1990s: These child movie stars disappeared from circulation
From Jake Lloyd to Ariana Richards via Heather Langenkamp and Phoebe Cates, focus on eight child stars of the 90s who disappeared (or almost) from the radar.
They were successful at a very young age and then disappeared from circulation, by choice or simply because fate had not chosen to accompany them further on the path to the sets. From Jake Lloyd, the Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars – The Phantom Menace, to Ariana Richards, the little girl from Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, via Heather Langenkamp and Phoebe Cates, respectively struggling with Freddy and the Gremlins, focus on eight children -90s stars whose careers in front of the camera quickly came to an end.
Mara Wilson (Madame Doubtfire)
Twentieth Century Fox France
Revealed in 1993 with the comedy Madame Doubtfire, in which she plays Natalie Hillard, the daughter of the character played by Robin Williams, the American Mara Wilson has a nice career as a child star. We see her in the credits of the family productions Miracle on 34th Street, The Fairy Wars and Matilda. With this last film, we imagine her career launched, and yet, Mara Wilson decides to drop everything in the early 2000s, not feeling creatively free enough. She became a writer, publishing in 2016 the autobiographical work Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.
Ariana Richards (Jurassic Park)
Universal Pictures International France
Ariana Richards started her career as a child star very strongly, the little girl playing in front of the camera of Steven Spielberg in Jurassic Park and The Lost World, cult blockbusters in which she plays Lex Murphy, the granddaughter of John Hammond. But the young American will completely disappear from circulation after the film Tremors 3, released in theaters in 2001. After having been a singer for a time with the release of an album entitled First Love, Ariana Richards converted in impressionist painting.
Heather Langenkamp (Claws of the Night)
Warner Bros. France
Horror movie fans will inevitably remember her terrified face when she found herself battling the terrible Freddy Krueger in The Claws of Night. If she hasn’t completely given up on her acting career (we saw her again in Freddy’s Night Out and Star Trek Into Darkness), Heather Langenkamp still largely left aside the trays. But Hollywood is never far away for the American, since she opened AFX Studiosa company specializing in special effects and make-up.
Jimmy Workman (The Addams Family)
Splendor Movies
Revealed in the early 90s with the comedy The Addams Family, in which he plays the son Pugsley, the American Jimmy Workman has not seen his career take off. He found his comico-macabre role in Addams Family Values, appeared in For worse and for better, and that’s about it… Jimmy Workman retired from the sets in the early 1990s. 2000, becoming a technician for the small and the big screen.
Jake Lloyd (Star Wars)
Twentieth Century Fox France
When, in 1999, Jake Lloydafter having given the reply to Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Toy Race, embodies Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars – The Phantom Menace, there is little doubt that the little boy has everything to become a star. However, the young American lives very badly with a celebrity who makes his life hell and quickly disappears from the sets. In 2020, his mother reports that Jake, now 33, has paranoid schizophrenia.
Phoebe Cates (Gremlins)
Warner Bros. France
Those nostalgic for the 80s necessarily remember Phoebe Catesrevealed with It’s heating up at Ridgemont High School and, above all, the fantastic comedy Gremlins. She will resume her role as Kate Beringer in Gremlins 2, then will appear very episodically on screen until 2001 and The Anniversary Party. Since then, nothing … The American, married to actor Kevin Kline since 1989, said “stop” to the profession, opening in New York Blue Tree Shopspecializing in the sale of jewelry and clothing.
Charlie Korsmo (Hook)
TriStar Pictures
In 1991, the path to success seemed clear for the young Charlie Korsmo. He is indeed chosen to give the reply to Robin Williams in the Hook of Steven Spielberg, family production which sees him being captured by the terrible Captain Hook. However, the artistic career of the young American will not go further than the year 1998 with a role in the feature film Big Party. Charlie Korsmo will completely change environment, becoming a lawyer.
Lisa Jakub (Independence Day)
20th Century Studios
With his roles in comedy Mrs. Doubtfire (where, as Mara Wilsonalso in this list, she plays one of the daughters of Robin Williams) and the fantasy blockbuster Independence Day (where she plays Randy Quaid’s daughter), many would have bet that the young Lisa Jakub was on her way to a successful screen career. It will not be, the young American disappearing completely from the radar from 2000. No longer finding her interest in comedy, Lisa Jakub has become a blogger, writer and yoga teacher.
