HOLLYWOOD KIDS: SURVIVING STARDOM

Hollywood child stars have been around since the days of silent cinema, but they often have difficult, or even tragic, lives, and their fans can desert them when they enter their late teens. But here are some ex-child stars that have survived the Hollywood machine.

During the Depression era of the 1930s, Hollywood produced many child stars. The most famous of all was Shirley Temple - a talented singer and tap dancer who made her first film at the age of 4. She became the first child to win an Oscar. But the film studios lost interest in her when she hit her 20s, and she was already a divorcee at 21. As an adult, however, she became involved in politics and had a successful career as an international diplomat. She represented the USA at the United Nations, and also served as an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia.

Elizabeth Taylor starred as a child in several sentimental films of the 1940s, including the Lassie series about a faithful, clever dog. She was very beautiful, and her film roles continued into her adult life. By the 1960s she was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and she became notorious for her many marriages - eight in total (twice to the same man, actor Richard Burton). In the 1970s Elizabeth suffered from alcoholism and weight problems, but in the 1980s she discovered a new role as campaigner and fund-raiser for AIDS charities.

Jodie Foster amazed critics and was nominated for an Oscar for her role, aged 12, in the disturbing 1976 film Taxi Driver. Following her appearance in this film, Jodie was stalked by a mad fan, John Hinckley. In 1981 Hinckley shot President Reagan in an attempt to re-enact the film. In her adult life Jodie has had an accomplished career as an actress and a director, winning two Oscars - for The Accused in 1988 and The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. Today she is known as one of the most secretive and publicity-shy actresses in Hollywood.

Drew Barrymore comes from a large acting family. Her grandfather John was a classical British actor in the 1930s, and her father is also an actor. When she was 7, Drew starred in the blockbuster movie ET, directed by her godfather Steven Spielberg. But following the success of ET, Drew had serious problems with drugs. By the age of 16 she had already been in rehab, attempted suicide and separated from her parents. But she has now put her problems behind her, and since the age of 21 she has made a number of successful films, including the popular Scream and Charlie’s Angels.

In the 1990s, the Home Alone films made 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin the most highly-paid child star ever. With his father as his manager, Macaulay earned an estimated $30 million. In 1994, his parents separated and there was a bitter custody battle over their six children. As a result, Macaulay obtained a legal separation from his father and gained control over his own finances. In 1997 he got married at the age of 17, but divorced two years later. Although he hasn't made a film since 1994, Macaulay has had successful roles in the theatre.

Glossary: blockbuster - extremely successful film; campaigner - someone who tries to get support for a cause;

custody - legal possession of something or a child; divorcee - a divorced woman; fund-raiser - someone who raises money for a cause; godfather - a man who is selected by the parents at a child’s christening to help look after the child; rehab - (= rehabilitation) treatment and cure of addiction; to stalk – to follow and give constant unwanted attention to someone.