Amanda Bynes
The Child: Started out aged 10 in TV comedy-variety show All That before appearing in 52 episodes of kids game show Figure It Out . Got her own series , The Amanda Show in 1999.
The Adult: After impressing in the comedy likes of Hairspray and Easy A , Amanda announced her retirement from acting via her Twitter account. “I don’t love acting anymore, so I’ve stopped doing it,” she said. She later told People Magazine that she’s having time off and hasn’t quit for good.
Corey Haim
The Child: Got roles in the early ‘80s (his first when he was just 12), with a starring role in werewolf horror Silver Bullet. The Lost Boy s raised his profile considerably, but the likes of License To Drive and Dream Machine failed to match it.
The Adult: After starring in mostly DTV movies, Haim died aged 38 from pneumonia. Good friend Corey Feldman said: “He was his own enemy. I mean, look, a lot of people that are artists tend to be their own worst enemy because we're passionate people.”
Michael J. Fox
The Child: Broke into TV in 1977 with The Magic Lie before landing a recurring role on Family Ties . Went on to star in th e Back To The Future trilogy, for which he’s generally still best recognised.
The Adult: Never really broke the movie world’s back (a role in Mars Attacks! notwithstanding), Fox has always had greater success on TV with Spin City and a recurring role on The Good Wife.
Hayden Panettiere
The Child: Landed a gig aged five on soap opera One Life To Live before moving onto Guiding Light . Pitched up in Ally McBea l’s final season, then had people trying to save her as cheerleader Claire in Heroes .
The Adult: Now 23, Hayden’s strayed into less safe terrain with Scream 4 (of which she was generally the best thing). Next: American musical series Nashville .
Elijah Wood
The Child: Cropped up aged eight in Back To The Future Part II (playing a video game, adorable) before going on to Internal Affairs and The Adventures Of Huck Finn.
The Adult: Became a household name (somewhat) when he signed on to play Frodo in Lord Of The Rings , and killed dead his childhood innocence as creepy Kevin in Sin City.
Dakota Fanning
The Child: Made her starring debut aged seven in I Am Sam , then cemented her status as a star in the making with Man On Fire, War Of The Worlds and Coraline .
The Adult: Now 18, Fanning’s going for riskier material ( Twilight aside), grunging up in The Runaways and emotional drama Now Is Good.
Anthony Michael Hall
The Child: Debuted aged 11 in The Gold Bug before appearing in National Lampoon’s Vacation . Became a champion for geeky high schoolers during the ‘80s with Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science .
The Adult: Produced and starred in Stephen King TV show The Dead Zone for five years. Also pitched up in The Dark Knight as Mike Engel.
Abigail Breslin
The Child: Made her first commercial at just three, then made her movie debut in Signs aged five. Breslin followed those up with an awards-hoovering performance in Little Miss Sunshine before showing up noticeably older in Zombieland .
The Adult: Breslin has a host of films on her slate, including Gavin Hood’s sci-fi adaptation Ender’s Game.
Daniel Radcliffe
The Child: Tipped into superstardom aged just 11 as Harry Potter himself, Radcliffe’s movie debut was a year earlier in The Tailor Of Panama .
The Adult: With Harry Potter now firmly behind him, Radcliffe’s movie choices reflect his growing maturity. The Woman In Black showed he wasn’t afraid of doing something new, while upcoming Kill Your Darlings looks like a daring and affectionate tribute to Allen Ginsberg.
Nicole Kidman
The Child: Perhaps testing the limits of the definition ‘child’ here, though Kidman’s entrance into the movie world at just 16 is notable thanks to one film: BMX Bandits . 1983 was a busy year for the Aussie, who also appeared in TV show Five Mile Creek and TV movies Skin Deep, Chase Through The Night and Matthew And Son.
The Adult: An Oscar-winning Hollywood heavyweight whose diamond credits include The Hours, Eyes Wide Shut, The Others, Moulin Roug e and Margot At The Wedding .
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