Iconic child stars of the '70s

Danny Bonaduce was best known as the ginger-haired youngster who played Shirley Jones' wise-cracking middle son on "The Partridge Family." Bonaduce's real-life personality seemed to match the mischievous nature of his TV character, which got him into his fair share of trouble as his career continued.

Incidents include his well-known 1990 arrest in Daytona Beach while attempting to buy cocaine—despite being in the area to host a D.A.R.E event. He's maintained a somewhat solid career of television appearances over the years and, much like a few other child stars, played himself in some of these appearances.

Kristy McNichol was a young, freckle-faced kid when she made her first appearances in a variety of commercials. Yet, her breakthrough role in the mid-70s sitcom "Family" earned her screen recognition and critical acclaim. Her role as Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence earned her back-to-back Emmy award nominations in 1977, 1978, and 1979—with her winning two out of those three years.

She found her way into a supporting role on the '80s sitcom "Empty Nest," a spinoff of the wildly popular "Golden Girls" on which McNichol appeared. She announced her retirement from acting in 2001.

If you grew up any time between the '70s and the present day, you're likely familiar with Peter Ostrum's role as the Golden Ticket-winning Charlie Bucket in the trippy classic "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" with comedic legend Gene Wilder.

Ostrum's turn as Charlie gained him instant notoriety, but he realized early on that Hollywood life was not for him. He graduated from Cornell University in 1984 and has worked as a veterinarian ever since.

Mackenzie Phillips was a fresh-faced kid from a fairly famous family when she landed her role on the '70s sitcom "One Day at a Time," a show based around a divorcee-mother attempting to raise two children on her own.

Phillips, daughter of The Mamas & the Papas lead singer John Phillips, saw her tenure on the show finish before the series due to substance abuse issues. Her Hollywood career never fully recovered, but she became a substance use disorder counselor in Pasadena.

Ricky Schroder became the lovable son of Hollywood in 1979 with his breakout role in the movie "The Champ," a neo-noir drama starring Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway. The role earned Schroder a Golden Globe Award, making him the youngest actor in the award show's history to date to take home a trophy. Afterward, Schroder went on to star in the family sitcom "Silver Spoons."

His career continued into adulthood, with starring roles in various shows from "Lonesome Dove" to "NYPD Blue."

Tatum O'Neal was a young kid from a Hollywood family when she made her debut in the 1973 film "Paper Moon," which starred her father Ryan O'Neal. Tatum, who played a child con artist being mentored by her grifter father (played by her real-life father), earned an Academy Award for the role. She is still the youngest person to have ever won an Academy Award.

While her career was fairly successful early on, her personal life was marred by rocky personal relationships, including a volatile and public separation from tennis star John McEnroe, and arrests that led her adult career to taper off.

Leif Garrett had a mile-long resume by the time his musical career took off in the mid-70s. Before then, he had appeared in the "Walking Tall" movies as Mike Pusser and had a recurring role on the series "Family," among other shows and films.

His appearance in the 1975 miniseries "Three for the Road" assisted in Garrett's achievement of teen heartthrob status, and from there, his musical career took off. Like many young stars of the time, legal troubles blemished Garrett's career. In 2019, he published an autobiography entitled "Idol Truth."

You take the good, you take the bad, you take it all, and then you have the fact that for a decade, "The Facts of Life" theme song played its way into millions of homes—and with it came Tootie, the lovable, gossipy character played by actor Kim Fields.

Centered around a girls' boarding school, the show thrust Fields and her shining stage presence into the spotlight. Fields went on to have a successful career after the series, starring in the groundbreaking '90s sitcom "Living Single," which many have pointed to as the blueprint with which the success of shows like "Friends" was founded. Fields has remained a mainstay on television, including a brief stint as a cast member on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and a starring role on Netflix's "The Upshaws" since 2021.

As famous as he is infamous, child actor Corey Feldman began his career as a young star, appearing in hundreds of commercials and TV shows like "The Bad News Bears" and "Mork and Mindy" by the time he became a teenager. He also had an impressive film career in the '80s, including classics like "The Goonies" and "The Lost Boys." On Feb. 3, 2025, Feldman reunited with his "Goonies" co-stars, prompting new talks of a long-awaited sequel.

Throughout his adolescence, Feldman became a young heartthrob, tilting his career on an upward trend while taking his mental health on a downward spiral. Like many young actors of the time, Feldman suffered from addiction issues. Battling his way through, Feldman has since become an advocate for child actors.

While you may recognize this Oscar-winning actor from her roles in movies like "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Panic Room," Jodie Foster began her long-standing career in Hollywood as a child star.

Foster was nominated for her first Oscar at 14 for her role in the Martin Scorsese-directed movie "Taxi Driver," which she played at age 12 alongside Robert De Niro. With those kinds of acting credits at such an early age, it's no wonder she has continued in the industry. In 2024, Foster won her first Emmy Award for her role in "True Detective: Night Country," a part that also earned her a fourth Golden Globe in 2025.

There were child stars, and then there was Brooke Shields, who starred in a Dove commercial at 11 months old—by the age of 14, Shields had already landed a print advertisement spread in Vogue magazine.

Her first major role in the French film "Pretty Baby" caused quite a stir as the 12-year-old Shields played Violet, a young girl raised in a brothel—the scenes were so risqué for a child that many accused filmmakers of child pornography violations. From there, her career flourished in Hollywood and the modeling world, with Shields maintaining a TV and film career and becoming a published author. In January 2025, she released her third book, "Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old."

Few shows impacted popular culture during the '70s the way "The Brady Bunch" did—the wholesome sitcom showcased a blended family, something reasonably unheard of then. By proxy, everyone in the cast became instant stars, including Maureen McCormick, who played the beautiful, bright-eyed eldest sister and next-door character of Marcia Brady.

However, her popularity seemed to end as quickly as it came, and despite her early fame, her career halted. McCormick attempted a music career that did not get very far, and since the early 2000s, she has appeared on a smattering of reality shows.

Famous families are a recurring theme when talking about child stars, but the Jacksons could be considered the most famous of them all during the '60s and '70s. This family produced many stars, from the leading quintet The Jackson 5 to "The Jacksons Variety Show" to the solo star born when Michael Jackson debuted as a solo artist.

Included in that all too famous family was actor and singer Janet Jackson, who made her acting debut on her family's variety show but quickly paved her own path with appearances on "Good Times," "Fame," and "Diff'rent Strokes." Jackson eventually found her love, passion, and success in music, selling more than 100 million records worldwide.

Another progeny of the Jackson family brood was Michael Jackson, who, from an early age, became the coat whose tails his family rode in on. While the entire Jackson family seemed preternaturally talented, Michael had the undeniable charm, presence, and charisma to make him a star.

From his early success in The Jackson 5 to releasing his first solo album "Off the Wall" in 1979, Jackson's career transformed him into the proverbial "King of Pop"—though his personal life often brought his career into question, including multiple lawsuits alleging Jackson had molested children at his Neverland Ranch home. While no charges were ever filed, the question mark loomed over his head (even after his untimely death in 2009). A biopic of Jackson is scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 3, 2025, but major controversy over how it depicts the darkest period of the pop icon's life could delay it significantly.

You may know this particular star from his turn as the red and copper-clad superhero Iron Man, or you remember him from his earlier roles as one of the infamous boys of the Brat Pack. But before he was all of those things, Robert Downey Jr. was a child actor who made his first appearance in the 1970 film "Pound" based on the off-Broadway play "Comeuppance," both of which were written by his father.

Despite his fairly consistent success, Downey also had his fair share of problems with the law and drugs throughout his career. After being arrested multiple times on various substance-related charges, Downey received a three-year sentence in the late '90s but only served a year in a Corcoran-based rehab facility—a testament to what can happen when rehabilitation is the focus of incarceration. As further proof, Downey won his first Academy Award in 2024 thanks to a supporting role in "Oppenheimer," and made his Broadway debut in the play "McNeal" in September of that year.

There isn't a movie that left such a terrifyingly indelible mark upon its viewers as "The Exorcist," a 1973 supernatural horror movie about a young girl possessed by an evil force. Linda Blair earned a Golden Globe Award for the role of the girl, as well as an Academy Award nomination.

Despite her near-instant success, the allegations that the film was cursed also seemed to haunt Blair's career. She became typecast, relegated to horror films, and spent most of her career in B films. As time went on, she seemingly embraced that role, making tongue-in-cheek appearances in horror films such as Wes Craven's "Scream" franchise. Blair even reprised her best-known role for a cameo in the 2023 movie "The Exorcist: Believer."

Among the heartthrobs of the '70s was Scott Baio, who found his big break on the nostalgic sitcom "Happy Days" starring fellow child star Ron Howard. Baio's screen presence, handsome looks, and killer smile not only earned him the recurring role as Chachi on "Happy Days," but his character's success as a love interest for the show's character Joanie earned them a spinoff, "Joanie Loves Chachi" that aired for 17 episodes.

While his career never had A-list success, Baio has made a decent career with bit parts and appearances in various TV shows, in some instances playing himself.

Another child television star alumnus from "One Day at a Time" is the cherubic-faced starlet who stole everyone's hearts and won two Golden Globes in the process: Valerie Bertinelli. Her smile lit up the television screen, and she portrayed an aura of wholesomeness.

During a time of sexual openness and counter-revolution, many TV viewers—especially parents—sought out something wholesome, and they found that in Bertinelli. After her early period of fame in some '70s and '80s sitcoms, she went on to marry rock star and '80s hair god Eddie Van Halen, which kept her in the spotlight for a whole other reason. Since then, Bertinelli divorced Van Halen (who died in 2020) and published memoirs and cookbooks highlighting her Italian heritage. She also starred alongside Betty White in the TV show "Hot in Cleveland" from 2010 to 2015.

The 1970s musical family comedy "The Partridge Family," which combined super saccharine songs along with mad-cap scenarios carried about by the Partridge kids, produced a young heartthrob in actor David Cassidy. Cassidy made his way onto TV screens and music albums throughout his career in the '70s, but as the over-the-top disco era ended, so did his career.

He's made guest appearances and one-offs on various TV shows, in some instances playing himself over the years, but substance and legal issues marred his career. Cassidy ultimately passed away in 2017 after suffering from liver failure.

 Another Oscar winner among the many '70s child stars is Ron Howard, who got his start as the cute kid from "The Andy Griffith Show" and went on to make another imprint with his supporting role in "Happy Days."

While Howard was known early in his life for acting, his later career took him behind the camera. He became an award-winning director who helmed films, including "Cocoon" and "Splash" in the '80s, "Apollo 13" and "Ransom" in the '90s, and "A Beautiful Mind," "Cinderella Man" and "Frost/Nixon" in the 2000s, all of which earned him multiple nominations and awards, including Oscars, BAFTAs, and Golden Globes. His most recent film, "Eden," premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024. 

Having started her music career at an early age, Marie Osmond made appearances on "The Andy Williams Show" by the time she was 6, and found success with the release of her 1973 debut album "Paper Roses" at age 12. Her wholesome lyrics, persona, and family upbringing gave her a heavy appeal to the masses.

By 16, she co-hosted a popular variety show with her brother Donny Osmond. She's maintained her career over the decades through various means, such as memoirs and a talk show revival of the "Donny & Marie" show, which aired from 1998 to 2000.

In a similar vein to his sister Marie, Osmond began making appearances on television shows like "The Andy Williams Show" when he was barely old enough to go to kindergarten. Known for his boyish good looks and charm, Osmond was a teen idol in music before collaborating with his sister to form the "Donny & Marie" show, which first aired from 1976 to 1979. Osmond continued acting, making music, and hosting television shows over the years. On Feb. 5, 2025, the singing star announced that he would be performing alongside his 14-year-old self (with the help of AI and CGI) at his upcoming Las Vegas residency.

"Little House on the Prairie" was a highly successful young-adult series of books adapted into a successful series. Melissa Gilbert played the lead character Laura Ingalls, who spent her life on the proverbial prairie with her family. The show catapulted Gilbert into fame, and she appeared in several successful miniseries during that period, such as "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Miracle Worker" and has since gone on to voice characters in successful animated series such as "Batman: The Animated Series" as Batgirl.

Gilbert was also the president of the Screen Actors Guild and ran for Congress in Michigan in 2016. Though she won, she had to drop out after the primaries due to health issues.

Best known for playing Peter Brady, the mischievous middle child on "The Brady Bunch," Christopher Knight transitioned from child stardom to a successful tech career throughout his career. "The Brady Bunch" launched him and his other co-stars into an ever-focused spotlight, and Knight became a heartthrob before the show ended.

He had a successful career in computer tech in the '90s, co-founding Visual Software, a graphics company then-known for its state-of-the-art 3D software. He briefly returned to acting, but mostly in the reality show capacity, even appearing as one of the mummies in the eighth season of "The Masked Singer" along with fellow "Brady Bunch" alum Barry Williams.

Gary Coleman charmed audiences on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" as Arnold Jackson, a young orphan adopted alongside his older brother by the wealthy single father who had employed the boys' mother before her death. Coleman's mischievous character and catchphrase—"Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?"—was a massive hit throughout the series' eight seasons on TV.

However, during and long after the end of "Diff'rent Strokes," Coleman struggled off-screen. The child actor faced career and financial challenges and trouble with the law. Coleman died at 42 in 2010 after an accidental fall caused a fatal brain hemorrhage. His tragic story is chronicled in a 2024 Peacock documentary called "Gary."

Like many of her '70s child star contemporaries, Kim Richards got her start in commercials, but those who grew up in the era may remember her best for her work with Disney, including five episodes of "The Wonderful World of Disney" and a starring role in "Escape to Witch Mountain" and its sequel "Return from Witch Mountain." She also starred on the popular sitcom "Nanny and the Professor," and appeared in its TV movie follow-ups.

While Richards went on to guest star on shows throughout the '80s, she's best known now as one of the founding cast members of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." She appeared on the first five seasons, starting in 2010, and has made a number of guest appearances in the years since. Richards' substance abuse struggles have been well documented on the series and in the tabloids. In September 2024, news broke that she had been placed on a psychiatric hold amid a relapse, but she is reportedly doing better as of January 2025, and even made an appearance at a fan convention.

Kim's sister Kyle Richards is also a former '70s child star who became a reality star. A scream queen from a very young age, her most famous role (outside of Bravo programming) is Lindsey Wallace in John Carpenter's foundational 1978 horror film "Halloween." While she was only eight at the time, she left a lasting impression, and she made her mark in other scary movies of the era, like "The Car" (alongside Kim), Disney's "The Watcher in the Woods," and "Eaten Alive."

Like Kim, Kyle Richards was out of the spotlight for years, reemerging in 2010 on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." She has remained on the series for 15 years, and continues to drum up drama a decade-and-a-half later. But Kyle has also enjoyed a resurgence in her acting career, reprising her role as Lindsey in 2021's "Halloween Kills" and 2022's "Halloween Ends." Her latest big-screen appearance was in the 2024 romantic comedy "Beautiful Wedding."

Another Brady sibling, Eve Plumb played frequently ignored middle child Jan Brady on "The Brady Bunch" for all five seasons. And like her TV brothers and sisters, Plumb went on to play the character on "The Brady Kids" and several subsequent spinoffs. In the '70s, the actor stayed busy doing TV shows and TV movies, taking on the starring role in "Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway" and playing Beth March in NBC's adaptation of "Little Women."

Aside from the Brady follow-ups, Plumb has worked sparingly onscreen in the decades since. She's showed up on episodes of shows like "Bull" and "Blue Bloods," and appeared in indie films like "Nowhere" and "Blue Ruin."

If you grew up with the "Bad News Bears" movies, you remember Jackie Earle Haley, who played Kelly Leak in the 1976 comedy and its two sequels, 1977's "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" and 1978's "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." Haley had plenty of TV roles throughout the decade, popping up in episodes of "The Partridge Family," "The Waltons," and "The Love Boat."

Haley has really made a name for himself as an adult actor, however. His performance in the 2006 film "Little Children" earned wide acclaim, with Haley picking up an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, he's kept busy with roles in major films like "Lincoln," "Shutter Island," and "Watchmen." Most recently, he appeared in the 2024 movies "The Union" and "Dead Money."

Late in the run of "All in the Family," the show introduced the character of Stephanie Mills, Archie and Edith's nine-year-old niece. Danielle Brisebois appeared on the show until its conclusion in 1979, and continued with the spin-off "Archie Bunker's Place," which ran until 1983. She even got a Golden Globe nomination for her work on the sequel series.

But aside from some additional TV parts in the '80s, Brisebois largely disappeared from our screens. Instead, she's been working as a recording artist and a songwriter. You probably don't realize how many notable songs Brisebois has been involved with. She's credited as a writer on songs by Paula Abdul, Kylie Minogue, and Kelly Clarkson. You can even thank her for co-writing Natasha Bedingfield's smash hits "Unwritten" and "Pocketful of Sunshine." Brisebois earned an Oscar nomination in 2015 for the song "Lost Stars" from "Begin Again."

Additional writing by Cu Fleshman. Story editing by Chris Compendio. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.