they’ve been in the business even longer
than you realize welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10
celebrities you didn’t know were child
actors before we begin we publish new
videos every day
so be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
the big-name actors who’ve got their
start before turning 15 years old okay
number 10 Ben Affleck you know what the
best part of my day is this Oscar winner
got his big break as Chucky Sullivan in
Good Will Hunting a movie that he
co-wrote with Matt Damon
however Affleck got started in show
business at the age of seven in the
movie the dark end of the street which
was directed by a friend of the family
later he would star in the voyage of the
Meany an educational children’s
television program are things at home
too much while he started early Affleck
has made it clear that he did not have a
Hollywood kid lifestyle and that there
was never pressure from his parents he
was just sort of a thing he wanted to
try luckily I didn’t end up on the show
and get famous and go on crack and go
crazy number 9 Kurt Russell
[Music]
so good boy while he was branching off
into film at an early age it was on TV
where he made some of his first
breakthrough performances at the age of
eleven Russell got his start on
television starring first in an
uncredited role on Dennis the Menace and
eventually getting parts and shows like
The Man From UNCLE the fugitive Gunsmoke
Gilligan’s Island and lost in space
Russell’s most regular TV work was on
the Western program the travels of
Jaimie McPheeters on which he played the
title character of Jaimie number 8
Elisabeth Moss only one but I got up
very early in a couple of years with the
right moves you’d be in the city with
the rest of us well before she was
rocking it as Peggy Olson or winning
Emmys for her work on The Handmaid’s
Tale she was getting our start on the
NBC miniseries lucky chances and to
think maas was just 8 at the time she
later starred in the 1995 made-for-tv
remake of escape to Witch Mountain along
with various other small film and
television roles Moss also cut her teeth
on a fair amount of voice acting in
films like once upon a Forrest specials
like frosty returns and animated shows
like Batman the Animated Series
beautiful 8 number 7 Paul Walker
while he passed tragically young it
might surprise you to know that Walker
also got started in acting at an
extremely young age as a baby
Walker starred in his first commercial
for Pampers diapers after which he began
modeling at just two years old from
there he branched out into acting
getting parts on who’s the boss touched
by an angel and the young and the
restless’ his first film credit was at
13 with the horror comedy monster in the
closet
Walker packed more into a short life
than most do on average have you ever
heard of ultrasonic energy augment
ultrasonic energy on no I don’t believe
number 6 Laurence Fishburne though he’s
known today for playing complex
characters and intense mentors with
their own agendas it might be strange to
think that Fishburne got his start at 12
playing series regular Joshua Hall on
the long-running ABC soap opera One Life
to Live at age fourteen Fishburne scored
a supporting role as Tyrone Miller in
Apocalypse Now although the character
was actually 17 Fishburne lied about his
age in order to get the gig ironically
however it took so long to finish the
film that Fishburne had actually turned
17 by the time it hit theaters I told
them that I was 16 when I had my
interview and you were 14 I was 14 I
think they knew I don’t think I was
fooling anybody
number 5 Milla Jovovich my parents and I
pretty much defected we escaped Russia
in the early 80s and when we got to
America I mean we started from zero
really after leaving the USSR with her
family at the age of five yoga vich had
a more challenging start than others on
this list following a move to LA her
mother a famous actress when they lived
in Moscow originally tried to get into
acting but found the language barrier
too hard
the focus was turned to young Mila who
had become fluent in English in just a
few months we finished school hours will
we be going in a classroom today at the
age of 10 she was enrolled in acting
lessons in three years later she landed
her first professional role in the TV
film the night train to Katmandu after
that morgue
eggs were quick to follow number four
Jeff Bridges we’re gonna win the
Olympics oh this dude did not abide in
fact he jumped right in with both feet
at the age of nine and 1958 he along
with his father Lloyd who was the star
and his brother beau appeared in several
episodes of the adventure television
program see hunt however he had made his
first screen appearance years earlier at
not quite two years old in the movie the
company she keeps he also made several
appearances on his father’s anthology
series the Lloyd Bridges show when
acting is a family business
getting started must just come naturally
I think I learned most about acting from
him was just the joy in which he
approached the thing number three Jake
Gyllenhaal while only 21 when he broke
out with the science fiction Mindbender
Donnie Darko in which he co-starred and
played brother to his real-life sister
Maggie Gyllenhaal he was no newcomer
thanks to family ties he landed the role
of Billy Crystal’s son 10 years earlier
in city slickers my dad’s name Mitch
he’s he’s a submarine commander he often
appeared alongside his sister or worked
under the direction of his father Steven
Gyllenhaal despite an early interest in
acting
his parents were reluctant to let him
take on any roles that would remove him
from the family for long stretches at a
time and that is why we never got to see
him in the Mighty Ducks
[Music]
number two Scarlett Johansson look I’m
not letting you go in there alone what
help okay
this versatile actress is best known for
her parts and films like lost in
translation the prestige and the Marvel
Cinematic Universe but considering all
her years of acting experience maybe
it’s no surprise that she’s so easily
able to assume new roles as a child she
auditioned for commercials and then
moved on to film by the age of nine by
12
she’d been nominated for an Independent
Spirit Award for Best lead female for
her role as many in the drama D mani and
lo what’s wrong with you already getting
attention her standout role came in 1998
at age 14 when she landed one of the
leads in the horse whisperer it was all
uphill from there daddy
I don’t want to go before we unveil our
number-one pick here are some honorable
mentions well I play Derek Taylor and
I’m kind of like not not almost a bully
to Ricky but more of just I just get the
kick out of just doing evil things to
him not nice things
[Music]
you’re dreaming
[Music]
well it’s a lot I mean it’s everybody’s
money for all summer you know I just
thought I’d hold on till yeah right I
think I’ll just hold on to my own midget
no Tim I don’t think that’s such a good
idea
number one Bruce Lee Lee Jong fat better
known by his stage name Bruce Lee got a
start in theater at a young age thanks
to his father Lee hojun a famous opera
singer he introduced his son to the
acting world very early as a baby by the
time the young Lee was 18 he had already
landed roles in 20 films one of his
best-known early roles is that of the
titular kid in the kid a part that he
took on at the age of 10 based on a
comic book character the film also
starred his father he worked regularly
in the Hong Kong and later American film
industry becoming the martial arts
legend we know today do you agree with
our picks check out these other great
clips from WatchMojo and subscribe for
new videos every day
than you realize welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10
celebrities you didn’t know were child
actors before we begin we publish new
videos every day
so be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
the big-name actors who’ve got their
start before turning 15 years old okay
number 10 Ben Affleck you know what the
best part of my day is this Oscar winner
got his big break as Chucky Sullivan in
Good Will Hunting a movie that he
co-wrote with Matt Damon
however Affleck got started in show
business at the age of seven in the
movie the dark end of the street which
was directed by a friend of the family
later he would star in the voyage of the
Meany an educational children’s
television program are things at home
too much while he started early Affleck
has made it clear that he did not have a
Hollywood kid lifestyle and that there
was never pressure from his parents he
was just sort of a thing he wanted to
try luckily I didn’t end up on the show
and get famous and go on crack and go
crazy number 9 Kurt Russell
[Music]
so good boy while he was branching off
into film at an early age it was on TV
where he made some of his first
breakthrough performances at the age of
eleven Russell got his start on
television starring first in an
uncredited role on Dennis the Menace and
eventually getting parts and shows like
The Man From UNCLE the fugitive Gunsmoke
Gilligan’s Island and lost in space
Russell’s most regular TV work was on
the Western program the travels of
Jaimie McPheeters on which he played the
title character of Jaimie number 8
Elisabeth Moss only one but I got up
very early in a couple of years with the
right moves you’d be in the city with
the rest of us well before she was
rocking it as Peggy Olson or winning
Emmys for her work on The Handmaid’s
Tale she was getting our start on the
NBC miniseries lucky chances and to
think maas was just 8 at the time she
later starred in the 1995 made-for-tv
remake of escape to Witch Mountain along
with various other small film and
television roles Moss also cut her teeth
on a fair amount of voice acting in
films like once upon a Forrest specials
like frosty returns and animated shows
like Batman the Animated Series
beautiful 8 number 7 Paul Walker
while he passed tragically young it
might surprise you to know that Walker
also got started in acting at an
extremely young age as a baby
Walker starred in his first commercial
for Pampers diapers after which he began
modeling at just two years old from
there he branched out into acting
getting parts on who’s the boss touched
by an angel and the young and the
restless’ his first film credit was at
13 with the horror comedy monster in the
closet
Walker packed more into a short life
than most do on average have you ever
heard of ultrasonic energy augment
ultrasonic energy on no I don’t believe
number 6 Laurence Fishburne though he’s
known today for playing complex
characters and intense mentors with
their own agendas it might be strange to
think that Fishburne got his start at 12
playing series regular Joshua Hall on
the long-running ABC soap opera One Life
to Live at age fourteen Fishburne scored
a supporting role as Tyrone Miller in
Apocalypse Now although the character
was actually 17 Fishburne lied about his
age in order to get the gig ironically
however it took so long to finish the
film that Fishburne had actually turned
17 by the time it hit theaters I told
them that I was 16 when I had my
interview and you were 14 I was 14 I
think they knew I don’t think I was
fooling anybody
number 5 Milla Jovovich my parents and I
pretty much defected we escaped Russia
in the early 80s and when we got to
America I mean we started from zero
really after leaving the USSR with her
family at the age of five yoga vich had
a more challenging start than others on
this list following a move to LA her
mother a famous actress when they lived
in Moscow originally tried to get into
acting but found the language barrier
too hard
the focus was turned to young Mila who
had become fluent in English in just a
few months we finished school hours will
we be going in a classroom today at the
age of 10 she was enrolled in acting
lessons in three years later she landed
her first professional role in the TV
film the night train to Katmandu after
that morgue
eggs were quick to follow number four
Jeff Bridges we’re gonna win the
Olympics oh this dude did not abide in
fact he jumped right in with both feet
at the age of nine and 1958 he along
with his father Lloyd who was the star
and his brother beau appeared in several
episodes of the adventure television
program see hunt however he had made his
first screen appearance years earlier at
not quite two years old in the movie the
company she keeps he also made several
appearances on his father’s anthology
series the Lloyd Bridges show when
acting is a family business
getting started must just come naturally
I think I learned most about acting from
him was just the joy in which he
approached the thing number three Jake
Gyllenhaal while only 21 when he broke
out with the science fiction Mindbender
Donnie Darko in which he co-starred and
played brother to his real-life sister
Maggie Gyllenhaal he was no newcomer
thanks to family ties he landed the role
of Billy Crystal’s son 10 years earlier
in city slickers my dad’s name Mitch
he’s he’s a submarine commander he often
appeared alongside his sister or worked
under the direction of his father Steven
Gyllenhaal despite an early interest in
acting
his parents were reluctant to let him
take on any roles that would remove him
from the family for long stretches at a
time and that is why we never got to see
him in the Mighty Ducks
[Music]
number two Scarlett Johansson look I’m
not letting you go in there alone what
help okay
this versatile actress is best known for
her parts and films like lost in
translation the prestige and the Marvel
Cinematic Universe but considering all
her years of acting experience maybe
it’s no surprise that she’s so easily
able to assume new roles as a child she
auditioned for commercials and then
moved on to film by the age of nine by
12
she’d been nominated for an Independent
Spirit Award for Best lead female for
her role as many in the drama D mani and
lo what’s wrong with you already getting
attention her standout role came in 1998
at age 14 when she landed one of the
leads in the horse whisperer it was all
uphill from there daddy
I don’t want to go before we unveil our
number-one pick here are some honorable
mentions well I play Derek Taylor and
I’m kind of like not not almost a bully
to Ricky but more of just I just get the
kick out of just doing evil things to
him not nice things
[Music]
you’re dreaming
[Music]
well it’s a lot I mean it’s everybody’s
money for all summer you know I just
thought I’d hold on till yeah right I
think I’ll just hold on to my own midget
no Tim I don’t think that’s such a good
idea
number one Bruce Lee Lee Jong fat better
known by his stage name Bruce Lee got a
start in theater at a young age thanks
to his father Lee hojun a famous opera
singer he introduced his son to the
acting world very early as a baby by the
time the young Lee was 18 he had already
landed roles in 20 films one of his
best-known early roles is that of the
titular kid in the kid a part that he
took on at the age of 10 based on a
comic book character the film also
starred his father he worked regularly
in the Hong Kong and later American film
industry becoming the martial arts
legend we know today do you agree with
our picks check out these other great
clips from WatchMojo and subscribe for
new videos every day
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