Where They Are Now: Child Stars From The ’70s
We knew them (and loved them) in the '70s. In some ways, they even helped raise us. Watching them on-screen or listening to their music changed the way we looked at the world. But how have they changed over time? Now they're all grown up and we need to know what happened to them! Some of them are more successful than ever, while others have taken different paths in life.
Ron Howard (Opie Taylor)
You may know him as Opie Taylor on the ever-popular series, "The Andy Griffith Show," but Ron Howard has never been at a loss for great acting roles. His parents were both actors, and his father was also a director. So, his appearance in his first movie, Frontier Woman (1956) at 18-months-old was not a surprise. His appearances on stage and TV continued from there.
Beyond his appearance as the red-headed Opie, his talents continue to shine as Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days." But, those early roles barely graze the surface of his credits. Howard has appeared in more than 27 films, directed 28 motion picture films (including the highly acclaimed A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cocoon, and The Da Vinci Code), and produced more than 20 more films. So, you won't be surprised that he's a monumental film icon. He doesn't appear to be afraid to push outside his comfort zone, and he continually brings a fresh, unique (and unforgettable) perspective to his projects.
Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt was born to be a TV star, but she also got serious about her acting at 8-years-old when she began studying with her father, Director and Acting Coach Gordon Hunt. Since her debut at nine, you may have seen her in “Amy Prentiss" (1974-75), "The Bionic Woman," "Swiss Family Robinson" (1975-76), "The Facts of Life," or maybe "The Fitzpatricks" (1977-78). She also appeared in Rollercoaster (1977).
In her career, so far, she has won four Emmy Awards, a Blockbuster Award, four American Comedy Awards, four Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and an Oscar. Of course, we're only able to offer the highlights of her career, and it's clear that she's not ready to retire anytime soon. She's fabulous and completely unstoppable.
Johnny Whitaker (Jody Davis)
Born John Orson Whitaker, Jr., Johnny launched his career at 3-years-old with an appearance in a TV commercial for a local car dealership. From there, he appeared in "General Hospital," and even had a role in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. He's best known for his role as the orphaned Jody Davis, in "Family Affair" (1966-1971).
Another memorable role was his part in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Littlest Angel, but he also starred in Disney's Snowball Express (1972), The Biscuit Eater (1972), Napoleon and Samantha, "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" (1973), and The Magic Pony (1977). He also took on the lead role in a musical, Tom Sawyer (1973). Whitaker took a few detours after graduating from Sylmar High School, going on a mission trip, and graduating from Brigham Young University (1986), but he also received the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Youth in Film Awards (1999). Through his personal and professional troubles, he ultimately chose the path of recovery.
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields is a beautiful model, so it's easy to forget that she also started out acting in the '70s. When she was 5-days-old, her mother said, "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career." With that early beginning, her first role was fraught with controversy in Pretty Baby (1978). She also appeared in more than a dozen other films, including The Blue Lagoon (1980), and Franco Zeffirelli's Endless Love (1981).
Shields, then, took on the lead role in Suddenly Susan (1996-2000), a sitcom that initially appeared between Seinfeld and ER and thus drew 25 million viewers per episode. With the time slot change, the show's viewership began to dissipate. Beyond her modeling and acting, Shields also published a book, Down Came the Rain (2003), which sparked some controversy since it detailed her personal struggle with postpartum depression. In an article for The New York Times, she wrote, "Since writing about my experiences with the disease, I have been approached by many women who have told me their stories and thanked me for opening up about a topic that is often not discussed because of fear, shame or lack of support and information."
Erin Murphy (Tabitha)
Erin Murphy starred as Tabitha Stephens in the “Bewitched” TV series, which ran from 1964-1972. At first, Erin shared the role with her fraternal twin sister, Diane, but the arrangement evolved to a full-time situation as the girls each began to take on a different "look."
Although Murphy took time off from her acting career to be a "normal" kid, she never lost that passion for acting, which inspired her to delve into various aspects like teaching, as well as production, make-up, and stunts (she worked as a stunt-double for Virginia Madsen and Melissa Leo). Besides being a business owner, she is working on reality TV shows and commercials.
Danny Bonaduce (Danny Partridge)
Born Dante Daniel "Danny" Bonaduce, his bright red hair and winning smile are instant reminders of his role as the precocious Danny Partridge, the middle-child, bass guitar musician in “The Partridge Family.” With a TV-writer-and-producer for a father, he'd always seemed destined for stardom.
Bonaduce also appeared in a number of films, including Corvette Summer(1978), and made guest appearances on "CHiPs." After an acting hiatus, he appeared on episodes of a number of shows: "Married... with Children," "Space Ghost Coast to Coast," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigations," and "The Drew Carey Show," among others. Bonaduce also appeared in the VH1 reality show, "Breaking Bonaduce" (2005). Over the years, he's delved into a number of careers, including that of a professional wrestler, comedian, and radio/talk-show personality. He's been a regular morning host at Seattle radio station KZOK-FM since November 2011.
Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady)
You know her best as the oldest Brady daughter, Marcia, but Maureen McCormick had already appeared on "My Three Sons" (1960), "Bewitched" (1964), and "Camp Runamuck" (1965). She also starred in commercials for Barbie and Kool Aid.
McCormick continued to appear on TV, but also was cast in movie parts for Dogtown (1997), Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure (1999), and The Million Dollar Kid (2000). She also appeared as a popular contestant on and won “VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club” (2007). McCormick detailed her experiences on "The Brady Bunch" in her book, Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice (2008).
Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady)
Mike Lookinland is the jet-black-haired little brother on "The Brady Bunch." While it was easy to get lost in his crowd of siblings, we never forgot his most memorable moments.
Mike played parts in several shows such as “Little House on The Prairie,” several Brady Bunch specials and movies like the Towering Inferno before leaving show business entirely. He’s happily married, has two children, and he owns a decorative concrete business in Utah. Mike is a self-confessed Dead Head.
Quinn Cummings (Lucy McFadden)
Quinn Cummings started off her young stardom in commercials, but soon landed the memorable role of Lucy McFadden, in Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl (1977). Her performance was amazing, earning her Golden Globe and Academy nominations for "Best Supporting Actress."
Cummings moved on take on a recurring role on "Family" (1978), as well as a part on "Hail to the Chief" (1985). Beyond her TV and movie acting, she's been a casting director, a business owner, and successful blogger. Cummings is also the author of numerous books, including Notes From The Underwire: Adventures from My Awkward and Lovely Life (2009), The Year of Learning Dangerously (2012), and Pet Sounds (2013). Her work has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Time, People, The Atlantic, Salon, Los Angeles Magazine, Huffington Post, and Good Housekeeping.
Robby Benson
You may know him for his role in the soap opera, “Search for Tomorrow” (1971-1972), but he also appeared in Jory (1972), Jeremy (1973), as well as the hit movie Ode to Billy Joe (1976). Earlier on in his career, he debuted with a part on Wait Until Dark (1967) and The Rothschilds (1970). He also appeared in Death Be Not Proud (1975), Lucky Lady (1975), One on One (1977), The Death of Richie (1977), The End (1978), Ice Castles (1978), Die Laughing (1980), Tribute (1980),as well as The Chosen (1981, based on Chaim Potok's famous novel).
As for the rest, you'll remember him for his memorable voice-work as Beast in Disney's ever-popular and award-winning Beauty and The Beast (1991). It's a role you can't possibly forget. He followed that up with his bestselling novel, Who Stole the Funny?: A Novel of Hollywood (2007).
Scott Baio (Chachi Arcola)
Scott Baio is another famous, award-winning young star (like Ron Howard), who you'll likely remember as Chachi Arcola, from "Happy Days" (1977–1984). Scott later joined the spin-off show “Joanie Loves Chachi” (1982–1983). And, he was the lead in "Charles in Charge" (1984–1990), and a key supporting character for Dr. Jack Stewart in "Diagnosis Murder" (1993–1995).
Baio appeared in Baby Talk, Perry Mason and the Case of the Fatal Fashion (1991), Detonator, Bar-Hopping, Dumb Luck, Face Value, Danielle Steel's Mixed Blessings, Very Mean Men (2000), Face to Face (2001) and The Bread, My Sweet (2001). After Baio's daughter was diagnosed with a rare metabolic disorder, Baio founded the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation. His daughter, Bailey, was subsequently diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumor (2015).
Alison "Nellie" Arngrim
Like Melissa Gilbert, Alison Arngrim is well known for her early role in Little House on the Prairie (1974-1981). Unlike Gilbert, though, Arngrim is still haunted by the mean-girl, Nellie Olson personae. With her sausage-style curls, Nellie is one of the most hated characters in television history. She would later describe the experience of playing Nellie "like having PMS for seven years."
Beyond her guest spots on numerous TV shows, Arngrim became an author. She also wrote and performed a stage version of her book, which premiered at Club Fez in New York.
Justin Henry (Billy Kramer)
You likely remember Justin Henry as the young boy in the famous legal tug-of-war movie, Kramer Vs Kramer, for which he earned a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar nomination. “I don’t remember too much of the Oscars," Henry said. "It was one of five separate awards shows we went to."
Henry then appeared on "Fantasy Island" (1983), Tiger Town (1983), Sixteen Candles (1984), "Danger Bay" (1986), Sweet Hearts Dance (1988), Andersonville (1996), Chasing Home (2001), "My Own Worst Enemy" (2008) and "Brothers & Sisters" (2010). After college, Henry moved to LA to set up his independent distribution company, Slamdunk. As he said, “We helped small independent filmmakers get distribution through larger channels. Microsoft became our biggest partner.”
Mason Reese
Mason's huge talents and unique looks made him an instant child star in the seventies. He acted in more than seventy television commercials alone. He was always on shows like "Howard Cosell" and "Mike Douglas" or just about any other talk show at the time. He was a major pop star back in the day.
After retiring from television, Reese went on to become a restaurateur. He's opened several restaurants, such as Paladar and Destination Bar and Grille in the Manhattan area. Recently, he raised money to make a pending television pilot called Life Interrupted.
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli made her earliest TV debut on "One Day at a Time," a performance for which she took home a Golden Globe in 1981. She also starred in “Sydney” and “Café Americain,” before joining the cast of the short-run (but beloved) series, “Touched by an Angel.”
More recently, Bertinelli became the popular spokesperson for Jenny Craig, made popular because she publicly shared her personal struggle with body image and weight loss. She also joined Betty White, Wendie Malick, and Jane Leeves on the hilarious hit-TV series “Hot in Cleveland” (2010-2015).
Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls)
Melissa Gilbert stole our hearts in her role of Laura Ingalls ("Half-Pint") in the run of the ever-popular "Little House on the Prairie," but she wasn't really new to the acting industry. She'd already appeared in commercials as well as guest-starred on TV. And, even while she was playing the role of Laura, Gilbert's career continued to evolve with appearances on The Miracle Worker and The Diary of Anne Frank.
She's still got it, with the right steps and all, as she demonstrated in her appearance on the hit reality TV show, "Dancing with the Stars" (2012) on NBC. She played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. And, of course, you'll also recognize her voice on the popular animated series “Batman: The Animated Series.” She's also the former president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Barry Williams (Greg Brady)
Barry Williams was just 14-years-old when he landed the role as the teen-heartthrob eldest child, Greg Brady, on the hit TV series “The Brady Bunch.” Then, in 1989, Williams took home the Young Artist Foundation Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award.
More recently, Williams has appeared on “Brady Bunch” specials, “That 70’s Show,” and “Three’s Company,” among others. Over the years, he has also taken on roles in music theater “Grease,” “West Side Story,” and “The Sound Of Music.” His autobiography, Growing Up Brady … I Was A Teenage Greg (1992) was a best-seller for three months, and was transformed into a made-for-TV movie on NBC (he was the Executive Producer for that film).
Kristy McNichol
With an early start in commercials, Kristy McNicols began appearing as a guest star on “Starsky & Hutch,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Love American Style,” and “The Love Boat.” She took on the series role as Patricia Apple in the short-run "Apple’s Way." She earned her two Emmys for "Best Supporting Actress" for her appearance on “Family” (1976).
Her fame took a side-step, as she focused on her singing career with her album, "Kristy & Jimmy McNichol," for RCA Records. Her biggest hit was "He’s So Fine" which rose to #70. She co-starred with Tatum O’Neal, Matt Dillon, and Cynthia Dixon on Little Darlings.
David Cassidy (Keith Partridge)
David Cassidy had the makings of a teen heartthrob, when the producers hired him for the role of Keith Partridge, lead singer on the '70s hit show, "The Partridge Family." He quickly became one of the most celebrated teen idols and singers of the 70s.
Cassidy had already made appearances on " Ironside," "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Adam-12" and "Bonanza" when he joined the cast of "The Partridge Family." But, once he became the lead singer on "The Partridge Family," they produced ten albums, and he also released five solo albums -- all with monumental success. He went on tours and experienced Cassidymania around the world. The list of his credits and accolades and accomplishments are extensive. Sadly, Cassidy passed away in 2017.
Tatum O’Neal (Addie Loggins)
Tatum O’Neal won an Academy Award for her role as Addie Loggins in Paper Moon (1974) when she was 10-years-old. Her early success didn't slow her down, though. She appeared in The Bad News Bears (1976) and Nickelodeon (1976).
After her run of successful films in the 1970s, she would appear in only five films over the next 15 years. She returned to acting with a string of guest appearances on 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and Sex and the City. She also snagged a recurring role on the hit series Rescue Me (2005).
Mindy Cohn (Natalie Green)
Mindy Cohn is best known for her portrayal of Natalie, the irrepressible student from the television series Facts of Life (1979-1988). Cohn's sincere-but-sarcastic role she played was essential to the show's success, but she became typecast to such an extent that it was difficult for Cohn to get more substantial roles.
Even as her acting continued, Cohn earned a degree in cultural anthropology. She also helped found the weSPARK cancer support center. You'll also recognize her voice as Velma in the Scooby-Doo animated series, a part for which she earned an Emmy.
Kim Richards
Kim Richards is a former child star most notable for her role in Race to Witch Mountain. She also appeared in a ton of TV shows throughout the '70s. She has had a few other roles as an adult including the role of Christina Ricci’s mother in the film Black Snake Moan. However, it is no longer acting that she is most famous for.
In 2010, she began appearing on the reality television show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and it was immediately a hit. Kim has subsequently had a series of run-ins with the law over her alcohol. She went to rehab and has remained sober for several years.
Peter Ostrum
Peter Ostrum is a former child actor whose career consisted of only one role: Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He gave up acting after the after the iconic role and later shied away from the spotlight. In 1990, Peter began annually appearing at the local elementary school and speaking to students about his role as Charlie.
He had a huge love of animals and ultimately pursued that love into veterinary medicine and has a practice in Lowville, New York. Peter is also married with two children. After the film was revisioned in 2005, there was a renewed interest in Peter. Ultimately, he had to request no more interviews after there was far too much interest in his quiet life.
Chaz Bono
Chaz Bono was thrust into the spotlight by his famous parents in the 1970s on their show The Sonny and Cher show. Chaz was born Chastity Bono, a name given to him by his parents, based on a film in which Cher starred and Sonny produced. In 2008, Chaz began publicly transitioning to a male, after previously identifying as a lesbian.
He has since continued is LGBTQ activism and made a documentary film called Becoming Chaz which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He even made an appearance on the popular TV show Dancing With the Stars, which was a marked appearance as it was the first time a transgender man appeared on network television program without anything to do with their gender identity.
Christopher Knight
Christopher Knight is a famous former child actor best known for his role as Peter Brady, the second oldest brother in the hit 1970s TV show The Brady Bunch. Peter continued acting for a while before pursuing his love of computers in the 1980s. In the 2000’s he appeared on the Vh1 show The Surreal Life. There he met castmate and winner of America’s Next Top Model, Adrienne Curry.
The two entered into a relationship together and subsequently got married. Of course, they starred in their own reality series called My Fair Brady which documented their relationship, engagement, and marriage. They divorced five years into the marriage in 2012 and Chris has since gotten married to his fourth wife.
Lisa Whelchel
Lisa Whelchel is a former child star who starred in the show The Facts of Life in the late 1970s through the 1980s. She continued acting on and off after the '80s including in 2013’s A Madea Christmas. Lisa is now very active in her Christian faith and speaks at various churches and conferences.
She has also written several best-selling books including on homeschooling and parenting methods. She came under fire (no pun intended) after she revealed that she uses hot sauce as a discipline method. Later ABC News held a poll on whether people approved of the method and over 65% said they did not approve of “hot saucing” as a disciplinary method.
Jackie Earle Haley
Jackie Earle Haley is an actor and former child star. As a child star, he was most famous for the role of “Kelly Leak” in The Bad News Bears. He has continued acting and has even had even more success as an adult. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006 for his role in the film Little Children.
He also played other notable roles like Rorschach in Watchmen and horror icon Freddy Krueger in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. He is currently filming the film Alita: Battle Angel is an upcoming American science fiction film based on Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita manga comic.
Harvey Stephens
Harvey Stephens is a former child actor who played the role of Damien in the horror film The Omen. Allegedly, he got the role after being able to convincingly attack the director, which the director had asked him to do. While Harvey did not pursue acting he did make an appearance as a journalist in the 2006 remake of The Omen.
In 2016, he also appeared in the television series version of The Omen but only in old footage from the original film. In 2017, Harvey had to appear in a British court after having a road rage incident.
Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond is a former teen idol from the 1970s. He is most known for his time with his brothers and their band The Osmonds. Later, he also gained notoriety for having a variety show alongside his sister Marie. In the '80s Donny went on to release a pop album and he even performed on Broadway as Gaston in Beauty and The Beast.
The Osmonds have continued to perform together and currently perform in Las Vegas. Throughout his life, Donny has recorded over sixty albums. Donny also appeared on the reality TV show Dancing With the Stars and he ended up winning the 9th Season!
Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond was never part of her brother’s singing group The Osmonds, but she found success on her own as their only sister. Marie went on to release country pop songs and had a major hit with her song "Paper Roses." Of course, she was also known for her variety show with brother Donny.
Marie has continued to perform music and appear on TV over the years. Marie has seven children, she has been very candid about her struggle with post-partum depression and even wrote a book. In 2009, she revealed her oldest daughter Jessica was a lesbian and she came out publicly in support of LGBTQ rights.
Janet Jackson
Like Marie Osmond, Janet Jackson was never part of her brothers' famous singing group. In her case, her brothers were in the internationally known Jackson 5. However, Janet has definitely achieved success in her own right. She first appeared in the family’s variety show The Jacksons in 1976.
She later had several notable acting roles that included shows like Good Times and Diff’rent Strokes. As an adult, Janet continued to have massive success with multi-platinum albums. In 2012, Janet got married to a billionaire, a Qatari business magnate. Janet recently gave birth to their first child, a son named Eissa in January of 2017.
Noah Hathaway
Noah Hathaway is a former child star who first got his start as the character “Boxey” in the late 1970s Battlestar Galactica. However, that is certainly most famous role as he went on to play the iconic Atreyu in The Neverending Story which came out in 1984.
In the film, he famously did most of his own stunts as requested by the director of the film, which led to some occasional injuries. He has appeared at various fandom expos and conventions over the years where his fans remain steadfastly committed to his Atreyu character. In 2016, he even reprised his most famous role for a Spotify commercial.
Kim Fields
Kim Fields is a former child actress that played the character Tootie on the show Facts of Life in the late 1970s. After the show, she put out a few pieces of music but ultimately left show business to pursue school at Pepperdine University. Since then she has appeared in various TV shows in guest appearances; for example she had roles in Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Kenan and Kel.
She has also crossed over into director including episodes of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Kim is married to Broadway actor Christopher Morgan and the two share two sons together. She appeared on The Real Housewives of Atlanta during the eighth season. In 2016, she appeared on Dancing With The Stars where she finished in eighth place.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. first appeared on film as a child, although mostly uncredited. His first film was his father Robert Downey Sr.’s film Pound in which RDJ played “puppy”. He has continued steadily acting from the 80’s until today achieving massive success and fame. RDJ famously struggled with addiction and he was ultimately sentenced to jail.
Lucky for him he was able to get a second chance at fame and since becoming sober he has catapulted to more success than ever before. Robert is also a happily married man to his wife Susan and he has three children. Son Indio who is an adult, and two with his second wife a son and daughter.
Diane Lane
Actress Diane Lane got her start all the way back in 1979 in a film called A Little Romance. Diane was fourteen years old at the time. Diane continued acting and has gained even more success as an adult. Some of her most famous roles include Under The Tuscan Sun and Unfaithful alongside Olivier Martinez.
Diane was previously married to actor Josh Brolin, but the two later divorced. At one point, the couple made headlines after police were called and Josh was arrested for spousal battery. However, Diane later stated it was misunderstanding and an altercation did not take place.
Laurence Fishburne
Actor Laurence Fishburne has been acting since he was only seven when he appeared on the soap opera One Life To Live. Ten years later he appeared in the Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now. He has been a constantly working actor including a role in the iconic film The Matrix. He has recently been starring in the hit TV series Black-ish and will be appearing in a television miniseries about Nelson Mandela as the titular role called Madiba.
He has been married twice, most recently to fellow actress Gina Torres, he also is the father of three children.
Clint Howard
Actor Clint Howard is actor-director Ron Howard’s little brother. Like his big brother, he also got his start as a child actor and also starred in five episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Clint has continued to act into his adult years and is a well-recognized character actor.
Clint is also a known gamer who is an avid World of Warcraft player. He apparently plays under the name Extas in the guild “Thrust” on the dark iron realm. Clint Howard has been married to his wife Melanie since 1995 and the two have no children together although he is uncle to all of brother Ron Howard’s kids.
Eric Scott
Eric Scott is an actor known for his role in The Waltons. He has been married three times, most recently to Cynthia Wolfen and the two have two children together. Sadly, his second marriage ended after his wife died from cancer shortly after the birth of their daughter. Eric continued to raise their daughter on his own.
Throughout the years Eric has revived his character each time there is a reunion or Waltons special. However, for the most part, Eric has moved on from acting and now owns and runs a business called Chase Messengers which is a parcel delivery service in Sherman Oaks, California.
Julie Dawn Cole
Julie Dawn Cole is a former child actor best known for her role as the extremely spoiled Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. She acted into the 1980s most notably in the British television series Angels. She said that both she and the actress Denise Nickerson who played Violet Beauregarde both had a crush on Peter Ostrum who played Charlie.
Julie is now the mom of two children and she said leans on her old Veruca Salt background to aid in parenting her kids. Julie said, "Whenever Holly (her daughter) said or did anything brattish, I'd just go, 'Is there a problem, Veruca? Can I help you?' That always snapped her out of it.”
Katy Kurtzman
Katy Kurtzman is a child actress who was cast by Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie back in 1977 as Anna. She also subsequently starred in The New Adventures of Heidi as the lead role of Heidi, for which she is most likely best remembered.
She continued acting and appeared in the hit show Dynasty in the 1980s. She later moved into writing and directing and wrote a short called The Pool Boy which she directed back in 2001. Her most recent acting role to date was a guest appearance on TV show Grey’s Anatomy back in 2004.
Mackenzie Phillips
Mackenzie Phillips is an actress who starred in the hit television series One Day At A Time back in the 1970s and '80s. She also had a role in the film American Graffiti. Mackenzie comes from the famous Phillips family. Her father was John Phillips, a singer from the Mamas and The Papas. Mackenzie notably struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction since her teenage years, even suffering multiple overdoses.
Mackenzie was last arrested in 2008 for substance possession. In 2010, she appeared on the celebrity Vh1 show, Celebrity Rehab where she strived for and discussed her sobriety. Mackenzie also continues to act appearing most recently in the new Netflix series which revamps the old show One Day At A Time. Mackenzie is now a drug addiction counselor.
Ricky Schroder
Ricky Schroder is an actor who first made waves as just a young kid in the 1979 film The Champ alongside Jon Voight. He later appeared in the show Silver Spoons and his fame catapulted from there. Ricky has continued acting mostly in television like in the show NYPD Blue. Ricky later met a girl named Andrea Bernard.
He fell in love and converted to the Mormon religion for her, and the two got married. Andrea later revealed that as a child she had made a “dream bag” and had written on a piece of paper that she hoped to marry Ricky one day, long before they ever met. They had three children together but in September of 2016, the two revealed they would seek a divorce after twenty-four years of marriage.
Gary Coleman
Gary Coleman was a former child actor who became most famous for his role on the TV show Diff’rent Strokes. While he made a lot of money on the show, it was later revealed that his parents were mishandling the funds and Gary sued them and won for over a million dollars. Gary had multiple issues with the law over the years.
Later, he married a twenty-two-year-old extra and they ended up divorced one year later. Soon after Gary Coleman died after being plagued by health problems for the entirety of his life. His ex-wife attempted to make a claim on Gary’s estate but the judge denied her request.
Emilio Estevez
As the son of acclaimed actor Martin Sheen, Emilio made his first screen appearance alongside his famous dad and future famous brother Charlie Sheen. Emilio went on to have massive success in the 1980s as a member of the Brat Pack. He was also allegedly the “the leader” of the group of actors which included Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Anthony Michael Hall, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.
They appeared in multiple teen films together like The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. Emilio has continued being involved in the film industry and more so behind the camera as a director. He directed the 2006 film Bobby, which was about Bobby Kennedy.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an actress who got her start as a young child. Her first film appearance was back in 1974 in a TV movie called The Little Match Girl. Sarah has continued acting for the rest of her life, most notably for her role as Carrie Bradshaw in the television series and subsequent film Sex In The City. She has also starred in tons of other iconic films like Hocus Pocus and Footloose.
Sarah was involved with Robert Downey Jr. for years during the midst of his struggles, however, she was unable to “save” him. She ended up getting married to fellow actor Matthew Broderick and the two share three children together.
Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman is best known for his roles that occurred during the 1980s but he had started even before that. Corey’s first role was at age three in a McDonald’s commercial, he also appeared in a film called Time After Time back in 1979. He became famous for his work with friend Corey Haim and the two also publicly battled addictions.
Corey also notably had a very close friendship with Michael Jackson. In 2016, Corey appeared on the Today show to promote his album Angelic 2 The Core. His performance was widely mocked on the internet for being strange. However, others completely embraced his non-conforming outlook.
