Who's the Child Star? Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Child actors have been around for decades although the trend since 2000 has been more to starting in teenage years. Early stars did not always fare well due to the pressures of fame. More than a few succumbed to addictions. Some drifted away from acting or failed to make the transition to adult acting.

The earliest on the list is Jerry Mathers (born in 1948). He appeared in 234 episodes of the TV series "Leave It to Beaver" as Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver between 1957 and 1963. In 1984 he received a lifetime achievement award for this role. He was active for more than 50 years in both TV and film.

Ron Howard (born in 1954) first came to prominence in the TV series "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960-1968) as Opie Taylor. His next significant part was as Richie Cunningham in "Happy Days" (1974-1984). He made the switch to directing during this time, starting in 1977 and achieving his directorial break with "Night Shift" (1982). He is probably best known for his award-winning historical dramas such as "Apollo 13" (1995), "A Beautiful Mind" (2001), and "Frost/Nixon" (2008).

At the age of seven, Jay North (born 1951) became the face of Dennis the Menace in the TV series of the same name. He portrayed the role of Dennis Mitchell between 1959 and 1963. Although he achieved some minor roles for the next 40 years, his Dennis the Menace persona was difficult to leave behind. He eventually retired from acting to become a corrections officer.

Next on the list is Bill Mumy (born in 1954). He had a series of TV appearances from 1960 and came to prominence as Will Robinson in the TV series "Lost in Space" (1965-1968). He continued to act regularly with, for example, the role of Lennier in five seasons of "Babylon 5" during the 1990s. He even appeared in the pilot episode of the Netflix remake of "Lost in Space" (2018), although as Dr Z. Smith (a role played by Jonathan Harris in the 1965 TV series). He has also had various voice acting roles.

Having a parent in the industry is often the reason for the early start. Born in 1959, Dante Daniel Bonaduce (better known as Danny) can thank his father perhaps. His father was TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce. Danny's child acting developed into professional wrestling at one point, as well as more conventional acting, radio and TV personality areas. His fame as a child actor came from his role as Danny Partridge in the TV sitcom "The Partridge Family" (1970-1974). He was also voice acting during the 1970s, such as in the animated series "Fred Flintstone and Friends" (1977-1978).

Mary Anissa Jones is perhaps one of the casualties of early success, dying from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 18. Her younger brother was also to die from a drug overdose at the age of 24 nearly eight years later. Born in 1958, Anissa came to stardom through her role as Buffy Davis in the TV sitcom "Family Affair" between 1966 and 1971. She had not worked in film or TV for six years at the time of her death.

Primarily a TV actress, Eve Plumb (born in 1958) got her start in commercials from the age of seven. She came to prominence for her role as the middle daughter Jan Brady in the TV sitcom "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974). She returned to this character in various reunion series such as "The Brady Brides" (1981), "A Very Brady Christmas" (1988), and "The Bradys" (1990). She also appeared as herself in the 2019 reality TV series "A Very Brady Renovation".

Kim Richards (born in 1964) started early, appearing in a TV commercial when a few months old. Her first main role was as Prudence Everett in the TV sitcom "Nanny and the Professor" (1970-1971). She also starred in the 1975 science fantasy film "Escape to Witch Mountain" as well as its sequel. TV has been the main media for her, recently mostly as herself in such series as "The Simple Life" (2004, 2007) and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" (2010-2020, 2023-2024). Being in the public eye seems to be a family thing. The various socialites in hers include her younger sister Kyle Richards, her half-sister Kathy Hilton, and Hilton's two daughters, Nicky and Paris.

Known for his pageboy haircut, Adam Rich (born in 1968) portrayed Nicholas Bradford, the youngest son in the TV series "Eight is Enough" (1977-1981). TV appearances mostly dried up by the end of the 1980s, with his last appearance in 2003. Depression and substance abuse were problems at various points in his life. He was to die of a fentanyl overdose in 2023.

A trick some TV producers use is to choose a child who is small for their age. This is so that an older (and therefore more mature) child can portray the character. Such was the case with Gary Coleman (born in 1968), whose restricted growth was attributed to medicines used to treat his childhood kidney disease. He was chosen to portray Arnold Jackson in "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978-1986) partly for this reason. This turned him into an award-winning star. He went on to reprise his role in "Hello, Larry" (1979), "The Facts of Life" (1979-1980), "Silver Spoons" (1982), and "Amazing Stories" (1986). Health problems dogged him in real life, including two failed kidney transplants.

All the others listed did not come into their stardom until their teens.