angels of mine: the greatest child actors ever!
72Children are an infinite source of joy, amusement and inspiration. Whether at your own home, your next door neighbour's or in the dark confines of a cineplex, we all have fallen in love, at one time or the other, with their gift to banish hate, anger and pain. Yes, they can also be a terrible pain in you know where at times but this comes with the territory of youth. And hey, we all have been children once and we were always sorry, right? So in tribute to tykes everywhere, I have come up with my own list of some of the greatest child actors who have painted a smile on our faces or put a lump in our throats.
Jackie Coogan
The originator of child celebrity merchandising, he was the Boy King of Hollywood whose memorable performances alongside Charlie Chaplin did not require, really, spoken words. Here's to you, kid!
Watch the magic: The Kid (1921)
Freddie Bartholomew
His name was billed alongside the biggest stars of 1930s Hollywood including Great Garbo and Spencer Tracy.
Watch the magic: David Copperfield (1935)
Shirley Temple
The iconic America's little darling who charmed and tap danced her way into being a worlwide phenom. She will always be our Little Princess.
Watch the magic: The Little Princess (1939)
Elizabeth Taylor
Her most rare pair of purple eyes first seen in 1941 foretold the great beauty and talent that she will become three short years later.
Watch the magic: National Velvet (1944)
Enzo Staiola
A personal favourite, I love his flair for natural acting that showcased none of the adult-like sensitivity that other child actors tend to be praised for. A child who acted like a child.
Watch the magic: The Bicycle Thief (1948)
Mark Lester
He was the poster boy for European and British child actors from the 1960s to early 1970s whose innocent looks made several unforgettable starrers.
Watch the magic: Oliver! (1968)
Macaulay Culkin
No matter how everything eventually turned out to be for this rascal, he will always be the little devil that everybody loved.
Watch the magic: Home Alone (1990)
Anna Paquin
The second youngest recipient of an Oscar, it is too bad she chose not to spread herself too thin after this achievement. Nonetheless, this single performance will forever define innocent precocity.
Watch the magic: The Piano (1991)
Haley Joel Osment
His trademark sensitive acting has won both critical acclaims all over the world plus an Oscar nomination to boot.
Watch the magic: The Sixth Sense (1999)
Dakota Fanning
The youngest ever actor to be nominated for a SAG award, her bright eyes have always bespoken of her great talent. The same reason that she has been compared to the legendary Bette Davis.
Watch the magic: War of the Worlds (2004)
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Honestly, I haven't heard of that movie before so thanks for recommending it. I only shortlisted those that I have seen. I'll check if Amazon has it. By the way, catch The Secret Life of Bees, Dakota is there and she's no longer a child (sigh - how time flies!) Thanks again :D
Or why not our very own Rebecca Lusterio from Muro Ami?
I guess Nino Muhlach would make the cut but Rebecca's in my personal list :D
Very nice page - there's extra magic with the black & white photos, Makes me recall how much I enjoyed War Of The Worlds, Home Alone, Sixth Sense, and many Shirley Temple movies. Haven't seen Piano yet, but will watch out for it. Well done!
thanks Charles! i've many other hubs with b&w photography - nothing is more nostalgic! anyways, thanks for dropping by and i do hope you get the chance to see The Piano, it's a great movie - Holly Hunter won an Oscar for her role. thanks again :D
Oh I love Dakota Fanning. Shes adorable. I would add Punky Brewster though, only I dont know how to spell her real name. Soliel Moon Frye... or something along that weird name line.
Anyways, Im interested in seeing The Kid. Never seen it, and now Im intrigued.
Yep love Dakota - though she's all grown up now - well not exactly but getting there. Felt uncomfortable seeing her kiss a guy in The Secret Life of Bees! How time flies... gotta love Punky Brewster though she also kind of reminds me of that little girl who's robot in another program - the title currently eludes me.
Charlie Chaplin despite his comic stylings always makes me cry. Go look for it! :D
yep.... this was a nice hub..... loved seeing Shirley Temple, though it was a long time ago...... and Mark Lester. One more came to mind.... Hailey Mills, in the film where she thought Jesus was in the barn,, I have put together poetry books in schools long ago, and my grandaughter just wrote a poem on hub pages yesterday, would appreciate it a comment from you if you have time. I am going to photo copy it for her. I think she has great potential, Lovely hub
Hailey Mills...her name rings a bell. Oh sure no prob, as soon as I find the time (and finally bought a new computer! Hahaha - been working on my sis' laptop). Thanks for checking out this old hub, Brenda :D
Great hub. I think National Velvet is my favorite Liz Taylor movie!
Thanks! Um mine would be Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. But I must admit she's so adorable in Velvet! D
As a fan of old movies you hit a nerve here. I was a Shirley Temple junkie when I was growing up even though her movies were considered "old" when I watched them. Same with Freddie Bartholomew and even Jackie Cooper (the original "Jim Lad" from Treasure Island). I did grow up loving those Haley Mills and Jodie Foster flix! Whatever happened to Haley? Great hub!
I know the feeling, I was 'hit' too when I was making this 16 months (this is one of my oldest hubs) as I'm a fan of movies in black and white. Yeah, whatever happened to Haley? Hmmm Anyway, thanks for reading and commenting :D
Just watched The Bicycle Thief and I love Enzo Staiola.
For another amateur child actor who acted superb, take a look at Mohsen Ramezani in the movie "The Color of Paradise" here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0191043/ and we have the champ.
Hey thanks for the link! I appreciate it. :D
This is a great hub and a lovely tribute to children that have captured our hearts. Their talent is amazing. You mentioned many of my favorites and introduced me to a few I hadn't heard of. I was watching the AMC channel recently and was amazed at some of the older youth talent. Micky Rooney was incredible. Tatum O'neal in Paper Moon is my absolute favorite. The little Rascals from Our Gang are adorable. Shirley Temple was so full of talent and cute as a button and we can't forget Dennis the Menace. This was an enjoyable read and I love the photos. Thank you.
I'm glad you enjoyed this hub. And thanks for leaving some wonderful comments :D
Oh my word! Where did this come from? 2 years ago! Love it Cris! Shirley Temple...I think I've seen all her movies. What a doll. All of your picks are great!
Hey there beautiful stranger! Glad you enjoyed this :D
Glad I stumbled upon this, since I've just programmed a series of movies with great child actors for my library. It was very hard to cut down my list to 4 movies. I kept to more contemporary performances, going back as far as the 1970s. I've included The Piano-- Paquin was enchanting. To your list I'd add Justin Henry in Kramer vs. Kramer, at seven quite a pro in his first film; Ana Torrent in the Spanish masterpiece from the 70s Spirit of the Beehive; The Bolger sisters, Emma and Sarah, in the Irish film In America, 2003. Also, check out the great performance of Elijah Wood as Mikey in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, 1997. And do try to see Ponette-- it's a killer.
Thanks for the "additions" - will make sure to check them out. And I have heard a lot about Ponette and now I'm more interested in seeing it more than ever! Thanks for dropping by :D
love your hub:) it's great:)
Thanks much :D
girlgenius 3 years ago
Hey Chris,
Thanks for another great hub! You thorough and informative (and interesting!)
Thought you might want to check out the French film "Ponette". It's about a 4-year-old girl whose mother dies. Critics have praised Victoire Thivisol as the best child actor ever. I'd like to hear what you think!