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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
Actress Chloe Grace Moretz poses at the Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on June 12.
Although she couldn’t take part in the champagne and cocktails, 15-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz was fêted at a cocktail soirée at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood on Monday. The actress, who will play the title role in MGM’s upcoming “Carrie” remake, was awarded the 2012 Women in Film, Max Mara Face of the Future Award, which has been given to Zoe Saldana, Elizabeth Banks, Ginnifer Goodwin, Emily Blunt and Maria Bello in past years.
Moretz, who routinely sports Chanel, Pucci and Dolce & Gabbana, is a fashion icon and an immensely successful actress having starred in “Hugo,” “(500) Days of Summer,” “Let Me In” and “Dark Shadows.” As with all the previous winners, Moretz is sure to continue her bright career for years to come.
In honor of Moretz, we’ve come up with a few of our favorite actors and actresses who have seized the potential so clearly seen in their youth. Not all are so fortunate though. From Lindsay Lohan to Haley Joel Osment, glittering futures have also been extinguished through drugs, alcohol, family problems, a lack of true talent, change in appearance, and general laziness. We’ve included these, too.
Child actors with successful careers
Drew Barrymore
She had her breakout role in Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and, at 7, was the youngest host of “SNL.” She had a troubled adolescence, however, snorting cocaine and going to rehab at age 13. She was able to rebound and has put in some of her best work to date, which includes “Scream,” “Batman Forever,” “Never Been Kissed,” “Grey Gardens,” and being the face of CoverGirl.
Jodie Foster
At just 3 years old, Foster began acting in TV commercials going on to make nearly 50 TV and film appearances before attending college. Her first big success was in Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver,” where, at 13, she starred opposite Robert De Niro and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. While at Yale, she was stalked relentlessly by John Hinckley, Jr., and was even the target of an unrelated assassination attempt. She didn’t waver in her career though, going on to win two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her roles as a rape victim in “The Accused” and as FBI trainee Clarice Starling in “The Silence of the Lambs.”
Ron Howard
One of the greatest examples of how to maintain and diversify a promising career in film, Ron Howard starred in “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Happy Days” as a young child later appearing in “American Graffiti” at age 19. Howard successfully used his Hollywood ties to transition into the realm of directing, pulling in Academy Awards for “Apollo 13,” “Cocoon,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and “A Beautiful Mind.” He is co-chairman of a film and TV production company, Imagine Entertainment, with Brian Grazer and is still directing and producing films.
Honorable Mentions: Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Kirsten Dunst, Jason Bateman, Elijah Wood, Anna Paquin, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Child actors who spoiled their potential
Lindsay Lohan
Once a child fashion model who, at 11, convincingly acted two parts with disparate accents in Disney’s remake of “The Parent Trap,” LiLo continued her success with cute and witty roles in “Freaky Friday,” “Mean Girls” and “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” After two DUIs and three trips to rehab in 2007 alone, Lohan lost numerous roles and -- even with a recent stint on “SNL” and in Lifetime’s upcoming “Liz & Dick" -- it seems unlikely she’ll ever recover any of her former stardom.
Haley Joel Osment
M. Night Shyamalan’s successful “The Sixth Sense” afforded Osment a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and helped land him roles in Steven Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” and Mimi Leder’s “Pay It Forward.” For “A.I.” he earned his second Saturn Award for Best Younger Actor and seemed to be a Hollywood favorite starring in 2003’s “Secondhand Lions.” Osment’s popularity in Hollywood came to a stop in 2003 and it was only three years later that he was arrested for DUI and sentenced to three years probation and twenty-six Alcoholics Anonymous classes, signaling the end of his career.
Honorable Mentions: The Olsen Twins starred in “Full House” and own a production company, Dualstar, but have essentially no draw as actresses anymore. Their sister, Elizabeth, star of “Martha Marcy May Marlene” and “Silent House,” however, has begun to craft herself a respectable acting career. "Diff'rent Strokes'" Gary Coleman “Home Alone’s” Macaulay Culkin, “The Lost Boy’s” Corey Haim, and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’s” Denise Nickerson.
Which child actors do you think have spoiled their careers? Which have maintained their success? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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