10 Child Star Successes

Not everybody turns out to be a trainwreck in the Lindsay Lohan mould. We take a look at ten stars that escaped the "child actor curse" and went on to have huge careers.

Neil Patrick Harris shot to TV stardom as the titular teen doctor on Doogie Howser, MD in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He had roles in the Harold and Kumar films - but the role of womaniser Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother has turned him into a superstar - with internet memes and books. He was also named as one of TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in 2010.

Ryan Gosling started his career in 1993 as a mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club alongside the likes of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. He also appeared on Canadian TV shows like Goosebumps and Breaker High. He's since filmed hits like The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love and Blue Valentine. His next prominent role is in George Clooney's The Ides of March.

Ron Howard started his career as a child actor in the 1960s hit The Andy Griffith Show and as a teenage Richie Cunningham in Happy Days. But it is as a director that he has found his fame - he directed the Academy Award-winning Cocoon, Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind.

Before she was Bella, a 12-year-old Kristen Stewart starred in David Fincher's Panic Room as Jodie Foster's diabetic daughter Sarah. She shot to global superstardom as Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga, but has appeared in various other films - including Into the Wild, Adventureland and The Runaways.

Jodie Foster appeared in commercials as a toddler, but it was her Oscar-nominated role as a preteen prostitue in 1976's Taxi Driver that catapulted her onto t! he map. She has since won two Academy Awards - for The Accused and Silence of the Lambs. She recently directed the acclaimed film The Beaver, starring Mel Gibson.

A 13-year-old Natalie Portman had her first feature film debut in the 1994 French thriller Leon: The Professional, but her major success came with her role as Padme in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. She has since appeared in films such as V for Vendetta, Garden State and Closer and won an Academy Award earlier this year for her role as Nina in Black Swan.

Dakota Fanning's breakthrough performance came at the age of six in 2001's I Am Sam with Sean Penn. She starred in films such as Charlotte's Webb and War of the Worlds as a child actress. She also had a role in The Twilight Saga films and starred alongside Kristen Stewart in The Runaways.

An 11-year-old Christina Ricci won praise for her role as Wednesday in 1991's The Addams Family and cemented her "child star status" with a role in Casper in 1995. She transitioned to adult roles with films such as The Ice Storm, The Opposite Sex and Monster. She is currently starring in the television series Pan Am, which focuses on air hostesses in the 1960s.

Drew Barrymore appeared in her first TV commercial when she was 11 months old, but rocketed to fame in ET. After establishing herself as a child actress, she had a turbulent adolescence and spent some time in rehab. She has since established her own production company and starred in films like Charlie's Angels, Poison Ivy, The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates. She won a Golden Globe for her role in the TV movie Grey Gardens.

An 11-year-old Anna Paquin achieved global stardom with her Academy Award-winning role in The Piano. She moved to slightly more m! ainstrea m roles in films such as She's All That, Almost Famous and as Rogue in the X-Men franchise. She is currently starring in the hit television show True Blood.