Child stars of the 60s and 70s: how many do you remember?

Child stars of the past
Jerry Mathers
Jerry Mathers
Angela Cartwright
Angela Cartwright
 Butch Patrick
Butch Patrick
Debbie Turner
Debbie Turner
Erin Murphy
Erin Murphy
Jon Provost
Jon Provost
Duane Chase
Duane Chase
Kym Karath
Kym Karath
Marc Copage
Marc Copage
Mary Badham
Mary Badham
Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond
Susan Dey
Susan Dey
Johnny Whitaker
Johnny Whitaker
Melissa Sue Anderson
Melissa Sue Anderson
Melissa Gilbert
Melissa Gilbert
Ralph Carter
Ralph Carter
Linda Blair
Linda Blair
Child stars of the past

In every era, child stars have been in the cinematic universe. Kids play a fundamental role in cinema. Some of them maintain their fame, while others end up disappearing. We look back at some of those unforgettable boys and girls that we enjoyed on the big screen in the 1960s and 1970s.

Jerry Mathers

He is mainly recognized for his role as Theodore Cleaver in the television series 'Leave It to Beaver', originally broadcast between 1957 and 1963, although he appeared in many series during those years.

Jerry Mathers

Mathers has done quite a few things as an actor since then, besides taking a short hiatus to join the U.S. Air Force. Appearing again as Theodore Cleaver in 'Still the Beaver' (1983-1989) and films like 'Better Luck Tomorrow' (2002), 'Will to Power (2008) and, more recently, we could see him working in short films like 'The Hitchhiker' (2014) or 'Lucky Day' (2015).

Angela Cartwright

She was one of the kids who shot to fame in 1965, at the age of 13, with the role of Brigitta Von Trapp in the film 'The Sound of Music'. She was also part of the cast of the series 'Lost in Space' (1965-1968), where she played Penny Robinson.

Angela Cartwright

Sporadically, Angela Cartwright acted in films and single chapters of series until the 80s, something that was combined with her work as a photographer. She appeared in 'The Love Boat' (1982) and the TV movie 'High School U.S.A.' (1983). Throughout the 2000s she used her voice to do some voiceover work and in 2019 she appeared in the remake of the movie 'Lost in Space'.

Butch Patrick

Who doesn't remember little Eddie Munster in the comedy 'The Munsters' (1964-1966)? He became a household name at the age of 11.

Butch Patrick

In addition to other lesser-known appearances in the '60s, Patrick would stand out in the '70s with another series, 'Lidsville' (1971-1973) as one of his main characters. He had a screen break between 1974 and 1991 and then returned to acting. There he continues, past his 70s, with recent films such as 'Quakeasaurus' (2022) and 'Old Man Jackson' (2023), in addition to lending his voice to the 2022 adaptation of 'The Munsters', the series with which he rose to fame.

Debbie Turner

Like Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner would become known, in her case at only 9 years old, as Martha Von Trapp, in 'The Sound of Music' (1965).

Debbie Turner

In her case, the world of cinema would not be part of her life, at least from a professional point of view. She did work on another film, 'North Dallas Forty', a film starring Nick Nolte in 1979, but she never acted again and has lived a normal life with her family in Minnesota (USA).

Erin Murphy

She is, of course, mainly known for the role she played since she was 2 years old - in the series 'Bewitched' (1964-1972). Murphy played Tabitha Stephens, daughter of Darrin and Samantha, the stars. Tabitha, until 1967, was also played at the same time by Diane Murphy, her twin sister.

Erin Murphy

She appeared in an episode of 'Lassie', in 1973, and did not return to acting until 2010, returning to several roles, mostly in television, with series such as 'Marie' (2013), 'The Comeback Kids' (2014-2015), and 'TV Therapy' (2019). She has also worked as a casting director, makeup artist, fashion stylist, acting teacher, and motivational speaker, among other things.

Jon Provost

Some of those we have already seen on this list have appeared in the series 'Lassie', but Jon Provost was its great star - next to the dog, of course. He appeared in numerous movies in the 50s and when he was 7 years old - from 1957 to 1964 and for 250 episodes - he wonderfully embodied little Timmy.

Jon Provost

Provost went on to do a few things in the '70s and '80s but made a point of making a living away from film. He would go on to do occasional roles, most recently 'Susie's Hope' (2013), 'TV Therapy' (2021) and 'Colonials' (2023).

Duane Chase

Duane Dudley Chase was born December 12, 1950, and is best remembered as Kurt von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

Duane Chase

Throughout his life, he has only given two more performances, in 'Follow Me, Boys!' and in an episode of the series 'The Big Valley', both from 1966. After that, he went to the University of California and graduated in Geology in 1976, although he ended up working as a software engineer and with a normal life away from acting.

Kym Karath

Another of the famous family. Kym Karath played the role of Gretl Von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music' (1965), in her case, at the age of 7 years old after several previous attempts at acting.

Kym Karath

Karath continued to work as an actress until 1981 when she shot her last film, ('Midnight Offerings') and after several series such as, unbelievably, 'Lassie'. After that, she graduated in Humanities from the University of California.

Marc Copage

He became known thanks to the role of Corey Parker in 'Julia', the first series in the history of the United States with an African-American lead, he was in it for 86 episodes between 1968 and 1971.

Marc Copage

In the 70's and 80's he was active working in single episodes of series and in some movies until 1990 when he stopped. He returned in 2000 in the film 'The Kid' (2000), starring Bruce Willis - then stopped again, until 2018, when he returned with 'The Meg'.

Mary Badham

Badham is best known for her role as Jean Louise 'Scout' in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962), for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress when she was only 10 years old. She was the youngest ever to achieve that honor.

Mary Badham

In the 1960s she appeared in the films 'This Property Is Condemned' (1966) and 'Let's Kill Uncle' (1966). She then moved away from acting only to return on two more occasions, in 2009 with 'Our Very Own' and in 2019 with the TV movie 'Erasing His Dark Past'.

Nicholas Hammond

He rose to fame as another of the brothers in 'The Sound of Music' (1965), Friedrich von Trapp at the age of 15.

Nicholas Hammond

In the 70s, he was successful as Spiderman in the series 'The Amazing Spider-Man', between 1977 and 1979. Hammond also appeared in a couple of T.V. movies as the Marvel hero. He has continued to work until this day, appearing in 'Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood' (2019) and the series 'The Crew Ship' (2022).

Susan Dey

Known especially for her television appearances, she debuted with the sitcom 'The Partridge Family', between 1970 and 1974, which was just the beginning of a long career as an actress.

Susan Dey

During the rest of her life as an actress she has stood out as the star of the series 'L.A. Law' as Grace Van Owen between 1986 and 1992. The actress was nominated for three Golden Globes. One of her last roles before retiring was in the film 'Diseappearance' (2002).

Johnny Whitaker

During the 1960s he became known thanks to the role of Jody Davis in the series 'Family Affair' (1966-1971). He first appeared in the series at the age of 7,

Johnny Whitaker

In the following decade he would stand out for his portrayal of Tom Sawyer in the film 'Tom Sawyer', (1973). He is another actor who has also continued in the industry to this day. His most recent work? 'The Last Evangelist' (2022).

Melissa Sue Anderson

Her first major appearance in the world of acting was in 1974 with 'Little House on the Prairie', in the role of Mary Ingalls. Before that, she had smaller roles in series like 'Bewitched' and 'The Brady Bunch'.

Melissa Sue Anderson

Anderson was the only member of the entire cast of 'Little House on the Prairie' to be nominated for an Emmy for her performance. Since then she has not stopped working, both in film and television, with some of her most recent work being in 'Veronica Mars' (2014) .

Melissa Gilbert

Although she began her career in the late 60s, It was in the 70s with 'Little House on the Prairie' as Laura Ingalls that she became a household name.

Melissa Gilbert

Since her Prairie years she never left the world of acting, to the point that she was president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the television industry. Her last work as an actress was in 'When We Last Spoke' (2019).

Ralph Carter

Also notable in the 1970s was Ralph Carter, for the role of Michael Evans in the CBS series 'Good Times', in which he worked on a staggering 133 episodes from 1974 to 1979.

Ralph Carter

Before television, he played Travis Younger in the Broadway musical 'Raisin', which earned him a Tony nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. But he only got to play one more role in his life, in 1987 in the movie 'Donny's House'. The rest of his time? He has dedicated to the world of music.

Linda Blair

One of the young actors who had the greatest impact on the big screen in the 70s, among critics and among the general public. Linda Blair Regan, the girl in 'The Exorcist' in 1973, a role for which she was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe.

Linda Blair

Although she has not stopped working as an actress since the movie, Linda Blair never managed to establish herself as a renowned actress. At the end of the 70s, she had problems with the justice system for illegal substances. She has also been a model and an animal rights activist. Her last work as an actress was a film called 'Landfill'.

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