15 Beloved Actors Who You Might Not Realize Started Their Careers At A Pretty Young Age
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In Hollywood, there are a ton of people everyone thinks of when you hear the phrase "child actor." Whether it's Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Macaulay Culkin, Drew Barrymore, or more, certain actors just come with the reputation of having started their careers as famous children.
But, then there are some actors who have become so well-beloved as adults, you might not realize they've been working in the entertainment industry since they were kids. So, below are 15 actors who you might not realize started their careers pretty young, too:
1.First, after touring on stage alongside her parents, Julie Andrews made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome singing "Je Suis Titania" when she was only 12 years old. Then, a year later, she became the youngest solo performer to be featured in a Royal Variety Performance in front of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
Of course, Julie received worldwide recognition when she starred as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins in 1964 at 29 years old. She won an Academy Award for her work, too.
2.Naya Rivera achieved widespread recognition for her work as Santana Lopez in Glee, but she actually started her career when she was four years old. In 1991, she landed the role of Hillary on The Royal Family. She even received a Young Artist Award nomination for Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Under Ten.
Jackée Harry, who appeared alongside Naya in The Royal Family, remembered working with her around the time of Naya's death, tweeting, "We starred alongside one another in her first very television series, The Royal Family, and I’ve watched her career blossom ever since."
3.Jonathan Bailey started his career at seven years old when he shared the role of Tiny Tim and young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1995. His first onscreen appearance came when he appeared in the TV show Bramwell a year later.
He then went on to star as Gavroche in the West End's production of Les Misérables. As an adult, Jonathan has had several notable roles in TV shows like Broadchurch and Crashing before landing his breakout role as Anthony Bridgerton on Netflix's Bridgerton in 2020. Most recently, he's received critical acclaim for his work in the limited series Fellow Travelers.
4.At just 15 years old, Ryan Reynolds began starring as Billy in the Canadian teen drama Hillside, known as Fifteen in the US, in 1991. The show ran for four seasons. After starring in a string of comedies, Ryan landed the role of Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and starred opposite Sandra Bullock in The Proposal in 2009.
Of course, Ryan has gone on to make a name for himself in movies, starring in films like Green Lantern, Deadpool, Free Guy, and more.
5.Regina King started her career when she was 14 years old when she landed the role of Brenda on the TV series 227. She starred on the show alongside Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams, Jackée Harry, and more for all five seasons. Regina went on to star in movies like Boyz n the Hood, Poetic Justice, and more before landing what is considered her breakout film role in Jerry Maguire.
In 2019, Regina took home an Academy Award for her work in If Beale Street Could Talk, and she's won four Emmy Awards throughout her career, most recently in 2020 for her work in Watchmen. Regina has also gone on to direct several TV shows and the movie One Night in Miami...
6.Gabriel Macht, who is best known for playing Harvey in Suits, started his acting career at the age of eight when he starred in the movie Why Would I Lie? The role even earned him a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Motion Picture Actor. He was credited as "Gabriel Swann," with Swann being his middle name.
Of course, as mentioned above, Gabriel's big role came in 2011 when he began starring as Harvey Specter in Suits. He starred in the show until the series finale in 2019.
7.While she's well-known for her roles as an adult, Carla Gugino first started acting when she was only 17 years old when she appeared in episodes of shows like Saved by the Bell, Who's the Boss?, Doogie Howser, M.D., and more.
Carla's breakout role came in 2001 when she starred in Spy Kids. She then went on to appear in countless movies, and more recently has received critical acclaim for her work in Mike Flanagan's TV shows The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and The Fall of the House of Usher.
8.Jeff Bridges made his first onscreen appearance as a baby in the 1951 movie The Company She Keeps. Then, he appeared alongside his brother Beau Bridges and their dad on the TV shows Sea Hunt and The Lloyd Bridges Show between 1958 and 1963.
In 1972, at just 23 years old, Jeff was nominated for his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Last Picture Show. He's been nominated seven times over the course of his career, and he won Best Actor in 2010 for his work in Crazy Heart.
9.Laurence Fishburne, who was credited as Larry Fishburne during the beginning of his career, actually started acting when he was 11 years old. He first appeared in If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band before landing the role of Josh Hall on One Life to Live.
Laurence then began a prosperous film career, appearing in movies like Apocalypse Now, The Color Purple, Boyz n the Hood, and What's Love Got to Do with It, with the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination in 1994.
10.Melanie Lynskey made her movie debut when she was only 17 years old when she starred in Heavenly Creatures alongside Kate Winslet. Then, she went on to appear in a series of beloved movies like But I'm a Cheerleader, Coyote Ugly, Sweet Home Alabama, and more.
Recently, Melanie has earned critical acclaim for her work in Yellowjackets, with her role as adult Shauna earning her two Emmy Awards nominations and the 2022 Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series.
11.Sarah Jessica Parker's career began when she was cast in Annie on Broadway in 1977 when she was 12 years old. She started out playing the role of June before replacing Andrea McArdle as Annie. Her first onscreen credit came when she starred in the short-lived sitcom Square Pegs.
Of course, Sarah went on to have a huge career in both film and TV, one of her earliest and most beloved roles was in Hocus Pocus in 1993. Her starring role as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City earned her a total of 10 Emmy Awards nominations, and she won twice.
12.Brie Larson's first onscreen appearance was in 1998 when she was only nine years old. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in various sketches. She then went on to land a role on the series Raising Dad and appeared in movies like 13 Going on 30, Right on Track, and Hoot.
Brie also starred in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and 21 Jump Street before landing more widespread recognition for the film Short Term 12 in 2013. In 2016, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Room. Of course, she's also gone on to star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and recently received several awards nominations for her work in the limited series Lessons in Chemistry.
13.After doing some voice acting, Penn Badgley made his first onscreen appearance in an episode of Will & Grace in 1999 when he was 13 years old. He then went on to star in The Young and the Restless before landing his breakout role in Gossip Girl in 2007.
Penn starred on Gossip Girl as Dan Humphrey until 2012, while also appearing in movies like Easy A. In recent years, he's become best known for playing Joe Goldberg in Netflix's You.
14.Kurt Russell began his acting career when he was just 12 years old when he began starring in The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. Then, at 15 years old, he signed a reported 10-year contract with the Walt Disney Company and made 12 feature films with them.
While starring in The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, Kurt met Goldie Hawn, who appeared as a dancer and it was her first film credit. The duo would later begin dating and have been in a relationship since 1983.
15.And finally, Elizabeth Taylor, who is still considered one of the most popular classic Hollywood actors, started her career when she was 10 years old. Elizabeth appeared in a series of small roles in various movies, before starring as Velvet in National Velvet alongside Mickey Rooney when she was 14.
Elizabeth went on to have, simply put, an iconic career starring in movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Suddenly, Last Summer, Cleopatra, The Taming of the Shrew, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and more. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress five times and won twice.
We can't fit everyone into one list, so which other actors were you kind of surprised to find out started their careers as children? Tell us in the comments below!
