Celebrities You Forgot Were Child Stars

You would be forgiven for forgetting that Christian Bale was a child star. After watching him in 2000's American Psycho, many film fans believed they were seeing a star in the making, but this star had been burning for years at that point. 

In 1987, Bale captivated audiences with his performance in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. He was just 13. For his work, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures gave him the first award for best performance by a juvenile actor. Following that role, however, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Bale. The young actor found the pressures of the industry challenging. During the press junket for Empire of the Sun, Bale was reportedly combative and difficult. He took some time off and returned in 1989's Henry V. 

While Bale went on to enjoy a commendable career throughout his teenage years, appearing in films such as Newsies and Little Women, it wasn't until American Psycho that he became a household name. Playing the murderous Patrick Bateman was a departure for Bale — showcasing the type of dramatic transformation we've since become accustomed to seeing from this incredible talent.

When Joaquin Phoenix started acting, he didn't even use the name Joaquin, so connecting the dots between the adult actor and the child star is a bit of a challenge. There's also River Phoenix, the older brother of Joaquin, who was an enormous star and teen idol that cast a shadow over any work Joaquin did as a kid. A couple of years before River died of a drug overdose in 1993, Joaquin took time away from Hollywood. It wasn't until the turn of the century that people began paying close attention to his work. In 1999, he co-starred in 8MM with Nicolas Cage, and then, of course, there was Gladiator in 2000. While those roles may have been the ones that got people talking about Joaquin, let's dig into his career as a child actor, back when he went by the self-given name of "Leaf." 

He landed his first role on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers alongside River and went on to appear in a number of popular TV shows and films as a kid, including Hill Street Blues, Murder, She Wrote and Parenthood. After that last film, he reportedly moved to Mexico, took a break from showbiz, and watched as River refined his superstar status, reported Hello!. After about a six-year hiatus, he returned to acting as Joaquin and became the recognizable star we know today.

Nowadays, everyone knows Johnny Galecki as the star of The Big Bang Theory, but this is an actor who's been in our lives for many years, even if people tend to forget that. Sure, fans may remember Galecki playing David Healey as a teenager in Roseanne, but he had earlier roles as well. If you're a Christmas movie fan, there's a very strong possibility that Galecki played an important role in your childhood. Yep, he's Rusty in 1989's National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, which is still a seasonal classic. Oh, and Prancer too, but even Galecki admits that was "a very odd experience." Still, many fans don't associate current Galecki with holiday Galecki. Why?

Well, puberty, for starters. Even in the few short years between Christmas Vacation and Roseanne, Galecki grew from a nervous little kid to a messy-haired heartthrob of sorts. In a strange way, since both Galecki's early films went on to become cult classics, a subsection of fans may have no idea the guy who plays scientist Leonard Hofstadter on The Big Bang Theory has actually been an annual tradition in their households for decades.

We're all very familiar with Jason Bateman's more recent work. Since Arrested Development's 2003 debut, he's been a bright light in the industry, but his journey in Hollywood began long before that. 

Back in 1982, Bateman played James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie. After that, he took on a role in the TV series Silver Spoons, which then led to a starring role in It's Your Move, followed by the mid-1980's hit, The Hogan Family. Bateman's role as David Hogan thrust him into teen-icon status, which only intensified when he starred in Teen Wolf Too. The '80s were a good time to be Bateman, but the '90s were not as kind, which may explain why you forgot about his awesome early career.

Bateman said the nineties almost ruined his life. "It was like Risky Business for 10 years," he told Details (via Us Weekly). "My parents were out of town, they left me a bunch of money, the car, and the house, and I didn't know when they were coming home. I'd worked so hard that by the time I was 20, I wanted to play hard. And I did that really well." Thankfully, the star of  the Ozark series and the Horrible Bosses films clearly found some healthy work-life balance later in life.

Much of Jake Gyllenhaal's massive fanbase became attached to the star after his incredible performance in 2000's Donnie Darko. Though he had acted before, notably in October Sky (a role that got him an Independent Spirit Award nomination) it was his leading role as Donnie Darko that made him a household name. But Gyllenhaal's acting résumé goes back much further than those flicks. 

Way back, when he was 11 years old, Gyllenhaal played Danny Robbins in 1991's City Slickers. Though that role obviously didn't make him a superstar, it did open some doors. From there, Gyllenhaal took on parts in A Dangerous Woman and Josh and S.A.M., but he eventually took time away from acting to finish his degree. In another timeline, however, Gyllenhaal might have been a huge child superstar. According to The Guardian, he landed a big role in 1992's The Mighty Ducks, but his parents decided not to allow him to take the part, which would have required him to be out of town for two months.