. Tumlin instead joined the United States Army, where he received several medals for his accomplishments. But his mother later revealed that the former actor had suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, which is what she blamed for Tumlin taking his own life in 2021. He was 28 years old. 

Though he had numerous onscreen roles, including one opposite his sister Hayden in the 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie "Tiger Cruise," Jansen Panettiere was arguably more well-known as a voice actor. His first gig as a voice performer was playing Periwinkle in Season 6 of "Blue's Clues." He then had roles in the animated movies "Robots," "Racing Stripes," and "Ice Age: The Meltdown." He also voiced Robby Hobbie in multiple "Holly Hobbie" projects. On screen, Panettiere starred in the 2007 film "The Last Day of Summer" and appeared on the shows "Even Stevens," "The Walking Dead," and "Everybody Hates Chris."

In February 2023, Panettiere passed away unexpectedly at age 28. His family later revealed that the cause of his death was aortic valve complications and an enlarged heart. His Instagram page revealed that he was also an artist and painter, which seemed to be his primary passion. Panettiere's family released a statement to ABC News (via Deadline) following his death that read in part, "His charisma, warmth, compassion for others, and his creative spirit will live forever in our hearts and in the hearts of all whom he encountered."

It's difficult to understand why some high-concept novelty sitcoms hit and some don't. But for whatever reason, audiences loved the sitcom about an extraterrestrial being — played by a fuzzy puppet — who craves cats and has to be hidden from the government by the family whose garage he crash-landed in. A lot of the charm of "ALF" was obviously due to both the titular character himself, as well as the actors who did such a great job playing the Tanner family, who come to love Alf as one of their own.

Among that ensemble was Benji Gregory, who played Brian Tanner. Brian spent the first two seasons as the youngest child, before baby Eric was added to the show in Season 3. Despite only being eight years old when "ALF" debuted, Gregory already had a pretty impressive resume under his belt. He made appearances on "The A-Team," "Punky Brewster," "TJ Hooker," "Amazing Stories," the 1985 relaunch of "The Twilight Zone," and in the Whoopi Goldberg comedy "Jumpin' Jack Flash." After "ALF," Gregory only appeared in a few more projects, none after 1993. 

In June 2024, at age 46, Gregory was found dead in his car in a bank parking lot. His sister said that he likely fell asleep in the car and subsequently had heat stroke, which was later confirmed by medical examiners. 

George Miller Fox — who acted under the name Huckleberry Fox — made his screen debut in the iconic 1983 dramedy "Terms of Endearment." He then racked up three Young Artist Award nominations for the movies "Misunderstood," "Konrad," and "A Winner Never Quits," all before his 15th birthday. Even with all of that early acclaim, Fox would only continue acting on film and in television through the mid-'90s before going in a very different professional direction.

After earning a Master's degree in animal science and a doctorate in plant medicine, Fox became a scientist who worked as a diplomat for the United States Department of Agriculture. Still, despite all of his accomplishments in various fields of science, headlines about his November 2024 death from prostate cancer mostly made mention of his acting — most commonly, his "Terms of Endearment" role. His obituary requested that trees be planted in his memory. 

Not many people realize this, but "Back to the Future" wasn't the first movie directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. That distinction actually belongs to the Beatles-focused comedy "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," which was released seven years prior to the duo making sci-fi movie history. Among the cast of this unfairly overshadowed cult classic was Christian Juttner, who sports an iconic Beatles bob for the ages. 

1978 was definitely then-14-year-old Juttner's breakthrough year as an actor, with the release of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "The Swarm," and "Return from Witch Mountain." That said, he had already been doing the rounds on television, appearing on numerous classic TV shows like "Bewitched," "Wonder Woman," "S.W.A.T.," "Ironside," and "Emergency!" He added a few more to that list after his big movie year with "Lou Grant," "Trapper John, MD," "Alice," and "General Hospital." He then left acting behind to follow in his father's footsteps in the glassworks business. Juttner died of natural causes in January 2025 at the age of 60.

Evan Ellingson got his first screen credits at 13 when he appeared on "General Hospital" and in the TV movie "Living in Fear" in 2001. He then played a recurring role as the young version of Christopher Titus's self-named character on the Fox sitcom "Titus." His biggest film role was as Jesse Fitzgerald, brother to the female siblings at the center of the 2009 drama "My Sister's Keeper." But Ellingson's most prolific arena was television, playing main or recurring roles in "CSI: Miami," "24," and the ABC sitcom "Complete Savages." 

Ellingson then disappeared from the industry after 2010, and it was later revealed that he had been struggling with addiction during that time, spurred on by losing his brother from a heroin overdose. But Ellingson also said in 2021 that he was working hard on becoming sober and had been going through a program at an addiction recovery center. Unfortunately, two years later in 2023, Ellingson was found dead at his home from what was eventually ruled an accidental fentanyl overdose. He was 35 years old. 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, may be the victim of abuse, or is struggling or in crisis, contact the relevant resources below:

• Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.