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(#5) Cole Sprouse
- 26
It's easy to forget the characters on Friends had multiple children throughout the show’s 10-season run. The first little bundle of joy was Ben Geller, who was the product of Ross’s first marriage with Carol. Cole Sprouse played Ben for eight episodes before the character mysteriously disappeared from Ross’s life in 2002. It was never explained why Ben didn't visit his father, but plenty of rumors still circulate amongst die-hard fans to this day.
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(#3) Bobby Driscoll
- Dec. at 31 (1937-1968)
The boy who brought the voice of Disney’s Peter Pan to life had a far different ending to his journey than his animated counterpart. Bobby Driscoll was a key member of Walt Disney’s wheelhouse of bright-eyed child stars, with roles in classic films like Song of the South, Treasure Island, and, of course, Peter Pan, all under his belt by the time he was 16 years old. Unfortunately for Driscoll, he was stricken with severe acne not too long after Pan, and Disney studio heads unceremoniously terminated his contract.
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(#7) Liam James
- 22
For the first five seasons of Psych, the younger version of zany sleuth Shawn Spencer was played by young Canadian actor Liam James. But it soon became difficult to hide James’s changing body and voice. He was replaced by Skyler Gisondo from late Season 5 until the end of Season 6.
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(#6) Shirley Temple
- Dec. at 86 (1928-2014)
Shirley Temple is arguably the biggest child star to ever grace the silver screen. By age six, she had already starred in a staggering 20 films and continued to work steadily until around 1940. Like many early Hollywood stars, Temple fell victim to the dreaded contract system, and was dropped from Fox's stable when her film Blue Bird didn’t meet box office expectations.
Despite this setback, Temple didn’t let bad news keep her down for long. Her departure from Tinsel Town allowed her to enroll in a proper school for the first time ever, and she went on to become a top UN delegate and ambassador to countries like Ghana and Czechoslovakia.
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(#1) Malcolm David Kelley
- 26
Lost is a show full of mysteries and cryptic plot turns – like, say, what happened to Michael’s 10-year-old son, Walt. The writers originally planned to make Walt a pivotal presence on the island, but puberty caught up with actor Malcolm David Kelley to the point where he could no longer convincingly play a 10-year-old boy. Walt was sent away in a life raft after Season 2, though Kelley returned as a guest star three more times.
When questioned about Walt in 2007, executive producer Damon Lindelof said, "We've always known Malcolm was going to grow faster than we could shoot the show. And we planned for it." However, after the show ended, Lindelof quipped that they expected the show to get canceled, and thought they wouldn't have to deal with Kelley aging.
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(#4) Lisa Bonet
- 51
Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable) was a standout on The Cosby Show from the start, and a whole new spin-off series, A Different World, was created to follow Denise through college. After the first season, Lisa Bonet got together with rock star Lenny Kravitz and became pregnant with their child, Zoe. The shows' creators, including Bill Cosby himself, decided that Bonet's pregnancy did not match the "wholesome" values of the show, and promptly sent her character off on a journey to Africa.
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About This Tool
In the film industry, many stars have become famous when they were young. Some of these child stars have successfully transformed and achieved brilliant achievements in other filed, some of them may become famous actors, but some child stars have stopped their acting careers early. Many people are looking forward to what the child stars will become. Is their life very glorious or full of regrets?
Who is the most memorable child star in your mind? This page collected 11 child stars who got fired because they grew up too fast. The film industry is also full of cruel reality. You can know their age and see some pictures with the random tool.
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