When the cameras turned off, the real nightmare began – Such was the harsh life of child stars

Hollywood’s brightest child stars shone on the big screen and on television, and their future looked bright for a long time.

Innocent smiles and extraordinary talent charmed audiences around the world, but when the cameras turned off, many of them carried heavy and tragic shadows of real life on their shoulders.

One example of them is Drew Barrymore, who rose to global fame when she was only 7 years old after starring in a movie ET the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).

The film, which gained great popularity, made him one of the most famous child actors of his time. In the same year, he also became Saturday Night Live the youngest guest host in history.

However, the quick fame had its price, and the star had to enter rehab only at the age of 13. In addition to this, Barrymore spent 18 months in a mental institution.

A suicide attempt at the age of 14 led to another rehab, after which the child star lived with singer David Crosby and his wife for three months. Barrymore moved into her own apartment at the age of 15.

Despite his difficult youth, he managed to establish himself in Hollywood and landed leading roles in several films, including Firestarter (1984), Poison Ivy (1992), Boys on the Side (1995), Scream (1996) as well as Charlie’s Angels (2000).

Barrymore’s father was actor John Drew Barrymore and her mother was Jaid Barrymore.

Bobby Driscoll

Bobby Driscoll rose to fame in the 1940s and 1950s. His child acting career started early, especially in Disney productions, which made him widely popular among young audiences.

Driscoll is remembered, among other things, for his leading roles in films Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1948) and as a voice in an animated film Peter Pan (1953), in which he provided the voice of the title role.

Although Driscoll was very successful and awarded as a child actor, his life took a tragic turn as he grew up. The transition after a child star career into a young adult proved to be difficult, as Hollywood did not offer him adult roles.

As a result, he quickly lost his prominent position in the entertainment industry and ran into financial difficulties.

The predicament deepened even more when Driscoll drifted into drug problems. Among other things, he used heroin, which significantly worsened his health problems.

In the final phase of his life, he lived as an outcast and an isolationist. He was found dead in an abandoned apartment building in New York in 1968. He was 31 years old when he died.

Death was caused by heart failure resulting from advanced atherosclerosis and drug use.

Driscoll’s body was initially not identified, so he was buried in the Hart Island Pauper’s Grave. At the end of 1969, with the help of the Disney studios, his mother was able to find out his burial place through fingerprint identification.

Although Driscoll’s name is inscribed with his father’s on the same tombstone in California, the remains remain on Hart Island in New York.

The story of Bobby Driscoll has often been cited as a cautionary tale of how a child actor’s early fame and the pressures that come with it can lead to tragic events.

Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster started appearing in commercials and on television when she was only 6 years old. His talent was quickly noticed, and he landed several roles in popular television series and films as a child actor.

Especially his role in the movie Taxi Driver (1976), in which she played a 12-year-old underage prostitute, brought her both critical acclaim and significant public attention. This role was particularly challenging and demanding for the young actor, and it exposed him early to the harsh realities of Hollywood.

As a child, Foster experienced the typical child star pressures of publicity, long working hours, and adult-like roles that could be emotionally taxing. However, unlike many other child stars, Foster did not have any serious publicized family problems.

Taxi Driver after the movie, he acted in, among other things, a musical and a gangster movie Bugsy Malone (1976), a comedy about a family’s teenage daughter Freaky Friday (1976) and an orphan girl in an adventure film Candleshoe (1977).

In 1980, he appeared in a drama Foxes and in 1984 in a black comedy The Hotel New Hampshire.

Through these roles, Foster transitioned from child actor to young talent, setting the stage for later adult roles and Oscar-winning performances.

Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple rose to world fame in the 1930s as a child star in films such as Bright Eyes (1934), Curly Top (1935) and Heidi (1937). She was known for her luscious curls, cheerful nature and ability to entertain audiences even during the darkest times of the Great Depression.

As a youngster, Temple worked in the extremely demanding environment of Hollywood during its golden age, and her family relationships were very turbulent.

The parents’ unstable marriage, distant father and frequent divorces created a constant burden on the child.

Temple was married a total of three times. Her first marriage to John Agar began when she was only 17 years old. Agar is said to have been an alcoholic and mentally abusive, which is why the couple’s union ended in 1950. One child was born from this union Linda Susan Agar.

The woman met her second husband by Charles Aiden Black in Hawaii in 1950. The couple got married that same year, and the couple’s union lasted until the man’s death in 2005. From their union, children were born Charles Aiden Black Jr. and Lori Black.

After her acting career, Temple became interested in politics and joined the Republican Party.

In 1967, Temple ran for the United States Congress in California. Although he was not elected, the campaign made him a well-known political influence. His actual political career began to progress, especially in the area of ​​diplomacy.

He served as the US Ambassador to Ghana from 1974 to 1976 and to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992.