Here Are What the Kid Actors From Classic ’80s and ’90s Movies Look Like Today

Famous for his role as the annoying yet caring elder brother in smash-hit Home Alone, Buzz McCallister and the other child actors of the franchise quickly rose to stardom for the quirky plot and their equally convincing acting.

Before and after the success of the beloved children’s film, Ratray landed smaller roles in films like Little Monsters, Dennis the Menace, Worth Winning, and The Prince and Me.

Sadly, for Ratray, his acting career never fully took off. Despite the promise in his performance, he had to stick to minor roles and voice acting. He appeared in the 2013 films Nebraska and Blue Rain.

Some of the bigger projects where he played a part include Masterminds, Rough Night, and the 2019 critically acclaimed release Hustlers. Ratray has been significantly more active on the silver screen, picking up cameos or recurring roles here and there.

Even before the incredible success of Matilda, Mara Wilson was set for success. With roles in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street, and Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Wilson was one of the most prominent child actors of the ‘90s.

Matilda won her three nominations and one award. She retired from acting in 2000 to concentrate on writing and made her return to the industry in 2012. Wilson retired from film acting but began stage acting.

Mara Wilson has been affiliated with Hollywood very lightly, mostly focusing on her writing career. She has a recurring role as ‘The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home’ on the podcast, Welcome to the Night Vale.

In 2016, she returned to television for a very brief period to star in an episode inspired by Mrs. Doubtfire for the show Broad City. She lent her voice to BoJack Horseman and Big Hero 6: The Series.

Wednesday Addams set up the premise for most of Christina Ricci’s roles in Hollywood. She earned a name for herself by playing unconventional characters with an edgy twist. Ricci entered Hollywood at the tender age of nine with the movie Mermaids, which was quickly followed up by her breakthrough performance in The Addams Family — as well as its sequel.

In 1995, she appeared in two more blockbuster releases including Casper and Now and Then. Ricci was rightfully titled a “teen icon.”

Ricci has appeared on multiple box office and television hits over a 30 years career. Her last significant role was in the psychological thriller Distorted, which was released in 2018. While the movie received mixed reviews from the critics, everyone unanimously agreed that Ricci brought much more to the role than expected.

She also acts as the national spokesperson for RAINN, a nonprofit anti-assault organization. Currently, she’s filming the upcoming 2021 drama titled Yellowjackets.

Perhaps one of the most known faces on this list both then and now, Scarlett Johansson transitioned from a beautiful teenager in the films to a powerhouse of an actress. The blonde beauty’s first leading role was in the 1996 drama Manny & Lo as Amanda.

Her performance received many positive reviews. She moved on to do minor roles in movies such as Home Alone 3 and Fall before striking big with her role in The Horse Whisperer.

In 2010, Johansson was picked up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She joined the cast as Black Widow, which soon became one of the most important aliases in her film career. She reprised her role as Black Widow in 2014 on Captain America: The Winter Soldier but it was her performance in the 2017 Lucy that really attracted the critics and mass audience.

Black Widow became so important to the franchise that she got an entire movie dedicated to her in 2021.

American actor Patrick Renna has a pretty successful origin story in Hollywood. Renna was born in Boston but moved to Los Angeles at a young age to pursue acting. He began his career by playing Hamilton “Ham” Porter in the 1993 sports comedy flick The Sandlot.

He went on to star in Disney’s The Big Green. Aside from the minor roles here and there, Renna didn’t find much success in the industry — at least nothing to match up the cult hit The Sandlot.

Patrick Renna is rather smart. Since his performance as Ham, he has appeared in numerous recurring and guest-starring roles for award-winning TV shows like X- Files, Boston Legal, Bones, and ER.

Even more recently, Renna was seen in the Netflix show Glow. One of his recent projects includes Bad Roomies, which marks his debut as a producer — plus his return to the big screen.

Born in 1985, Zelda Harris is mostly known for playing Jessi Ramsey in the 1995 tween movie The Baby-Sitters Club. Before that, she appeared in Crooklyn in 1994.

Sadly, for all Harris fans, the last time she starred in a Hollywood movie was in 1998 where she played Mary Shuttlesworth in He Got Game. From 1991 to 2014, she was actively involved in numerous productions on the silver screen.

Zelda Harris attended Princeton University and was a member of the class of 2007. After The Baby-Sitters Club, she didn’t end up landing any other significant roles in movies or on television. Her last time playing the titular role was in the television drama titled Second Noah where she played the role of Bethany Beckett.

After 22 episodes, the show ended. Harris took on a few more cameos in other TV shows, with the last one being in 2014 for All About Family.

Although Dante Basco has done his fair share of diverse work in the industry, most people still know him as the leader of the Lost Boys in the 1991 fantasy film, Hook. Landing your very first role in Steven Spielberg isn’t easy so there was a ton of pressure on Basco, who was just 16 at the time.

However, he played his role flawlessly. A punk band was later named after Rufio. Apart from the many minor acting gigs, Basco guest-starred in TV shows here and there.

Alongside working on the big screen, Basco has lent his voice to multiple productions. You may have heard him as General Iroh in The Legend of Korra, Jake Long in American Dragon: Jake Long, Jai Kell in Star Wars Rebels, and Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

In collaboration with Jonah Feingold, Basco agreed to work on a movie for his beloved character Rufio, which was named Bangarang. Right now, he also streams gameplay on Twitch.

Thomas was only a year older than Elliott, the character he played in the Steven Spielberg movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Sadly, he struggled with the newfound popularity. In 2012, his audition tape for the part was uploaded to YouTube and it went viral.

He said that the reason he was able to deliver the final shots of the movie so seamlessly was because he was simultaneously dealing with the passing of his own pet. Thomas took a break from Hollywood after the movie to finish his education in Texas.

After his study break, Thomas returned to Hollywood. He reprised his character as Elliott in a commercial of Xfinity & Sky UK. In it, E.T. comes back to visit his dear friend, Elliott, who is now an adult.

Thomas has also appeared in shows like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Stargirl, and Betrayal. We saw him as Peter Kavinsky’s estranged father on Netflix’s To All The Boys: Always and Forever.

Little Drew Barrymore was just six years old when she starred as Gertie, the boys’ younger sister. Both her parents and grandparents were actors, so it’s safe to say that she had the acting bug running in through veins. The movie was released when she was seven years old.

Barrymore had quite a turbulent adolescence where she struggled with substance abuse. Nevertheless, she delivered great performances in many films throughout the ‘90s.

Barrymore is one of the A-list celebrities on this list. Her second breakthrough came in the form of the 1996 horror blockbuster Scream. She starred in iconic movies such as Charlie’s Angels, 50 First Dates, and The Wedding Singer.

Content with her progress in films, Barrymore ventured into the world of TV and took part in Santa Clarita Diet, as both a producer and actress. Currently, she hosts her own show The Drew Barrymore Show on CBS.

Former actor Norman D. Golden II stole the spotlight with his performance as Devon Butler in the 1993 release Cop and a Half. Prior to that, he was a series regular on True Colors, a show under the Fox Network.

However, the sitcom was canceled after the second season, just after Golden joined the cast. Golden’s last known acting job was in a TV remake of Moby Dick, which was released in 1998. He quit Hollywood to focus on his education.

37-year-old Golden now performs as a rapper under the name Enormus. He’s active on his social media handles where he never forgets to mention how he was Devon Butler in the ’93 classic. While he was on his hiatus, Norman developed other interests and skills like writing screenplays and music.

He has even collaborated with Nestor Torres, a Grammy-award winner. Enormus performs live across Southern California. His debut EP is titled “SEEDS Vol 1: Pick of the Litter.”

Jumanji is the film that’s more widely known in Dunst’s portfolio but she has been nominated for a Golden Globe for another performance. Before Jumanji in 1995, Kirsten Dunst played child vampire Claudia in the 1994 horror film Interview With the Vampire.

Her impressive performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination under Best Supporting Actress. Aside from that, she acted in Little Women (1994) and Small Soldiers (1998) as a child actor.

Most people probably know her for playing the amber-haired love interest of Peter Parker in Spiderman. Mary Jane Watson helped Dunst become a household name in the superhero clique fandom.

She slowly took on more complex roles such as in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Elizabethtown, and as the title character in Marie Antoinette. To date, Dunst has received three Golden Globe nominations and one Cannes Film Festival Award.

Jerry O’Connell’s acting career started at a very young age. He worked in TV and commercials before scoring his breakout role in Stand by Me in 1986 as Vern Tessio. After that, he took up roles in numerous TV series and TV-movies including one starring role in My Secret Identity.

O’Connell attended New York University from 1991 to 1994 where he majored in film. Sadly, he never graduated. A gifted individual, O’Connell also participated in writing and directing multiple episodes of the fantasy series, Sliders.

O’Connell started doing commercials for Bob Evans grocery items in 2020. In the same year, the actor starred in the American Airlines Theatre’s version of A Soldier’s Play where he took on the part of Captain Taylor.

He has also done Broadway, primarily as a ghost-writer for the comedy Living on Love. He currently shares two kids with his wife, Rebecca Romjin. He is one of the four actors who appeared in both the Scream franchise as well as its parody.

Wheaton’s first role in a television film was in A Long Way Home while he made his cinema debut with the movie The Secret of NIMH in 1982. He gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Gordie Lachance in the 1986 comedy-drama Stand by Me.

Following that success, Wheaton scored another huge role as Wesley Crusher in the Star Wars franchise. From 1987 to 1991, he was regularly seen in the show before his character was made into a recurring one.

Apart from his many accomplishments on the big screen, Wheaton is a successful voice actor. You’ve heard him as Aqualad in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!. He also voiced numerous characters for games, a significant one being that of journalist Richard Burns for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Wheaton did a regular fictionalized appearance of himself on the fan-favorite sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In addition, he created and hosted the YouTube board game show named Tabletop.

Who doesn’t remember the dinosaur-loving kid from the 1993 sci-fi action film, Jurassic Park? Little “Timmy” or Tim Murphy was played by Joseph Mazzello who was 10 years old at that time. His very first film appearance was in 1990 for the film Presumed Innocent.

Then, Mazzello went on to appear in Jersey Girl, Radio Flyer, and Desperate Choices: To Save My Child. Post the success of Jurassic Park, he acted in numerous films but didn’t find momentous success.

It took Mazzello some time to redeem his place in the film industry. Still, he’s getting there — slowly but surely. In 2010, he took on the role of Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of Facebook in The Social Network. This role earned him an award or two.

Soon, he went on to star in G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 2013 and Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018. All three of these productions were a commercial success with the Queen biopic almost reaching the one billion dollar earnings mark.

We can’t talk about Timmy without bringing up his talented hacker sister, Lex. Played by Ariana Richards, Lex Murphy is shown to be uptight at first but slowly warms up. At the time of filming, Richards was 13 years old.

Her performance as Lex won her multiple Young Artist Awards. Her acting career isn’t as diverse as we had expected, as she has only since made a cameo appearance in the third installment of Jurassic Park and in the first part of Tremors.

Although a very bright actress, Richards didn’t dive too deep into Hollywood. She was featured in the 2006 September issue of the Empire magazine where she hinted at a possible return to the big screen.

Richards came through with her promise and was seen in the 2013 movie Battledogs. However, her primary focus as an adult has always been her art career. Now 41 years old, she lives with her husband of eight years, Mark Bolton.

If you don’t know him from Jerry Maguire, you definitely recognize him as the spectacled cutie from Stuart Little. Jerry Maguire marks Jonathan Lipnicki’s film debut, which took place in 1996.

Before that, he appeared in a few TV series including episodes of beloved shows Dawson’s Creek and Meego. Lipnick played George Little in the 1999 comedy family flick, Stuart Little. He reprised the role in 2002 for the sequel.

Over the years, Lipnicki has been involved in numerous film and TV projects. However, none of them were close to the successful productions he had starred in during the ‘90s.

Lipnick hasn’t starred in widely released films in a long time, focusing primarily on independent features. Appearing as himself, the former child star was a part of programs such as Celebs Go Dating, Drop the Mic, and Worst Cooks in America.

The green-eyed actress has been in the industry since she was a child and has now grown into one of the most prominent figures in Hollywood. Jennifer Connelly was actively appearing in newspapers, magazines, and TV advertising before making her film debut in Open Upon a Time in America.

Following her debut in 1984, Connelly starred in a bunch of films including Labyrinth, Phenomena, Rocketeer. Connelly gained critical acclaim for her performance in the sci-fi flick Dark City (1998).

Time and time again, Connelly has been praised for her incredible beauty. Her flawless skin combined with her green eyes and thick black locks has helped her turn heads wherever she goes.

Aside from her successful career in Hollywood comprising films like Hulk, Dark Water, and He’s Just Not That Into You, she has been an active face in modeling. Conelly was the face of Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga fashion ads, as well as Revlon. Shiseido announced her as their global face in 2012.

Jason James Richter as Jesse in Free Willy melted everyone’s hearts with his impressive performance and adorable charm. Richter was chosen out of a 4,000-candidate pool so he had to live up to the standards set on him.

The role of Jesse was reprised in 1995 and 1997 for the second and third installments respectively of the Free Willy franchise. His other films include The NeverEnding Story III, Cops & Robbersons, as well as Setting Son.

To date, Richter has managed to stay active in the industry. He has had to pick up smaller roles to do so but they have to be noted. The 2021 crime thriller The Little Things was his first major production since the orca-loving Free Willy.

Deviating from his professional life for a second, Richter doesn’t have the cleanest image right now, as he was arrested in October of 2018 on counts of domestic violence against his girlfriend.

Aptly considered one of the most successful child actors of the ‘90s, Macaulay Culkin is an iconic celebrity. It’s not just the multi-million-dollar franchise Home Alone that he has under his name — he also starred in films like Richie Rich and My Girl.

Culkin took a break from the industry in 2004 but before that, he starred in a handful of movies such as The Nutcracker, The Good Son, and Getting Even With Dad.

Culkin returned to the spotlight in 2003 with a cameo on the TV series Will & Grace. His autobiographical book, Junior, was published in 2006. The versatile actor co-founded “Pizza Underground,” a pizza-themed comedy rock band.

The band split up in 2016. Right now, Culkin is not only busy as a father but also works as the CEO and publisher of a pop culture website called “Bunny Ears,” which is known for its satirical tones. In February 2020, Ryan Murphy announced a Culkin addition to the cast of the upcoming season of American Horror Story.

Anna Chlumsky was introduced to the flashy lights of Hollywood at an early age, participating in advertisement campaigns alongside her mother. She played the titular role of Vada Sultenfuss in the coming-of-age comedy-drama titled My Girl in 1991.

She reprised the role in 1994 for the sequel. In the same year, she was cast in Trading Mom as well as Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain. Chlumsky was a regular in television films and series in the mid to late ‘90s.

Similar to many other child actors, Chlumsky announced a hiatus to concentrate on her education. She went on a break from Hollywood from 1999 to 2005 while she finished college.

After returning to the big screen, she was signed for numerous independent films like Blood Car and In the Loop. Thanks to her stellar performance as Amy Brookheimer on the TV series Veep, Chlumsky has received six Primetime Emmy nominations.

An early role of Kenan Thompson would be of him as an entertainment reporter for Real News for Kids. He starred in the original version of Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy, All That.

Due to his great chemistry with co-star Kel Mitchell, they were given a spin-off show dedicated to the two of them titled Kenan & Ken. Thompson started shooting for D2: The Mighty Ducks when he was still in high school.

Thompson’s acting career started in the early 1990s. And although he had some impressive productions under his name, he ultimately flourished as a comedian. He has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live for more than 13 years now, making Thompson the longest-tenured cast member in the history of the show.

Currently, the actor and comedian stars on the NBC sitcom titled Kenan, which premiered in 2021.

Sean Astin entered showbiz in 1981 when he was only 10 years old. His first work was a television movie named Please Don’t Hit Me, Mom. His film debut happened when he was 13. Astin played the role of Mikey in the 1985 adventure comedy The Goonies.

After the success of that movie, Astin was spotted in several other films, including The B.R.A.T. Patrol, Like Father Like Son, The War of the Roses, and many more.

Astin dipped his toes in the field of directing and producing, coming out with the short film Kangaroo Court. The movie received an Academy Award nod as well! The early 2000s saw Astin as an important part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Post the wrap-up of those films, Astin did anything and everything. Not only did he keep on taking up film roles, but he was also seen making cameos in television shows and lending his voice to animation films.

To deliver a performance of that magnitude on the very first attempt is nothing short of outstanding. Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance in the horror classic The Shining set the benchmark for child actors in the day.

He was picked for the role as he had the ability to retain focus for extended periods. Stanley Kubrick was somehow able to make the entire film without notifying the six-year-old that he was starring in a horror movie. Despite his remarkable performance, Lloyd left acting at the age of 10.

Llyod’s very last work before retirement was in 1982 in the TV-film, Will: G. Gordon Liddy. Barely any information is available on his current activities as he’s completely slid under the radar. However, it’s known that Lloyd was an associate professor of biology at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College in 2004.

In 2019, he did a cameo in Doctor Sleep, a sequel of The Shining. He was a spectator at a baseball match but that marked his first acting gig in 38 years.