The 1950s were a big time for movies and television, and many of the most popular series and films
from the decade featured child actors performing in iconic roles.
With shows such as Leave It to Beaver and films such as Walt Disney’s Swiss Family
Robinson, there were numerous memorable child characters portrayed on the screen during
the decade.
When they got older, some of these child stars moved on to other things outside of the entertainment
industry.
However, a few stayed in the industry until their deaths or are still currently in it.
Join Facts Verse as we take a look at how child stars from the 1950s grew up - some
of whom ended up completely unrecognizable.
Richard Keith Richard Keith started playing drums in a professional
capacity when he was only three years old.
The young star was noticed for his insurmountable instrumental skills and hired by the Horace
Heidt Orchestra to play the drums for $500 a wee+--k.
Keep in mind that this was a time when $500 could get you quite a bit more than it can
now!
Richard’s immense musical talents made him the perfect child actor to portray the character
of Little Ricky on I Love Lucy.
Richard was hired in 1955 and played the character until the show's conclusion.
Richard also would show up in episodes of The Andy Griffith Show around the same time.
After Richard’s days as a child star came to an end, he turned to his musical talents
to pay the bills.
In 1969, he joined a band by the name of David and the Giants.
Nowadays, Richard works as the director of a ballet company that his wife started.
Richard became the company’s director in 1990, and the company has recently opened
up a new branch in Brazil!
Johnny Crawford In 1955, Johnny Crawford became one of the
first Mouseketeers on Walt Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club.
Around the same time, the child actor could also be seen portraying the character of Lucas
McCain on the Western television series The Rifleman.
Lucas was the son of the show’s titular character, giving Johnny a pretty big role.
Johnny’s work on The Rifleman saw him receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at
the Emmy Awards.
The actor was just 13 years old at the time.
Following his time in the aforementioned shows, Johnny followed the same path as Richard Keith
and decided to venture into music.
Sadly, Johnny’s time as a recording artist was brief, and he later returned to acting
as an adult.
In more recent years, Johnny returned to music to lead the Johnny Crawford Orchestra, which
was a vintage dance orchestra.
Johnny loved playing music up until his death.
The actor passed away just recently, on April 29, 2021.
Patty McCormack In 1956, Patty McCormack lit up the big screen
with her performance in the dramatic feature The Bad Seed.
Turning in a performance that featured wisdom beyond her years, the young star was subsequently
nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Patty would go on to continue acting after achieving this notoriety at an early age,
with some of her more recent roles being in television series.
Over the decades, Patty has appeared in series as varied as Dallas, Murder, She Wrote, and
The Sopranos.
Not long after her performance in The Bad Seed, Patty was given her very own star on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
When it occurred, Patty was only 14 years old.
This makes her the youngest person that has ever received a star.
Kevin Corcoran Kevin Corcoran was a child actor that was
best known for his performances in various Disney productions.
In addition to featuring in The Mickey Mouse Club, Kevin could also be seen in the features
The Rabbit Trap, Old Yeller, and The Shaggy Dog.
When Kevin came of age, he decided that he wanted to pursue an education.
However, this education merely led him back to Hollywood in a different capacity.
Kevin ended up graduating from California State University after studying theater arts.
Afterward, his Disney ties allowed him to get work with the company as both an assistant
director and a producer.
These new entertainment industry roles defined Kevin up until his death in 2015.
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Tony Dow Tony Dow achieved popularity as a child actor
thanks to his tenure as Wally Cleaver on the hit sitcom Leave It to Beaver.
Tony performed on that beloved show for over half of a decade before it eventually came
to an end in 1963.
After Leave It to Beaver came to an end, Tony took middling roles in other shows before
eventually serving in the National Guard.
After his time in service, Tony came back to the entertainment industry and continued
acting for a while as an adult.
In addition, he worked a construction job and studied both filmmaking and journalism.
Nowadays, Tony likes to spend his time sculpting.
The former child actor has become a fairly skilled sculptor, and he even has a few works
that are on display in various parts of the world!
Jon Provost Jon Provost began his career in the entertainment
industry at the age of just four years old.
Some of the many films that the young actor could be seen in included Escapade in Japan,
Back from Eternity, and The Country Girl.
However, he became best known for the television role that he began occupying in 1957, which
was that of Timmy Martin on the hit series Lassie.
Over the course of the show’s run, Timmy would gradually become the focal point of
the series.
In 1964, Jon left Lassie and continued acting in other capacities for a short period of
time before eventually deciding to pursue an education at Sonoma State University.
Since his graduation, the former child actor has made a living for himself in the field
of real estate.
Bobby Driscoll Bobby Driscoll appeared in many Disney features
during his youth, including in the notorious live-action/animation hybrid Song of the South.
Besides that rarely seen feature, Bobby also appeared in Treasure Island and So Dear to
My Heart.
Bobby continued working with the company for some time into his adulthood, lending his
voice to the role of Peter Pan in Disney’s 1953 animated film of the same name.
Around the same time that Bobby offered his voice to the animated character of Peter Pan,
he began appearing in various live-action anthology television series.
However, his career as an adult suffered due to a number of personal and legal troubles
that the former child star had become embroiled in.
In 1968, Bobby tragically passed away.
Kathryn Beaumont Kathryn Beaumont is another former child star
that worked with Disney during her youth, and she also coincidentally voiced one of
the characters in Peter Pan.
Kathryn's first role with the company was to voice the character of Alice in their animated
adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, and she subsequently voiced the character of Wendy
in Peter Pan.
In addition to lending her voice to the roles, Kathryn was also used as a model for the animators
on both films.
All of this work led to the actress receiving a Disney Legend award.
Soon after voicing the character of Wendy in Peter Pan, Kathryn left the entertainment
industry behind to pursue an education.
After graduating from the University of Southern California, she became a teacher at an elementary
school.
Kathryn taught for almost four decades and is now retired.
Tommy Kirk In addition to appearing in The Hardy Boys,
Tommy Kirk could also be seen in such Disney productions as Old Yeller and Swiss Family
Robinson during his days as a child star.
Tommy's career in the entertainment industry came to an end in the 1960s, and the former
child star subsequently opened up a carpet cleaning business.
Sadly, Tommy also passed away just recently, on September 28, 2021.
Jerry Mathers Jerry Mathers is the actor that played the
titular character on the sitcom Leave It to Beaver.
Of course, that titular character was none other than Theodore Cleaver, also known by
his nickname “Beaver”.
After coming of age, Jerry joined the United States Air Force Reserve.
As an adult, he received an education at the University of California, where he graduated
with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
Since this accomplishment, Jerry has stepped back into the entertainment industry.
He continues to pop up sporadically on television and in films, as well as on Broadway.
Jay North Jay North is another former child star best
known for playing a titular role, with his titular performance being on the series Dennis
the Menace.
After his time on that hit sitcom, Jay could be seen in a few MGM films, including Maya
and Zebra in the Kitchen.
However, the majority of the actor’s work as an adult has been in voiceover acting.
Some of the many cartoon series that Jay has offered his voice to over the years include
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, as well as The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
While the voice acting has helped pay the bills, Jay has also become a passionate mentor
to young children that are first starting out in the entertainment industry.
All of the aforementioned child stars from the 1950s went on to become drastically different
than they were as children.
Whether they stayed in the entertainment industry or not, all of these stars changed a great
deal after taking on their most iconic roles.
Comment down below to share if you think there’s anyone that we should’ve included on this
list but didn’t, or if you were surprised to learn about the adult years of any of these
former child stars.
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