What a Change Over - Keeping Up With the Child Stars

Have you ever wondered what happened to you favorite child stars?  Some of them seem to have all but disappeared from the big screen.  L.A. LIVE has put together a list of child actors who are MIA.  Whether they have retired all together, switched careers, or are coming to a screen near you, here is what these child stars have been up to.     

Haley Joel Osment

After starring in a string of advertisements during the early 1990s, Haley Joel Osment rose to fame with his role in “The Sixth Sense”.  He has starred in some films since then, but took time off to pursue a degree at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.  He is currently filming for “Entourage”, the highly anticipated film follow up to the HBO show.   

Liesel Pritzker Simmons (Liesel Matthews) 

Liesel is best known for the title role in the film “A Little Princess”, but she gave up acting in 2000 at the age of 16.  Thanks to a massive fortune from her family’s Hyatt Hotels empire, Liesel is financially set for life!  She puts her money towards philanthropic causes such as Young Ambassadors Opportunity and Opportunity International, which focuses on microfinancing. 

Macaulay Culkin

Pretty much every kid out of the 1990s knows Macaulay Culkin’s shocked “Home Alone” face.  Before he hit it big with “Home Alone” Macaulay starred in a series of roles on stage as well as in film and television.  Culkin’s star was on the rise during the 1990s, but his post “Home Alone” films failed to live up to his initial success.  He retired from film for a period of time before returning in 2000.  His subsequent roles were in smaller films that were much grittier and grown up.  Currently, he is trying his hand with music and DJ gigs.   

Mara Wilson

In the early 1990s, Mara Wilson was the quintessential child star.  Wilson was featured in movies such as “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Miracle on 34th Street” before landing the star role in “Matilda”.  Today, Wilson is retired from film acting because it didn’t allow her the creative freedoms she desired.  Currently, she is working on publishing young adult novels and she recently wrote her first off-Broadway play. 

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

This adorable child star is probably best known for his role as a love struck child in “Love Actually”.  Today, Thomas is still in the spotlight.  He made the move from the silver screen to small screen with a role in HBO’s wildly popular show “Game of Thrones”.  Thomas is involved in animated work, as he lends his voice to the character Ferb on Disney Channel’s “Phineas and Ferb”.