What Happened To The Child Stars From The ’70s? This Is Them Now

Published on 01/22/2021

Slammin’ 70’s

Do you still think of the 70s? A time when hair was long and shaggy, and “groovy” There was no DVR or Netflix back in those days, and watching television was a family thing. Every family has a preference, whether it be Happier Days, the Brady Bunch, What’s Going, or Good Times. In this famous movie, you undoubtedly remember the child star, too. Continue to read, to see what’s happening lately to any of these actors and actresses!

Slammin’ 70s

Slammin’ 70’s

David Cassidy – Then

David was Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family’s famous series. Keith was the family band’s lead guitarist. David genuinely won the part with his good looks. It didn’t really care the producers of the show whether or not David could sing!

David Cassidy - Then

David Cassidy – Then

David Cassidy – Now

After the promoters were persuaded that he was really singing, David and The Partridge Family released 10 songs, selling 1 million copies or more. However, David died sadly of hepatitis failure on 21 November 2017.

David Cassidy - Now

David Cassidy – Now

Helen Hunt – Then

Since she was just eight years old, Helen has been acting. She has had an impressive TV and film career with her teenagers. She also acted in several plays, including The Fitzpatricks (1977-1978), The Robinson Family (1975-1976), and Amy Prentiß (1974-75). She also played Rollercoaster and other films in 1977.

Helen Hunt - Then

Helen Hunt – Then

Helen Hunt – Now

Helen continues to be actively active in frequent TV and cinema roles. She wrote, directed and staged the comedy Ride for 2014, and some of her most famous films are As Good As It Comes, where she earned her Oscar for her performance. Fact: Helen saw her New York home attacks on 9/11. Three days later she took with her whole team and all of them flew for security into Connecticut.

Helen Hunt - Now

Helen Hunt – Now

The Jacksons – Then

Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael created the famous group “Jackson Five.” The first four of the billboards were “I’ll Be There,” “The Love You Sav,” “ABC” and “I Want You Back.” Back in 1970, this was a record in the history of the music industry. In nine months, the singles were released, and ‘I’m going to be there’ was five weeks in the first place.

The Jacksons - Then

The Jacksons – Then

The Jacksons – Now

After a hiatus of seventeen years, they have participated in the group’s Unification Tour. The Jacksons’ brother, Randy, retired some time back, and the remainder of the Jacksons remain active, playing at numerous festivals and venues and traveling across the world.

The Jacksons - Now

The Jacksons – Now

Janet – Then

Janet is the youngest member of the family of Jackson. She may have appeared on shows with her older brothers at times but Janet chose more to act than sing. One of she’s most significant roles, while she was a young girl, was the Happy Times sitcom where she played the frightened, battered kid named Penny, who lived in the same neighborhood as the Evans family.

Janet - Then

Janet – Then

Janet – Now

She has sold millions of songs, made many platinum albums, and sold concerts, and is now one of the most famous artists in the recording business. She married billionaire Wissam Al Mana and decided to start a family as the reason why she canceled her most recent tour. Their sister Michael was the first to become a record-breaking singer to make a major impact.

Janet - Now

Janet – Now

Kim Richards – Then

One of the most popular child actors around Kim acted in many TV shows and films in the 1970s. Kim appeared anywhere from shows like als James at Sixteen and Nanny and the professor to films such as Escape to Witch Mountain and the sequel Return from Witch Mountain.

Kim Richards - Then

Kim Richards – Then

Kim Richards – Now

In 2011, Kim once again fell into the spotlight when she joined Beverly Hills’ hit-truth TV show The Real Housewives. Shortly after Kim started to appear on the series, rumors began to break out about a potential problem with alcohol and narcotics, partially because of the unusual conduct she exhibited on a monitor.

Kim Richards - Now

Kim Richards – Now

Mindy Cohn – Then

There are those who recall that Mindy Cohn was the irrepressible television student Natalie, Facts of Life, between 1979 and 1988. Genuine yet cynical, she was an important part of the show’s popularity. The role in a way cured her because she was typecast as a “girl.”

Mindy Cohn - Then

Mindy Cohn – Then

Mindy Cohn – Now

When she graduated in cultural anthropology, Cohn worked as an actress. The WeSPARK cancer support center was later set up. She is a TV guest star, but her skills have led her to make more work in voiceover. In the animated series Scooby-Doo, she has voiced “Velma” for many years now and even was nominated for her performance for an Emmy.

Mindy Cohn - Now

Mindy Cohn – Now

Johnny Whitaker – Then

In various TV shows, including Family Affair and General Hospital, Johnny starred. In fact, when they were in the movie Tom Sawyer, it was Jodie Foster’s first on-screen kiss. Johnny had some serious hardships after his friend Anissa Jones died and he avoided playing for such a long time. On Family Affair, she played his sister.

Johnny Whitaker - Then

Johnny Whitaker – Then

Johnny Whitaker – Now

Johnny had experienced a long and difficult time of substance abuse, so his family decided to intervene to force his actor to receive assistance. It was a 12-step program that helped him overcome his problems with drug abuse. He was clean for 12 years. Johnny fluently talks Spanish and Portuguese, Spanish as well as French and American signs. That’s a fact!

Johnny Whitaker - Now

Johnny Whitaker – Now

Mike Lookinland – Then

Mike played the youngest child in the family, Bobby Brady, in the series The Brady Bunch. The character is powerful and lovely, but Lookinland has surprisingly emoted Bobby in some episodes of the show. Fact: Naturally, Mike’s hair is curly brown and sandy. The actor had to straighten his hair and teat up to match the show’s other male characters in order to portray the character, Bobby Brady. This occasionally caused trouble because the hair dye ran off his face if the lights get too hot!

Mike Lookinland - Then

Mike Lookinland – Then

Mike Lookinland – Now

Mike appeared before leaving the show business completely in various shows such as Little House at the Prairie, different specials of the Brady Bunch, and movies, including The Towering Inferno. With his wife and two children, he lives a happy life while running a decorative concrete company in Utah. He’s a Dead Head, Mike revealed.

Mike Lookinland - Now

Mike Lookinland – Now

Erin Murphy – Then

American actress Erin Margaret Murphy is most famous for being a star of the massive Bewitched hit series that took place between 1964 and 1972. She shared her spotlight with her sister, Diane, in the first season of the show with young Tabitha Stephens. As the girls grew older, they looked less like themselves, so Erin played the character. She was one of the most well-known young actresses in the world thanks to her role.

Erin Murphy - Then

Erin Murphy – Then

Erin Murphy – Now

Since Bewitched ended, Murphy bounced around several appearances and shut off several modeling concerts and publicity. Her family moved to the county of Orange and had the opportunity to start her sixth degree as a “normal child.” Ten years after, it returned to Los Angeles to continue work as a popular judge and on reality television shows in advertisements. She also operates two businesses, one of which sells vodka martini ice pops.

Erin Murphy - Now

Erin Murphy – Now

Robbie Rist – Then

During the last six episodes of the show, Robbie joined The Brady Bunch. It was created as an alternative to the other older Brady children and helped the show since other shows like Sanford and Son had competition. He had eight years of age with his cousin Oliver, but then Rist was nine.

Robbie Rist - Then

Robbie Rist – Then

Robbie Rist – Now

Rist as an adult has been voicing films like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and numerous live shows such as The Animated Series, including Batman. Recent film soundtracks for films like Sharknado and sharknado 2 have been made public by talented Robbie. In addition, he performs for various rock bands in Los Angeles as lead singer, drummer, bassist and/or guitarist.

Robbie Rist - Now

Robbie Rist – Now

Tina Majorino- Then

Tina Majorino, a child actress, played the role of Enola in a hit movie entitled WaterWorld. She didn’t vanish at all after that. As a child she was in other films such as Corrina, Corrina and she played the part of Alice in Alice’s TV-film version in Wonderland.

Tina Majorino Then

Tina Majorino- Then

Tina Majorino- Now

You may remember Tina as Deb in Dynamite Napoleon, but she’s also been seen in hits like Grey’s Anatomy in 22 episodes! In 12 episodes of Scorpio, she recently played Florence. It doesn’t look like Majorino will soon be going anywhere.

Tina Majorino Now

Tina Majorino- Now

Valerie Bertinelli – Then

Born in 1960, when she began to show up on the new sitcom One Day a Time, Valerie Bertinelli was 15 years old. She was in 208 of the 209 episodes of the show. The series finished in 1984, but for the first day of the 2005 Time Reunion Special, the show took place again. She won the Golden Globe in 1981 when the TV star was 21. It doesn’t appear that her career in recent years has slowed down.

Valerie Bertinelli - Then

Valerie Bertinelli – Then

Valerie Bertinelli – Now

Bertinelli may have achieved her early success, but in two sitcoms of the 1990s, Café Americain and Sydney, she did not stop playing. In 2001 she joined Touched by an Angel, but the show only lasted for two years. For many years, however, she overcame her problems and was a spokesperson in various commercials for the diet company, Jenny Craig. She participated in the 2010 hit series Hot in Cleveland, T.V. in Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. The final episode of the show was aired on June 3, 2015, following six really hilarious seasons.

Valerie Bertinelli - Now

Valerie Bertinelli – Now

Robby Benson – Then

Robby was also best-known for his film work and appeared in the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. Jory, Jeremy and Billy Joe’s popular Ode are some of his films. In Ice Castles, one of the largest films in which he appeared, he has learned to skate.

Robby Benson - Then

Robby Benson – Then

Robby Benson – Now

Today, in the Disney animated film Beauté and The Beast Benson’s most famous work is lending its voice to the “Beast.” He is happily married since 1982 and has been a professor in Utah, South Carolina, New York, and Indiana at different universities. Fact: Robby had a heart condition that he never told directors and producers because he thought he wasn’t going to throw him into anything. Fact: Over four heart surgeries were performed by Benson.

Robby Benson - Now

Robby Benson – Now

Ron Howard – Then

Ron has been acting since the 1960s, beginning as an actor for children. His most successful part came later when he starred on Happy Days. His most important roles in the show were The Andy Griffith Show. He played Richie Cunningham, the principal character, who was the centered, managed young woman who grew up in Milwaukee with friends.

Ron Howard - Then

Ron Howard – Then

Ron Howard – Now

Ron Howard is a successful actor, director, and producer, without a doubt. He is now one of the most successful people in Hollywood history involved in television and film. He has made over 27 films and produced approximately 28 films, as well as more than 20 films. Ron Howard shows all that a guy is able to do if he has the right opportunity.

Ron Howard - Now

Ron Howard – Now

Ron Paolillo – Then

Arnold Horshack is familiar to those who watched Welcome Back Kotter. He was the Sweathogs’ class clown, a crew of high school children. Ron Paolillo depicted the character expertly. The actor even improved the hyena-like laugh of his character.

Ron Paolillo - Then

Ron Paolillo – Then

Ron Paolillo – Now

Ron was also in demand during his adult life. He has been a television player and film player of a wide variety of characters including Friday The Thirteenth, Laverne, and Shirley, the army, etc. He was also a fashion designer who conducted a number of musicals and plays from Broadway and even wrote some children’s books. Ron Paolillo died of a heart attack at home on August 14, 2012.

Ron Paolillo - Now

Ron Paolillo – Now

Scott Baio – Then

Furthermore, former teen-heartthrob Baio’s (Erin Moran) love interest is best known for his time on the sitcom Happy Days, where he played Chachí. Years previously, he was also the leader in the musical film Bugsy Malone that was based on how prohibitions were made by gangsters of the twenties such as Bugs Moran and Al Capone. The twist of the film was that it was played by only children actors. The future winner of the Oscar was Jodie Foster. Fact: More than 2,000 other children were listening to Baio’s party.

Scott Baio - Then

Scott Baio – Then

Scott Baio – Now

Scott starred at the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi after Happy Days. He was also involved in several movies such as Skatetown USA, Zapped, and Foxes. His latest projects include his own reality shows and a series of shows for Nick at Nite. Baio’s a registered Republican and it was reported in 2016 that he had been involved in a barista altercation because of her refusal to say the name of Trump, the then-Republican presumptive nominee.

Scott Baio - Now

Scott Baio – Now

Susan Dey – Then

The hit series The Partridge Family was taken by Susan Dey (pictured left). With big names like David Cassidy and a highly acclaimed star, Shirley Jones, she joins the show’s cast. She was a fashion model before Dey was cast. Fact: Dey, 17, had no acting experience before joining. Then he had no acting experience.

Susan Dey - Then

Susan Dey – Then

Susan Dey – Now

In several films, including the popular L.A., Dey appeared, such as Skyjacked, Disappearance, and Little Women. Law. Law. The player refuses to attend The Partridge Family shows at the gathering. Following the show’s end, she and co-star David Cassidy dated briefly, but things weren’t functional and they don’t talk together until now.

Susan Dey - Now

Susan Dey – Now

Karen Carpenter – Then

As an American singer and drummer, Karen Anne Carpenter became a household name. Her instrumental skills were very remarkable and she was even admired by various drumming lights. But her contralto vocal range was really what made her a star. She played as a duo with her brother, Richard, and “Close to You,” was a massive achievement in 1970. Two hit singles were included: “We only have just started” and “(They Long To You),” which peaked at #2 and #1 on the Hot 100.

Karen Carpenter - Then

Karen Carpenter – Then

Karen Carpenter’s Passing In 1983

In 83, Karen Carpenter died sadly at the young age of 32, and suddenly collapsed at the home of her relative Karen was brought to the 25-minute Downey Community Hospital. Actually, she suffered anorexia nervosa, which is an eating disorder and caused her death to cardiac arrest.

Karen Carpenter’s Passing In 1983

Karen Carpenter’s Passing In 1983

Barry Williams – Then

Barry Williams was cast at the age of just 14 as Greg Brady, the eldest child in the hit The Brady Bunch. He quickly became a young heart stinger with millions of female fans throughout the USA. Barry also recorded four albums along with his well-known TV siblings, apart from his performing chops, which helped his popularity among the female population.

Barry Williams - Then

Barry Williams – Then

Barry Williams – Now

In 1989 Williams was awarded the Young Artist Former Child Lifetime Achievement Award by the Young Artist Association and in 1992 he released his autobiography “Growing Up Brady … I Was A Teenage Greg,” a book that has been on the top sales list for three months.

Barry Williams - Now

Barry Williams – Now

Maureen McCormick – Then

Now that we have spoken about the Brady Bunch guys from the sitcom, it’s time to speak about one of the leading ladies in the show. Maureen McCormick played Marcia Brady, the older Brady girl, from 1969 to 1974. Marcia was pretty, clever, and confident. She’s been unbelievably popular both in her home and in school.

Maureen McCormick - Then

Maureen McCormick – Then

Maureen McCormick – Now

After her TV show came to an end, McCormick had a fight with drug addiction but eventually overcame her dependence. In 2007 she appeared at the Celebrity Fit Club of V H1 and became a popular contender, winning the whole thing. Maureen McCormick and Michael Cummings were married in 1985 and they welcomed her daughters in 1989.

Maureen McCormick - Now

Maureen McCormick – Now

Danny Bonaduce – Then

Thanks to his role in the hit The Partridge Family series in the ’70s, Danny Bonaduce became a popular children’s actor. He was a bright (red) Danny Partridge, a wisecracker with his middle boy, who was the bass-guitarist of the fictitious family band. David Cassidy had co-starred in the show. Since the pilot, the men have been close friends.

Danny Bonaduce - Then

Danny Bonaduce – Then

Danny Bonaduce – Now

After the show, he was performing on another TV, such as the 2005 VH1 realities Breaking Bonaduce, and has also hosted numerous radio shows in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Since November 2011, he has hosted a morning talk and music shots. He also has a number of radio shows in Bonaduce, a professional teacher, a male comedian and a professional wrestler.

Danny Bonaduce - Now

Danny Bonaduce – Now

Tatum O’Neal – Then

Tatum O’Neal took home an Academy Award back in 1974 when she was only 10 years old. She won her show at Paper Moon, where she played Addie Loggins. Tatum appeared in the movies The Bad News Bears and Nickelodeon in 1976. Reluctantly at a very young age in Hollywood, it’s rare to see something.

Tatum O’Neal - Then

Tatum O’Neal – Then

Tatum O’Neal – Now

The two were divorced from each other in 1992. After successfully making movies in the ’70s, Tatum O’Neal appeared in only five movies over the next 15 years. Tatum began acting again in the year 2000 and had guest appearances on Sex and the city; 8 Simple Rules for the Dating of Tourism, in the year 1986, and they had 3 children together.

Tatum O’Neal - Now

Tatum O’Neal – Now

Linda Blair – Then

Born in 1959, she had only been 14 when she finished the role of a possessed girl in The Exorcist, and she replaced her role in the 1977 sequel The Exorcist II: The Heretic. Blair was nominated for an Academy Prize and won a Golden Globe for the first role. At the age of six, she began an active career, and at the time, she began to play the role of an acting girl, the exorcist, and the heretic.

Linda Blair - Then

Linda Blair – Then

Linda Blair – Now

Throughout the 1980’s, in the comic Repossessed of 1990, she became aware of her roots in horror movies and in the well-known Scream of 1996, she was on stage (through Grease) and in BBC TV for show L.A. 7. Blair hosted the Fox Family. Time she was a part of Scream, a member of the Scream family, and was a member of the TV stations of the Scream Film in 1996.

Linda Blair - Now

Linda Blair – Now

Melissa Gilbert – Then

Melissa Ellen Gilbert began her life in the late sixties, and in the beginning of the seventies she continued as child actress. She worked in several ads and played a guest role in TV shows. Her big break was the arrival in Prairie in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s part, the hit NBC show.

Melissa Gilbert - Then

Melissa Gilbert – Then

Melissa Gilbert – Now

She lent her voice to Batman: The Animated Series, and she agreed to play the character Caroline “Ma” Ingalls on the Prairie Little House, on the Musical Tour of France. In 2012, her fans were happy to be seen on NBC reality hit series Dancing with the Stars, a competition she played. Gilbert did not end acting in her adults, although she appeared mainly on TV shows.

Melissa Gilbert - Now

Melissa Gilbert – Now

Jodie Foster – Then

The young girl was regularly shown on TV primetime in late 1960. She was also a star in several children’s movies, but her break-out roles came in her teens. She was cast at Taxi Driver, Disney’s Freaky Friday, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the lane and C was born in 1962, Jodie Foster was already in the acting stage by 1965, and two years later, she was casted on Mayberry R.F.D.

Jodie Foster - Then

Jodie Foster – Then