With the antics of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan constantly in the news, it’s got me to thinking about what has happened to some other child stars. Indeed, child stars have long been known for crashing and burning after their few years of fame are up. A few, like Jodie Foster, Sarah Jessica Parker and Ron Howard manage to continue into adulthood with successful careers in the entertainment field. But many child stars get into trouble or simply fade out of the limelight. Here are some updates on some blast-from-the-past child stars:
Jay North (b. 1951) – Adorably cute and precocious, Jay North landed the role of “Dennis the Menace” in 1959, the television version of Hank Ketchum’s popular comic strip. But when the cuteness started to wear off, North had a hard time finding acting jobs. He did small guest roles on shows like “My Three Sons’ and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E” and even voiced the Bam Bam Rubble character on the animated “Pebbles and Bam Bam Show”. But North, who had a hard time adjusting to his fleeting fame, had problems with drugs, as well as an obesity problem. In recent interviews, North had bitter feelings about his time as a child star. He has since come to peace with his past and, after 2 previous divorces, now resides in Florida with his third wife Cindy Hackney.
Lisa Gerritsen (b. 1957) – Best known as William Windom’s daughter Lydia on the 1969 short-lived show “My World and Welcome to It”, Gerritsen was later cast as Bess Lindstrom, Cloris Leachman’s daughter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. She guested on many popular shows in the early 1970’s and also appeared in the movie “Airplane”. Gerritsen left the showbiz world for good in 1977. Today, at 50 years old, she lives in California and works for a software company.
Brandon Cruz (b. 1962). Brandon Cruz played young Eddie Corbett in the 1969 sitcom “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”. Cruz became close with his television dad, the late Bill Bixby, and their friendship continued until Bixby’s death in 1993. Cruz guest starred in many popular TV shows in the early to mid-70’s, including “Love American Style” and “Police Story”. He also appeared in the 1976 Walter Matthau film, “The Bad News Bears’. In the 1980’s, Cruz gave up acting to follow his true passion: punk rock. He was the lead singer for the moderately successful band Dr. Know and also toured as the replacement lead singer for The Dead Kennedy’s. Today, he is married and has two children.
Anissa Jones (1958-1976)- Anissa Jones played the sweet little pig-tailed Buffy on the television series “Family Affair”. Typecast as the cute doll-carrying Buffy, Jones had trouble finding acting jobs after “Family Affair” ended in 1971. Instead, she began getting into trouble as a teenager, hanging out with a bad crowd, running away from home and skipping school. Sadly, Anissa died of a drug overdose in 1976 at the age of 18.
Kim Richards (b. 1964) Kim Richards had an impressive resume in the 1970’s. She was first known for playing played young Prudence Everett on the comedy “Nanny and the professor”. She then became known for starring in several Disney films in the 70’s, including “Escape to Witch Mountain” and “No Deposit No Return. She appeared on many of the most popular shows in the 1970’s including “Little House on the Prairie”, “Alice”, “The Rockford Files” and “Different Strokes’ (her Different Strokes character even became part of a spin-off called “Hello Larry”). After a brief movie stint in the early 80’s (“Tuff Turf”), Richards seemingly retired from acting and settled down to raise her 4 children. She recently graced the big screen in 2006 with a cameo in the depressing Christina Ricci flick “Black Snake Moan”. Richards is also the aunt of celebutante Paris Hilton and appeared in a 2007 episode of Hilton’s show “The Simple Life Goes to Camp”.
Melissa Sue Anderson (b. 1962) TV sis Melissa Gilbert became president of the Screen Actor’s Guild, but whatever happened to Melissa Sue Anderson, who played Mary Ingalls on the TV series “Little House on the Prairie? It may seem as though “Little House” was the only show Anderson appeared on, but her acting resume is huge. Anderson first appeared on a 1972 episode of “Bewitched”. She signed on with “Little House” in 1974 and has continued acting sporadically throughout the past 3 decades, appearing on shows like “Fantasy Island”, “Murder She Wrote” and “Hotel. She is married to writer Michael Sloan and they have 2 children.
Maureen McCormick (b.1956) best known as the pretty oldest sister on the Brady Bunch, Maureen has had her share of highs and lows. She started acting at a young age , doing guest spots on shows like “Bewitched “and “I Dream of Jeanie” in the early 1960’s , before landing the coveted role of Marcia Brady in 1969. After guesting on many shows throughout the 70’s, and after several failed incarnations of “The Brady Bunch” (remember “The Brady Brides”?), Maureen released a country album in the 1990’s. A recent stint on VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club” revealed that Maureen struggled with bulimia in her teens and gained a lot of weight following the death of her mother in 2004. She lost the weight during her stint on “Fit Club”. Maureen made a surprisingly tabloidy move by airing her family’s dirty laundry on the “Dr. Phil” show in 2007, including a taped confrontation between Maureen, her father and her brother. Today, Maureen’s acting resume continues to grow. She most recently made a cameo in Brad Paisley’s video for his song “Online”. Maureen lives in California with her husband Michael and their daughter, Natalie.
Erin Murphy (b. 1964). Best known as the adorable Tabitha Stephens on the television show, “Bewitched”, Erin Murphy shared the role with her twin sister, Diane. But because the twins were fraternal and not identical, it was a noticeable switch so Erin was used on the show most often. In fact, Diane only appeared in a handful of episodes while Erin appeared in dozens. Erin appeared in many TV commercials and did some modeling after “Bewitched” ended its run in 1972. In the 1990’s she did personal appearances promoting her “Bewitched” days and appeared on shows like “Howard Stern” and “The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Murphy has been married 3 times and although these days her main career is still is raising her sons (she has 6 boys), she is currently pursuing her career as a television host and correspondent. She can be seen on the infomercial for the product “Ab Shark” and in 2008 filmed a segment for the HGTV show “Over Your Head”. Murphy also recently made an appearance at the ceremony for her TV mom Elizabeth Montgomery’s posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, proving once and for all that she still holds fond memories of her childhood television series.
Jack Wild (1952-2006). Best known for his role (and Academy Award nomination) in the movie “Oliver”, Jack Wild found his American success when he starred as Jimmy in the 1970’s Saturday morning children’s show, Sid and Marty Krofft’s “H.R. Pufnstuf”. But as an adult, Wild’s hard partying lifestyle took its toll on his promising career. While he continued with some theater work in the 1980’s and a few minor film roles, his life took a turn when he was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2000. He eventually had surgery to have part of his tongue and his vocal cords removed. Jack Wild died on March 2, 2006, leaving behind his wife, Clare.
Billy Mumy (b. 1954). The poster boy for television from the 1960’s, Billy Mumy was the ultimate child star. This kid made appearances on just about every show of his era- from “The Twilight Zone” to “The Munsters” to “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”. But he is perhaps best known for his role as Will Robinson on the series “Lost in Space”. Mumy has worked steadily since the 1960’s and is also known as an accomplished musician who has recorded several albums. Most notable was his quirky Barnes & Barnes hit single “Fish Heads”. He has also done a large amount of voice over work and is a published author, penning a book of short stories as well as a comic book series. Billy Mumy may truly be one of the most prolific child stars of all time.
Christopher Knight (b. 1957). Known as the cute middle Brady Bunch brother Peter, Chris Knight grew up as a teen idol. Sure, Peter Brady was overshadowed by older brother Greg (played by Barry Williams) but Knight was no stranger to adoring female fans either. While he did a few non-Brady related acting gigs in the 70’s, Knight is mostly known for his recurrent role as Peter (in the 80’s and 90’s there were several Brady reunion shows and movies).In the 80’s Knight decided to switch gears and enjoyed a successful career for almost 2 decades as a marketing exec. But the celebrity bug bit him again in 2003, when he hosted a series on the Travel channel. This led to a stint on VH1’s “Surreal Life” and by then Knight was hooked. On “The Surreal Life”, Knight met his future (and third) wife, Adrianne Curry. Since then the two have starred in their own VH1 series called “My Fair Brady”, which details their courtship and marriage. Currently Knight and Curry are contemplating having a baby.
AJ Langer (b. 1974). Technically more of a “teen star” than a “child star’, Allison Joy (A.J.) Langer is best known for her role as Rayanne Graff on the short-lived series ABC “My So Called Life” in the mid-199’s. But while MSCL only aired 19 episodes, it had a huge impact. After ABC canceled it, it had a whole new life when MTV began repeatedly airing its reruns. Langer continued her acting career with several attempts at TV series, then eventually settled down and married Lord Charles Courtenay, the future Earl of Devon. The couple lives in a castle in England and had their first child, a daughter, in 2007. Langer is also a supporter for awareness of the disease fibromyalgia, from which she suffers.
