Editing Child actor (section)

{{Short description|Child acting on stage or in motion pictures or television}}
{{for|the music producer|Child Actor (producer)}}
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[[File:Paper Moon television 1974 (cropped).JPG|thumb|right|170px|[[Jodie Foster]] rose to prominence as a child star in the 1970s.]]
The term '''child actor''' or '''child actress''' is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in [[film|movies]]. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated terms include '''teenage actor''' or '''teen actor''', an actor who gained popularity as a [[Adolescence|teenager]].

Many child actors find themselves struggling to adapt as they become adults, mainly due to [[typecasting]]. [[Macaulay Culkin]] and [[Lindsay Lohan]] are two particularly famous child actors who eventually experienced much difficulty with the fame they acquired at an early age. Some child actors have successful acting careers as adults; for example [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]], [[Jodie Foster]], [[Drew Barrymore]], [[Jake Gyllenhaal]], [[Selena Gomez]]. Other child actors have gone on to successful careers in other fields, including director [[Ron Howard]], politicians [[Lech Kaczyński|Lech]] and [[Jarosław Kaczyński]], and singer [[Jenny Lewis]].