Child Stars Female of the ’80s: Then And Now

For all the ’80s kids out there, you’re about to feel all the throwback feels. If you’re an ’80s kid & were a fan of child actresses of that time, then time to relive some of the best moments of your favorite child celebs of your age. Today we are going to take a look at the then and now of the 80s Child Stars.

Carrie Henn Started as Child Stars

Carrie Henn is a former child actress, best known for playing the role of Newt in Aliens, the second installment of the Alien series. In 1987, Henn won the Saturn Award for “Best Performance by a Younger Actor/Actress.” She was also nominated for the Young Artist Awards that same year.

Today Henn has chosen to be a teacher over an actress because the acting wasn’t her passion. As a result, Henn is now an elementary school teacher at Shaffer Elementary School in Atwater, California, where she also resides. Nevertheless, she still keeps in touch with her Aliens co-star Sigourney Weaver.

For more Child Stars: Drew Barrymore

Melting our hearts with large, gentle, dark eyes and a pouty smile, a six-year-old Drew Barrymore impressed everyone in her role as Elliot’s pigtailed little sister. We especially enjoy the scene where she dresses E.T. in a blonde wig.

Who doesn’t love Drew Barrymore? Now aged 46, she is happily married to Will Kopelman, and they have two children together. Most importantly, she has starred in some of our favorite films, including ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘Never Been Kissed.’Nowadays, between films, she does humanitarian work for the U.N.

Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis appeared in movies and television shows throughout the ’80s and ’90s. She landed roles in “The Twilight Zone,” “Life with Lucy,” “Webster,” “The Golden Girls,” and “Roseanne,” and made her big-screen debut in “Troop Beverly Hills” in 1989.

Lewis switched gears and became a successful musician. Lewis was the lead singer of the band Rilo Kiley. However, Rilo Kiley disbanded in 2014, and the American singer-songwriter has gone on to pursue a solo career. Her most recent album, On the Line (2019), reached No. 34 on the Billboard 200. You can keep up to date with Jenny Lewis’s career by following her on Instagram.

Sara Gilbert started as a Child Stars

We love the acerbic sense of humor, artistic, tomboyish, and socially awkward Darlene Conner, portrayed by  Sara Gilbert in the hit comedy Roseanne. Her remarkable performance as Darlene has captured the hearts of many fans from the 80s.

As of now, Sara still acts and most notably had a role in the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The American actress is married to Linda Perry, a former 4 Non-Blondes musician, composer, and producer, and they have two daughters.

Brooke Shields

Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress who began her career as a child model and received universal acclaim at the age of 12 for her major performance in Louis Malle’s film Pretty Baby. Moreover, in her teenage years, the actress starred in several dramas in the 1980s, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli’s Endless Love (1981).

Brooke has always been a Hollywood fixture. She has not only maintained modeling for IMG Models, but she has also continued acting. Moreover, she also has her own site, “Beginning is Now,” a global community of women of all ages finding strength, wisdom, optimism, and humor. It’s a brand 56 years in the making. In between acting and modeling, Brooke has also focused on her philanthropic efforts.

Tracey Gold: Former Child Stars

During the 1980s, Growing Pains was one of the highest-rated sitcoms on T.V., And it made Tracey Gold one of the biggest teen stars in Hollywood. Gold played Carol Seaver on “Growing Pains” from 1985 to 1992. The American actress had her seven-season run on the show in 1985 at the age of 16. Nevertheless, her acting career began with commercials at age 5.

After the end of the series, Gold continued to work as an actress. Over the next decade, she starred in several television movies. She has continued appearing in movies and television shows, and she wrote a memoir called “Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life.” In her book, Gold wrote about growing up in the spotlight and her experience with anorexia.

Starting out as Child Stars: Lisa Bonet

Lisa Bonet started acting in commercials at 11 years old and landed her breakout role of Denise Huxtable Kendall on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1991. Following her performance as Denise, Bonet has dabbled in acting, starring in a variety of roles.

After The Cosby Show, Lisa acted in several films, married musician Lenny Kravitz and the couple had a daughter, Zoe. Bonet and Kravitz eventually divorced, and she gave up acting for a while. She went back to T.V., and she has a film due to come out this year. Even now, after 16 years of marriage with Games of Thrones actor Jason Momoa, the couple recently split up.

Soleil Moon Frye gained her big break as Child Stars

Soleil Moon Frye, 45, began playing Punky Brewster when she was just 8 years old. The series ran from 1984 until 1988. She went on to guest star in episodes of The Wonder Years, Friends, and Saved by the Bell. Nevertheless, the actress directed her first film, Wild Horses, in 1998.

The actress has continued on to achieve success in front of the camera and behind the camera since her cast in Punky Brewster. These days Frye has continued to perform, primarily as a voiceover artist. Another of Soleil’s recent ventures is the documentary Kid 90. The film used archival footage she shot in the 1990s. Furthermore, the movie was released on March 12, 2021, on Hulu.

Started as a Child Actress, Danica McKellar

Danica McKellar played Winnie Cooper in “The Wonder Years” from 1988 to 1993. Before “The Wonder Years,” McKellar appeared on episodes of “The Twilight Zone” and “Captain Planet and the Planeteers.”

McKellar has continued acting, but she also received a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from UCLA and wrote four bestselling math books. As an undergraduate, she coauthored a new mathematical physics theorem that was named the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem. She has also appeared in Hallmark movies and done voiceover work for “Young Justice” and “Transformers: Rescue Bots.”

Alyssa Milano started as a Child Actress

Milano started her debut at the age of seven after her babysitter drove her to an audition for the national touring company of Annie without informing her parents. When Alyssa was ten years old, she starred in “Who’s the Boss?” in 1984. The stunning actress portrayed the role of Tony Danza’s daughter, a character named Samantha Micelli, in the American sitcom. She was one of four selected from more than 1,500 girls.

At the age of 49, the magnificent star is still blazing beautifully. Milano’s most recent performance was in the Netflix thriller “Brazen.” That’s not all: a brand new thriller debuted at number one on Netflix just one day after its release. Alyssa also has her own podcast, “Sorry Not Sorry,” which explores social, political, and cultural concerns through the eyes of unapologetic guests while celebrating activists who are doing incredible things. Alyssa, you did a fantastic job!

• alyssa milano
• brooke shields
• danica mckellar
• drew barrymore
• lisa bonet
• sara gilbert
• tracey gold