13 Famous Hollywood Actors Who Started Out As Child Stars

It's not uncommon for actors to launch their careers in childhood, and that can begin at almost any time, including shortly after they're born. While many child movie stars become embroiled in controversy or blow up their lives or careers as they mature, that's not true of everyone, and some even go on to dominate the industry.

Some of the most prominent actors in Hollywood, who are now known for their work as adults, began acting long before they became famous. Because few people knew who they were back then (or even knew their names), it's not unusual for fans to associate actors with their roles as adults, rather than whatever they were doing when they were children.

It can be surprising to learn that your favorite action movie star or rom-com heartthrob used to run around singing and dancing on stage or playing toddlers in a variety of obscure movies and TV shows. However, the fact is that more than a few famous Hollywood actors started out as child actors, and some of the biggest ones out there are still working today.

Fans know Jeff Bridges as "The Dude" from "The Big Lebowski" as well as dozens of other roles from throughout his career. Bridges' acting resume includes appearances in everything from "Tron" and "Seabiscuit" to "Iron Man" and "True Grit." Performing for most of his life, Bridges comes from a Hollywood dynasty that includes his father Lloyd, his mother Dorothy, his brother Beau, and nephew Jordan, all of whom were or still are actors.

Bridges has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning one for best actor for "Crazy Heart." While his career has been peppered with innovative, dramatic, and expressive work, Bridges started long before he became known for his mature roles. Thanks to his folks, Bridges wandered onto a movie set for the first time in 1951, when he was a baby: He was an uncredited infant at a train station in "The Company She Keeps."

Bridges' first proper movie role came via 1970's "Halls of Anger" (pictured) when he was 19 years old. His breakout performance was as Duane Jackson in the 1971 coming-of-age drama "The Last Picture Show," which earned him his first Oscar nomination at the age of just 22 and launched one of the most acclaimed American acting careers of his generation.

Reese Witherspoon first came to the public's attention through her work in the 1990s with breakout roles in "Cruel Intentions" and "Election," but it was "Legally Blonde" in 2001 that made her an international movie star. She went on to film a sequel in 2003, and in 2006, Witherspoon won the Academy Award for best actress for portraying June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line."

She's continued acting since then, starring in films like "Wild" and "Hot Pursuit," and she's also plied her trade on the small screen in shows like "Big Little Lies" and "Little Fires Everywhere." Witherspoon may have gained recognition for her acting in the late '90s and 2000s, but the New Orleans native started out much earlier, working in local commercials. This gave Witherspoon the desire for more, so she took classes and started auditioning. 

Her first professional acting role was in 1991's "The Man in the Moon" as Dani Trant (pictured). Witherspoon was 14 when she played the character in the coming-of-age film about a girl's first love while growing up in Louisiana in the 1950s. Initially, she tried out for a background character, but she impressed the filmmakers, who ended up giving her the lead role. Witherspoon continued acting in feature films throughout her early career, appearing in over a dozen during the '90s alone.

For most people who love Elijah Wood's acting, he's probably best known for playing Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. While it's hardly his only work as an actor, it effectively made Wood's career, and he went on to appear in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Sin City," and "Everything Is Illuminated" soon after the trilogy's release.

Wood is also an accomplished voice actor, famously playing Mumble the tap-dancing penguin in "Happy Feet" and its sequel. If you're a gamer then you'll probably know that he also voiced Spyro the Dragon in several video games. What you may not know is that Wood made his movie debut at the age of eight with a tiny role in "Back to the Future Part II," playing one of the two children who's unimpressed by Marty McFly's prowess with an arcade game when he's in 2015.

That role didn't give Wood any name recognition, but it opened a lot of doors, and he spent his youth in front of the camera. Some of his more prominent early parts include starring in "Radio Flyer," "The Good Son," and "North." He had some teenage roles to carry him out of childhood, but it was playing Frodo at age 18 that made Wood a famous adult.

While he's been in many notable films throughout his career, Christian Bale is best known for playing Batman in Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy. Granted, he's acted in plenty of popular movies since, including "American Hustle," "The Big Short," and "Vice," all of which led to Oscar nominations. They were all big movies for Bale, but has been acting since childhood.

Bale was bitten by the acting bug at an early age, and at ten, he found work in a TV miniseries called "Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna." That project paved the way for him to play Jim Graham, the lead character in director Steven Spielberg's 1987 war movie "Empire of the Sun" (pictured). Bale was only 11 when he was cast, and he nabbed a number of accolades for his performance, including a Young Artist Award.

Bale went on to appear in "Newsies" and followed this with "Swing Kids." After that, he grew into adulthood, leading the way to more mature roles in the likes of "American Psycho," "Reign of Fire," "The Machinist," and, eventually, Nolan's Batman movies. Bale always gives his performances everything he has, dropping or gaining weight and muscle and working as a so-called method actor, though he doesn't like that label.

Laurence Fishburne has been in tons of movies throughout his impressive career. Fans usually associate him with Morpheus from the "Matrix" franchise and the Bowery King from the "John Wick" films, though they're not his most-acclaimed roles: He was nominated for an Oscar for playing Ike Turner in "What's Love Got to Do with It" and has taken home four Emmys as well as a Tony for "Two Trains Running" in 1992.

Seeing as he's been doing it for so long, it's easy to forget that Fishburne started acting in the early 1970s. His first role came in 1972, when he was just 11, in the TV movie "If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band." He then went on to appear in "Cornbread, Earl and Me" (pictured) in 1975. His best-known early work is playing Tyrone "Mr. Clean" Miller in "Apocalypse Now."

Fishburne was just 14 when he was cast in the film, having lied about his age to secure the job, telling the folks in charge that he was actually 16. Director Francis Ford Coppola decided that he could pass for 18, and so he booked the gig. That little fib helped him establish himself, and he used that platform to build a lifelong career as a professional actor.

These days, Brie Larson is best known for playing Carol Danvers (aka Captain Marvel) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, long before she became a superhero, Larson was already established in the entertainment industry. She dabbled in singing as a teenager but is, at her core, an actor, and a decorated one at that.

Larson received an Academy Award for portraying Joy "Ma" Newsome in "Room" and an Emmy for "The Messy Truth VR Experience." She began making waves in Hollywood via appearances in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," "Rampart," and "21 Jump Street," but she began her career years earlier. Her first on-screen work came via a sketch on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" way back in 1998, in which she played a Girl Scout.

More in-depth acting ultimately came via a couple of episodes of "To Have & to Hold," followed by additional TV performances. The first time Larson acted in a feature film came in 2001 when she played a character credited as Racing Girl #2 in "Madison" (pictured). That same year, she landed a starring role in "Raising Dad," and her career grew from there on television and the silver screen.

Ryan Reynolds has enjoyed wild success throughout his adult acting career, having first gained widespread fame through 2002's "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." He went on to build a career in romantic comedies before transitioning into the realm of science fiction and fantasy in a variety of comic book films. Reynolds' many noteworthy movies include "Blade: Trinity," in which he played former vampire Hannibal King; "Green Lantern," in which he played the titular DC hero; and the "Deadpool" films, which turned him into an A-list superstar.

Reynolds will probably always be best known for playing Deadpool, but he's also famous for his exploits outside of Hollywood. He famously purchased Wrexham A.F.C. with friend and fellow actor Rob McElhenney in 2021, and the Welsh soccer team has been on a phenomenal journey, rising through the leagues. Many are predicting he will sell his stake in the club for a huge profit, something he did with his gin brand Aviation.

Long before that happened, Reynolds was a teenage actor working in his native Canada. His first professional gig came in 1991 when he played Billy Simpson in the TV series "Hillside" (pictured). Folks in the States saw it via Nickelodeon, though it was retitled "Fifteen." His first movie role was Jeffrey "Ganesh" Moore in "Ordinary Magic" when he was 15. Nine years later, Reynolds' breakout role as Van Wilder helped define his adult career.

Jessica Alba has had an unusual acting career, as she stepped back from the spotlight at the height of her fame. She did this to spend more time with her children and has since returned to performing. She's probably best known for starring in "Dark Angel," earning a Golden Globe nomination, and later as Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, in two "Fantastic Four" films. 

Those make up only a small fraction of the projects Alba's been involved in over the years, having popped up in dozens of movies and television series. Some of her more notable film work includes "Sin City," "Machete," and "Stretch." She's also a businesswoman, having co-founded The Honest Company in 2011, though she stepped down as chief creative officer in 2024.

Alba got into acting at age 11 and landed her first film role in 1994's "Camp Nowhere" when she was 13. That same year, Alba made the jump to television, appearing in a few episodes of "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (pictured). She then booked a leading role in "Flipper" revival series and built her career from there, mostly appearing in independent films and guest spots on television. More recently, she has branched out into working as an executive producer on a number of projects.

Few actors enjoy the level of widespread success Ben Affleck has attained throughout his career. He's won numerous awards for his work as an actor, a director, and a writer. He famously co-wrote "Good Will Hunting" alongside Matt Damon, earning them both the Oscar for best original screenplay. These days, Affleck continues to act but is a renowned writer and director, as well.

Affleck's career has been diverse, so while some fans know him best for playing Batman in the DC Extended Universe, others remember him from director Kevin Smith's early films like "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy," or from his starring roles in "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor." He caught the acting bug when he was just eight after landing the role of C.T. Granville in the PBS series "The Voyage of the Mimi" (pictured). "I would work on that sporadically," he told Backstage. "So I had a lot of experience, but I was still a kid; I wasn't engaged fully in it. But I knew I liked it and I had fun and it was what I wanted to do for work."

He spent the next six years appearing in a variety of films, including playing an extra alongside Damon in "Field of Dreams." Affleck's first major acting role in a film came in 1992's "School Ties," and he followed this with a breakout performance in "Dazed and Confused." He transitioned into leading man status soon after and became an international star in the decades that followed.

Regina King has had a prolific career, appearing in the likes of "Friday" and "Jerry Maguire" as well as hit shows like "Southland." In terms of accolades, she scooped an Academy Award for portraying Sharon Rivers in "If Beale Street Could Talk," and she's also won four Primetime Emmys for "American Crime," "Seven Seconds," and "Watchmen," putting her level with Alfre Woodard as the two Black performers with the most Emmys for acting.

While she's best recognized for her talent as an adult, King gained plenty of attention as a child for her performance in "227." She played Brenda Jenkins (pictured) in 113 episodes of the series from 1985 to 1990, beginning at age 14. In 1991, when she was 19, King was cast as Shalika in "Boyz n the Hood," earning more attention for her talent.

In 2019, King was named one of Time's 100 most influential people on the back of her move behind the camera. "I think she's excited for her growth as an actor but also the other side: being a director, being a leader, having a production company," Viola Davis said of King at the time. "Because that changes the game: the power of what's on the page is going to change how people of color and women are seen in the business."

Kurt Russell has been working since the 1960s. Depending on when you grew up, you may know him best for his acting in director John Carpenter's movies, of which he did five, including "The Thing" and "Escape from New York." Or, you could know him best for his 1987 rom-com "Overboard" or for playing Ego in "The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."

Regardless of where you first met Russell, it's likely you've seen him in something, as the veteran actor has appeared in over 100 movies and television series. He got his start in a 1962 episode of "Dennis the Menace." The following year, he got to kick Elvis Presley in "It Happened at the World's Fair" (he's credited as Boy Kicking Mike).

By the mid-'60s, Russell was a Disney star, having signed a ten-year contract with the Mouse House. In the 1970s, Russell tried his hand at minor league baseball, following in his father's footsteps, but he returned to Hollywood and broadened his career. His breakout adult role came in Carpenter's 1979 TV film "Elvis," in which he played Presley himself.

Scarlett Johansson is one of the world's biggest acting superstars, and she got to that point in her career through a great deal of work. In her 20s, she starred in three of director Woody Allen's films, earning significant praise as some called her his muse. Her breakout role came prior to that when she was only 17, playing a 20-something opposite Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation."

Johansson is reportedly the world's highest-paid actress and her films have made many billions of dollars. She's received two Academy Award nominations for her performances in "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit." Her career kicked off long before any of those distinctions came her way, beginning as a child actor in the theater. Her first paying gig arrived when she was eight, performing alongside Ethan Hawke in the off-Broadway production of "Sophistry."

She transitioned to feature films with 1994's "North" (pictured), playing opposite Elijah Wood when she was nine. She earned an Independent Spirit Award nom for her work in "Manny & Lo" and, soon after, she turned heads with her performance in "The Horse Whisperer." Following "Lost in Translation," Johansson's career exploded, and she went on to become one of the most in-demand actors of her generation.

Of all the world-famous actors who people forget started out as kids, none is as surprising as Bruce Lee. That's largely because his childhood roles were done while he grew up in Hong Kong. After moving to the U.S., Lee relaunched his acting career as an adult, playing Kato in "The Green Hornet," beginning in 1966. He went on to appear in the likes of "Ironside," "Blondie," and "Here Comes The Bride." While Lee showed up in numerous TV series, he ultimately became a film star.

Sadly, Lee only acted in a handful of movies in the States before his untimely death at the age of 32. Some of his best-known films, including "Enter the Dragon" and Lee's final movie "Game of Death," were released posthumously, with the former coming out less than a month after his passing. Before making his way to Hollywood, Lee performed throughout his life, appearing in more than 20 movies in Hong Kong.

His first film was 1941's "Golden Gate Girl," where he aptly played an infant, as he was only around six months old at the time. He began acting properly in 1946, appearing in "The Birth of Mankind" (pictured). He went on to appear in numerous films as a kid, though they aren't as well known in the West as they are in Hong Kong.