These A-listers have been around longer than you know. See which actors you might have forgotten were once child stars.
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The Oscar-winning actor got his start back in 1986 in two episodes of the series “Anastasia: The Mystery Of Anastasia” before his big break came as the lead in Steven Spielberg’s “Empire Of The Sun” a year later. With minor roles in TV movies to follow, a teenage Bale danced his way through “Newsies” and “Swing Kids”, before graduating to more adult roles in his 20s.
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An Oscar winner for “If Beale Street Could Talk”, actress and director Regina King has been in front of the camera since she was 14. Making her acting debut as Brenda Jenkins of the hit comedy “227”, King moved over to the big screen by the time she was 20, appearing in 1991’s “Boyz In The Hood” and “Poetic Justice” a few years later.
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Joaquin Phoenix – then known as Leaf – got his acting start 40 years ago. At the age of eight, the young Phoenix landed his first role in an episode of the TV series “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” before racking up a number of child roles in TV movies and series, including an ABC Afterschool Special on dyslexia. By 1986 the future Oscar winner was landing movie roles in “SpaceCamp”, “Russkies”, and “Parenthood” well before he turned 20.
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Fergie, a.k.a. Stacy Ferguson, may have made a name for herself in the music industry but the future "Black Eyed Peas" singer got her start in the acting world. When she was just eight years old, she was the voice of Peanuts character Sally Brown in several TV projects. Fergie found the perfect mix of her acting and singing talents on the series “Kids Incorporated” from 1984 to 1989 before leaving to form the pop group Wild Orchid. The series followed a group of kids who sang songs at a club for kids while dealing with normal teenage problems between performing.
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At age 12, Jason Bateman began his long journey as a working TV actor on the show “Little House On The Prairie”, later earning his teen heartthrob status on “Silver Spoons” and “Valerie”. Making his big screen debut in 1986’s “Teen Wolf Too”, Bateman followed his regular series work with small roles in made-for-TV movies until landing the role of Michael Bluth in “Arrested Development” in 2003, becoming a comedy staple and paving the way for an unexpectedly dark and dramatic turn in “Ozark”.
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And just like that, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon have each been acting for more than 40 years. When Parker landed a role in “Footloose” at age 19, she already had a busy career starring in the series “Square Pegs”, “3-2-1 Contact”, and in “The Little Match Girl” in which she made her acting debut at age nine.
“And Just Like That...” co-star Nixon has been acting since she was 13, first appearing in an episode of “NBC Special Treat”, the movie “Little Darlings” and Sidney Lumet’s ”Prince Of The City”. Nixon continued to work with bit parts in TV and film until she landed her most recognizable role as Miranda Hobbs on “Sex In The City” in 1998.
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Laurence Fishburne was only 18 when he appeared in “Apocalypse Now”, but he already had nearly a decade of experience under his belt. The future “Matrix” star made his acting debut in the 1972 TV movie “If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band” before spending time on the soap opera “One Life To Live” in 1975 and 1976.
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Funnyman Mike Myers has been making us laugh for years, but did you know he got his start on Canadian television at age 12? Myers’ first role was on the TV comedy “King Of Kensington” in 1975, followed by the series “Range Ryder And The Calgary Kid”, sketch comedy show “Bizarre”, and an episode of the Canadian classic “The Littlest Hobo” while he was a teenager. He began his six-year “SNL” stint in 1989 at age 26.
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“Justice League” and “Unfaithful” star Diane Lane already had a number of acting credits to her name by the time she appeared opposite Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, and Patrick Swayze in “The Outsiders”. At age 14, her first major role in 1979’s “A Little Romance” saw her share screen time with acting legend Sir Laurence Olivier. Not a bad way to start an acting career!