Christian Bale

Christian Bale has been a big name for roles like Batman. But the actor and several others had a successful record even as children. Who are they?

Jordan’s role as Wallace in The Wire took him to the big leagues, having been 15 years old at the time he played a troubled drug dealer. It was Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver that propelled her to stardom, with Foster still only 13 at the time. The sitcom Shake It Up was responsible for Zendaya’s popularity, which she starred in as a 13-year-old. Michael B. Jordan’s work as a child actor is unique since he never really appeared in movies and shows aimed at young audiences. Dunst has also been a successful TV star with roles in Fargo and On Becoming a God in Central Florida. While her filmography was massive even before turning 18, the actress still became better-known as an adult. However, Zendaya was a successful child star before her days in starring in films like Dune, having been a Disney sensation. Bale’s first onscreen credit was in 1986’s Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna at the age of 12, and the actor has come a long way since. Kenan Thompson’s claim to fame was the sketch comedy series All That, which was known for starring youngsters in a SNL-like show aimed at a teen audience. Of course, his most mainstream credit has been as the longest-running cast member of Saturday Night Live, which he’s been part of since 2003. Mio in the Land of Faraway was Bale’s big screen debut, which he’d filmed with Empire of the Sun before he turned 13. While technically an adult when he starred in Kenan & Kel as an 18-year-old, Thompson was still quite young when he tasted further success.