My Favorite Child Performances

18.
Henry Thomas, ET: The Extra Terrestrial



I have to confess that I do not consider this film to be the masterpiece that most people do, but there is no argument regarding the performance Steven Spielberg pulls from his star... it's a winner.

17.
William Dix, The Nanny



This kid was so evil he made Bette Davis look like Mary Poppins.

16.
Patty McCormack, The Bad Seed



This character was so evil that the name of the movie would eventually become part of American slang for a bad child.

I haven't seen The Burbs, but I recently saw a very young Corey Feldman in a "blink and you'll miss it" role in Time After Time (1979).




Little Ronny Howard was so adorable in The Music Man. I'm surprised he wasn't higher on your list.

Jonathan Lipnicki did some TV shows after Jerry Maguire. He was on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show", and he was adorable in a few episodes of "Dawson's Creek". He was also in the Stuart Little movies, and The Little Vampire (2000).

Ricky Schroeder in The Champ would probably be #1 on my list. He brings me to tears every time I watch this movie.

I'm surprised that Doug McKeon didn't do much after On Golden Pond. I also remember him doing a great job in the TV movie The Comeback Kid (1980) as a troubled teenager.

River Phoenix had such potential. It's still hard to believe that he's gone. RIP

Henry Thomas in ET: The Extra Terrestrial is another performance that would rate very high on my list.

15.
Thora Birch, American Beauty



Birch was quietly effective as Lester Burnham's deeply troubled daughter.

14.
Jack Wild, Oliver!



Not on my list of favorite musicals and still can't believe it won the Oscar for Best Picture, but I LOVED this performance...Jack Wild stole every scene he was in as the Artful Dodger and received a richly deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the tender age of 12.

13.
Alicia Silverstone, The Crush



Yes, she was wonderful in Clueless, but long before that, at age 17, she galvanized the screen as a teenage Lolita trying to seduce her parents' new tenant (Cary Elwes).

12.
Linda Blair, The Exorcist



There is a school of thought that this performance is all special effects, makeup, and the voice of Mercedes Macambridge, but Blair's child-like innocence is the foundation of the performance and what makes it work.

11.
Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver



Foster was robbed of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a 13-year old prostitute named Iris, who becomes the pet project for demented Travis Bickle (Robert de Niro). Foster was only a couple of years older than her character.

10.
Justin Henry, Kramer VS Kramer



Young Henry was perfection as the pawn between a divorced couple (Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep) whose confusion over his mother leaving home leads to a real bonding with his father. Henry hits all the right notes in this performance, whether they were comic or drama moments...watch the ice cream scene and then watch the scene where Ted explains to Billy that he is going to live with his mother. This performance is so on-target that it earned Henry a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

I'm surprised that Doug McKeon didn't do much after On Golden Pond. I also remember him doing a great job in the TV movie The Comeback Kid (1980) as a troubled teenager.




If you're a Doug McKeon fan, you should also check out a 1985 film called Mischief.

Thanks. I'll check it out.


I agree that Jack Wild was fantastic in Oliver!. I liked him in the TV show "H.R. Pufnstuf" too. I met him shortly before he died. He was a very nice man. RIP


Justin Henry was so cute in Kramer VS Kramer. My favorite scenes are the ice cream scene and the supermarket scene. I'm glad to see him so high on your list.

And there he was, Justin Henry! Good choices all around overall, as well!

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Another great group of youngsters there Gideon. Jodie Foster was amazing in Taxi Driver and I also loved Justin Henry in Kramer vs Kramer. Jack Wilde was great, it's lovely you met him GBG. I adore Oliver! the film.

9.
Eric Gurry, Bad Boys



Though his career as an actor was relatively short, his memorable turn as a juvenile delinquent pyromaniac in the Sean Penn classic cannot be overlooked.

8.
John Cusack, ...say anything



Though he was 23 at the time he made the movie, Cusack nailed this character...a high school senior determined to make the class brain (Ione Skye) fall in love with him before she goes to college in London. Lloyd Dobler is one of cinema's most romantic leading men, everyone should have a Lloyd Dobler in their life.

7.
Anthony Michael Hall, The Breakfast Club



Hall, for my money, gives the strongest performance in the film as Brian, the nerdy brain who seems to think being in detention is kind of cool because he is getting to bond with kids who ignore him during regular school hours. Hall was 17 when the film was released.

6.
Harvey Stephens, The Omen



I got chills just looking for a picture to post here. I hope this one stays because I DO NOT want to have to go back and look for another one...moving on...quickly...

5.
Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone



Please try to contain your shock regarding the inclusion of this performance on this list.

4.
Mickey Rooney, Babes in Arms



Though I personally considered the actor overrated, his energetic performance here cannot be ignored and earned the actor his only Oscar nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor.