Child Actors Who Wove Magic On The Big Screen
Great child acting performances can elevate the spirits of audiences or provide a level of mystery and complexity to an otherwise mundane story. For many of these youngsters, their roles launched a successful career, while some moved on to other life pursuits. In any case, we here recount the most memorable child performances in movie history. You may argue with some of the following selections or omissions—grab a bowl of popcorn and let’s get started!
Macaulay Culkin: Home Alone (1990)
Culkin torments two would-be burglars after his family leaves him at home by mistake over the Christmas holidays. Families have been enjoying this John Hughes production for more than three decades.
Twentieth Century, Home Alone (1990)
Christian Bale: Empire Of The Sun (1987)
In Bale’s first major role, he stars as a privileged British schoolboy in Shanghai in the 1930s who is subsequently swept up in the events of the Japanese invasion of China. Not initially a success at the box office, the film is now recognized as a classic coming-of-age story.
Warner Bros., Empire of the Sun (1987)
River Phoenix: Stand By Me (1986)
This adaptation of a Stephen King story saw Phoenix cement his acting reputation, as he portrays the most complex and thoughtful member of a group of troubled teenagers trekking through the woods in search of a rumoured murder victim.
Mackenzie Foy: Interstellar (2014)
Starring as the youngest incarnation of Murph in Christopher Nolan’s ambitious science-fiction epic, Foy provides a moving depiction of humanity amid the vastness of time and space.
Paramount, Interstellar (2014)
Haley Joel Osment: The Sixth Sense (1999)
Osment was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in this memorable M Night Shyamalan film about a small boy haunted by a series of disturbing visions.
Spyglass Entertainment, The Sixth Sense (1999)
Jamie Bell: Billy Elliott (2000)
Bell starred in this difficult comedy about a boy determined to become a ballet dancer against the wishes of his tough blue-collar father. The BBC production garnered Bell the prize for Best Actor at the British Academy Film Awards; He is the youngest-ever winner of the honor.
StudioCanal, Billy Elliot (2000)
Henry Thomas: ET (1982)
Thomas provided an enduring portrayal of the power of friendship in this Steven Spielberg blockbuster. Honorable mention goes to a precocious Drew Barrymore!
Universal, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Enzo Staiola: Bicycle Thieves (1948)
The grim hopelessness of postwar Italy is the backdrop to this story of a young boy (Enzo Staiola) and his father desperately trying to recover a stolen bicycle on the streets of Rome. A milestone of Italian cinema, Bicycle Thieves is still regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.
Produzioni De Sica, Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Hailee Steinfeld: True Grit (2010)
Steinfeld shines in this Western produced by the Coen brothers, playing a 14-year-old girl in the Wild West who hires a washed-up old gunslinger to avenge the murder of her father.
Kodi Smit-McPhee: The Road (2009)
Smit-McPhee earned praise for his depiction of a boy struggling to survive alongside his father in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event. Co-starring Viggo Mortensen, the film is an adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel.
2929 Productions, The Road (2009)
Abigail Breslin: Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
10-year-old Breslin was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Little Miss Sunshine, in which she played a child beauty pageant contestant.
Searchlight Pictures, Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Tatum O’Neal: Paper Moon (1973)
At the age of 10, O’Neal became the youngest-ever Academy Award winner (Best Supporting Actress) for her portrayal of the daughter of a con artist (played by her father, Ryan O’Neal).
Jodie Foster: Taxi Driver (1976)
Playing possibly the grittiest role on this list, Jodie Foster won critical acclaim as the teenage sex worker Iris in this classic Martin Scorsese film about urban alienation.
Jacob Tremblay: Room (2015)
Tremblay co-starred with Brie Larson as a child born into captivity in this harrowing film. The seven-year-old’s performance won him a Screen Actor’s Guild award and a Critic’s Choice award.
Anna Paquin: The Piano (1993)
Paquin claimed the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this complex, critically acclaimed film. She is the second-youngest actress to win the award.
Saoirse Ronan: Atonement (2007)
Saoirse (pronounced SER-shuh) Ronan was 13 when she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her memorable role in this adaptation of Ian MacEwan’s novel set in the pre-WWII era.
Brigitte Fossey: Forbidden Games (1952)
Fossey won wide acclaim for her portrayal of an orphaned girl fleeing the horror of the Nazi invasion of France in 1940. Forbidden Games is still recognized today as a classic film, in large part due to Fossey’s acting and that of her male co-star, Georges Poujouly.
Filmax, Forbidden Games (1952)
Rony Clanton: The Cool World (1963)
The 16-year-old Clanton played the main character in this dramatic depiction of gang life on the streets of Harlem.
Wiseman Film Productions, The Cool World (1963)
Jean-Pierre Léaud: The 400 Blows (1959)
15-year-old Léaud played the lead in this debut film by Francois Truffaut. The film’s (and Léaud’s) stature has only grown over the decades as a landmark of French new wave cinema.
Les Films du Carrosse, The 400 Blows (1959)
Natalie Portman: Leon: The Professional (1994)
The big-screen debut of Portman as the youthful sidekick of a hitman was very well received at the time of its release. Leon: The Professional launched Portman’s highly varied and successful career.
Columbia, Léon: The Professional (1994)
Victoire Thivisol: Ponette (1996)
Four-year-old Thivisol astonished viewers and critics with her moving rendition of little Ponette, who is dealing with the recent death of her mother in a car crash. The youngster received a multitude of accolades and awards for her performance.
Les Films Alain Sarde, Ponette (1996)
Jakob Kogan: Joshua (2007)
Kogan’s role as a malicious sociopath in Joshua was singled out by critics for its eerie originality in a film that received otherwise mixed reviews.
Abraham Attah: Beasts Of No Nation (2015)
Attah gave a wide-ranging performance in this feature about the troubles in Africa, portraying a carefree young boy forced by a warlord to become a child soldier.
Red Crown Productions, Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Quvenzhané Wallis: Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012)
Six-year-old Wallis became the youngest actress ever nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Hushpuppy in this 2012 fantasy film set in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana.
Cinereach, Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Elle Fanning: Somewhere (2010)
Fanning starred as a teenager who inspires her disillusioned father to take a new outlook on life. Her performance was crucial in helping Sofia Coppola’s 2010 film secure the top prize at that year’s Venice Film Festival.
Focus Features, Somewhere (2010)
Keisha Castle-Hughes: Whale Rider (2002)
Castle-Hughes, 13, was instrumental in bringing this New Zealand film numerous awards from international film festivals and critics’ associations. Castle-Hughes herself deservedly received an Oscar nomination and several other prestigious international prizes for her acting.
South Pacific Pictures, Whale Rider (2002)
Jonathan Chang: Yi Yi (2000)
Chang starred as an inquisitive lad wise beyond his years in this moving drama about three generations of a Taiwanese family. Chang’s convincing acting helped the film and director Edward Yang capture numerous international awards.
Brooklynn Prince: The Florida Project (2017)
Prince’s presence and authenticity pushed this movie and its poignant social commentary over the top as one of the most memorable pictures of 2017. The six-year-old teamed with Willem Dafoe to earn the film a long list of accolades and awards.
Freestyle Picture Company, The Florida Project (2017)
Subir Banerjee: Pather Panchali (1955)
Though Banerjee had no more roles after his involvement in this directorial debut of Indian film legend Satyajit Ray, his performance was enough to garner admiration from critics then and now.
Government of West Bengal, Pather Panchali (1955)
Ana Torrent: The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973)
Torrent played the central character in this unusual film about a small girl living in an isolated Spanish village in the aftermath of a civil war. The film is regarded by critics as a masterpiece, in no small part due to Torrent’s acting.
Jacel Desposito, The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
Isabelle Fuhrman: Orphan (2009)
Though Orphan itself was not well received by critics, Fuhrman won praise for her complex rendition of a sinister woman posing as a nine-year-old girl.
Dark Castle Entertainment, Orphan (2009)
David Bennent: The Tin Drum (1979)
Though few English-language critics liked this German adaptation of Gunter Grass’s novel, Bennent still occupies many lists of the greatest childhood acting performances for his manic portrayal of the main character.
Franz Seitz Filmproduktion, The Tin Drum (1979)
Nikolay Burlyaev: Ivan’s Childhood (1962)
A teenaged Burlyaev was the star of this Soviet feature about survival in the carnage of the Eastern Front of WWII. This was the debut film of famed Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky.
Mosfilm, Ivan's Childhood (1962)
Catherine DeMongeot: Zazie Dans Le Métro (1960)
DeMongeot is one of the rare children on this list who did not continue a film career after their starring role. That makes her performance as the title character in this comedy by Louis Malle even more remarkable.
Nouvelles Éditions de Films, Zazie in the Metro (1960)
Mina Mohammed Khani: The Mirror (1997)
Khani played the main character in this acclaimed film by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, about a girl trying to find her way home through the bustling streets of Tehran.
Tye Sheridan: Mud (2012)
Sheridan received the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress for his work in this film co-starring Matthew McConaughey.
Edmund Moeschke: Germany, Year Zero (1948)
A 12-year-old boy’s struggle to survive in occupied Berlin in 1945 is the simple theme of this somber German film. Moeschke was handpicked off the street for his role by director Roberto Rossellini. It was the only movie that Moeschke ever played in.
Tevere Film, Germany Year Zero (1948)
Angourie Rice: These Final Hours (2013)
Rice breathed life into the well-worn genre of post-apocalypse movies with her debut performance in this 2013 Australian film.
8th In Line, These Final Hours (2013)
Linda Blair: The Exorcist (1973)
The childlike innocence of Blair serves as a vessel for unholy evil in this tale of demonic possession. Thanks to Blair’s performance, this chilling horror classic has lost none of its power half a century later. But few people know that Blair’s experience behind-the-scenes was also a horror story.
During the harrowing exorcism scenes, Blair wore a thin nightgown, which did nothing to protect her from the shockingly cold temperatures on set. To make her breath visible, the production team used air conditioners, causing the temperature to often dip below zero. Blair’s makeup routine was equally torturous—the glue used to secure her prosthetics actually burned her face. But that wasn’t even the worst of it.
Warner Bros., The Exorcist (1973)
Linda Blair: The Exorcist (1973)
During the scenes where Blair thrashes her body around due to possession, she wore a harness attached to a mechanical bed. But on one chilling occasion, her lacings came loose, severely injuring her: “I’m crying, I’m screaming, they think I’m acting up a storm. It fractured my lower spine. No, they didn’t send me to the doctor, it is the footage that’s in the movie.”
Sadly, Linda Blair’s spinal injury haunted her into her adult years, and she even developed scoliosis. But no matter how much of an ordeal The Exorcist was for her, Blair still believes that the film was one of the most formative chapters of her life.
