Are we making a distinction between child actors and teen actors? To me, there's a big difference between making the transition from cute kid to adult and making the transition from teen to adult.

So you're talking people who were born in the 70s?

I think the "now" is people Nutty's age, and the "then" is people 20 years younger than her. As best I can tell from the post.

I don't know how old Nutty is, so I can't be of further help.

Ron Howard? Although he doesn't act -- his brother Clint?

Does his brother Clint act in anything not directed by Ron?

Are we making a distinction between child actors and teen actors?

She seems to be talking adolescent.

Kurt Russell -- I don't think he was so much a "child star," but he definitely was in stuff as a teenager.

Edit: imdb tells me he was the title character in a tv show at 12, so...

I was observing generally that actors I watched as children (when I was a child/adolescent) I am still watching as adults. As examples, Christian Bale is about a year older than me, and Elijah Wood is about 5 years younger.

My general impression was that the Kurt Russells and Jodie Fosters of this world were extremely rare -- not the level of fame/acting they've achieved, but that they've managed to act relatively steadily throughout adolescence and well into adulthood. Whereas, my generation (born 1975) seems much more likely to stay in the business, and not in a Danny Bonaduce hanger-on kind of way.

So my question isn't about 20-somethings who were former child stars, but 30- and 40-somethings who were same. My youthful impression, based almost entirely on Geraldo, was that they all became cokeheads and never acted again after puberty. I'm willing to be persuaded that's wrong.

I don't know.

Sean Astin, Melissa Gilbert, Valerie Bertinelli.

I have just discovered that Victor Garber and Erik Estrada are precisely the same age.

I have no idea why this tickles me so.

Nutty, I think that general impression will stick with many people, no matter when they're born, because the people your age kinda stick out. And it's harder to tell when the people 20 years older than you were child stars.

Well, it's my excuse, and I'm fond of it.

Diane Lane

Star of the gloriusly silly "rock n' roll fantasy" Streets of Fire, with Willem Dafoe as the bad guy.

It's not her earliest role, but the one that sticks out the most for me.

I'd say Eliza is doing alright for herself, but....

Elijah Wood -- now there's a transition.

If we're going to be hesitant about calling successful adult careers, we might want to wait a bit on Elijah. He may wind up so over-identified with Frodo that he has a very hard time getting work for a while (see: Mark Hammil, the post Star Wars years....)

Does his brother Clint act in anything not directed by Ron?

Yes. Probably nothing you've ever heard of, but he does get small character bits from people other than his brother.