6 former child stars who now work behind the camera
Talia Lakritz
- Ron Howard was a child star in the 1960s and became an Oscar-winning director.
- Former "Home Improvement" star Jonathan Taylor Thomas directed episodes of "Last Man Standing."
"The Wonder Years" star Fred Savage began acting at age 9.
He starred in "The Princess Bride" in 1987, then got cast as Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years" in 1988.
Savage is still acting, but he also works behind the camera as a director.
Most recently, Savage has acted in "Friends from College," "The Conners," and "The Afterparty." and He's also directed episodes of "Modern Family," "Black-ish," and "The Connors."
Savage executive produced and directed eight episodes of the 2021 "The Wonder Years" reboot. In May, he was fired from production due to "allegations of inappropriate conduct," 20th Television said in a statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly.
Jeff Cohen played the clumsy Chunk in 1985's "The Goonies."
The accident-prone member of "The Goonies" gang originated the "Truffle Shuffle."
He stayed in the industry as an entertainment lawyer.
He attended Berkeley and earned his law degree from UCLA, then cofounded the entertainment law firm Cohen Gardner in 2002.
Peter Billingsley played Ralphie Parker in the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" in 1983.
Young Ralphie asked Santa for an "official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time."
Billingsley now works behind the scenes as a producer and director.
Billingsley has worked as an executive producer on films such as "Iron Man" and "The Break-Up," and directed the romantic comedy "Couples Retreat."
He still acts occasionally as well, with small roles in "Spider-Man: Far from Home, "A Case of You," and "Four Christmases," which he also executive produced.
Sarah Polley got her big break playing Ramona Quimby in the TV show "Ramona" based on the book series by Beverly Cleary.
Polley also won a Gemini Award for her role of Jody Turner in "Lantern Hill" in 1989.
Polley is now a producer, director, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter.
Polley received an Oscar nod for best adapted screenplay for "Away from Her" in 2006, which she also directed. She most recently wrote and directed "Women Talking" based on the novel by Miriam Toews.
Ron Howard rose to fame as Opie on "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s.
As a child, he also acted in the TV show "Dennis the Menace" and the film adaptation of "The Music Man."
He pivoted to directing and won an Oscar for best director for "A Beautiful Mind" in 2002.
Howard's first directing project was "Grand Theft Auto" in 1978. He went on to direct acclaimed films such as "Apollo 13" and "Frost/Nixon," for which he was also nominated for best director. He also won an Emmy for outstanding comedy series for "Arrested Development," which he narrated and produced.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas starred in "Home Improvement" throughout the '90s.
He also voiced Young Simba in Disney's "The Lion King."
He took a break from acting before returning to Hollywood as a director.
Thomas directed several episodes of "Last Man Standing" between 2013 and 2016. Before that, his last TV appearance was on "Veronica Mars" in 2005.
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