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10 Still-Sane Child Stars

Neil Patrick Harris and Natalie Portman are proof: They don't all go nuts

By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 14, 2009 10:48 AM CST

(Newser) – Brian Bonsall once played adorable baby-of-the-family Andy Keaton on Family Ties; now he’s a druggie who was recently arrested for assaulting a friend with a bar stool—but not all former child stars head down that ugly path. The Frisky rounds up 10 who managed to keep it together:

  • Neil Patrick Harris: With his Doogie Howser MD days behind him, NPH is a pop-culture phenomenon, with successes on TV and stage.

  • Natalie Portman: Got her start at age 11 in The Professional and has been nothing but professional since.
  • Jerry O’Connell: You might remember him as chubby Vern Tessio in Stand By Me, but now he’s married to model Rebecca Romijn.
  • Alyssa Milano: After growing up on Who’s the Boss? and moving on to Charmed as an adult, she’s now married with a book out—not a tell-all, a baseball memoir.
  • Melissa Gilbert: She went from Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie to president of the Screen Actors Guild—as well as wife, mother, and author.
For more, including Punky Brewster and the Wonder Years kids—and what they look like now—click here.

In this Dec. 5, 2009 booking photo provided by the Boulder County, Colo. Jail, former child television star Brian Bonsall is shown...clearly not one of the still-sane ones.
In this Dec. 5, 2009 booking photo provided by the Boulder County, Colo. Jail, former child television star Brian Bonsall is shown...clearly not one of the still-sane ones.   (AP Photo/Boulder County, Colo. Sheriff's Department via The Daily Camera)
Actor Neil Patrick Harris arrives to the premiere of Michael Jackson's This Is It on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Actor Neil Patrick Harris arrives to the premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Actress Natalie Portman attends the IFC's 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York, Monday, Nov. 30, 2009.
Actress Natalie Portman attends the IFC's 19th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York, Monday, Nov. 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
In this Sept. 8, 2007 file photo, actress Rebecca Romijn, left, and actor Jerry O'Connell pose on the press line at the 3rd Annual Elyse Walker Pink Party  in Santa Monica, Calif.
In this Sept. 8, 2007 file photo, actress Rebecca Romijn, left, and actor Jerry O'Connell pose on the press line at the 3rd Annual Elyse Walker Pink Party in Santa Monica, Calif.   (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, file)
Alyssa Milano arrives at Spike TV's Video Game Awards on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Alyssa Milano arrives at Spike TV's Video Game Awards on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
In this Feb. 5, 2005 file photo, Melissa Gilbert poses backstage at the 11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.
In this Feb. 5, 2005 file photo, Melissa Gilbert poses backstage at the 11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.   (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, file)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 11 comments
passinthru
Dec 15, 2009 12:44 PM CST
LOL @ this list...what would you call sane exactly?
Lioness
Dec 15, 2009 10:39 AM CST
Who said Alyssa Milano was sane?
hamsammichs
Dec 15, 2009 10:38 AM CST
Diane Lane, and yes she's still a stone fox.

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