Ever wonder where those child stars from our favorite ABC and TGIF shows went and look like now-a-days? Well look no further, that day has come!
Angela Watson (Karen Foster on Step By Step)Actress Angela Watson was a show biz veteran at the end of the seven-year run of "Step by Step." Watson, a former beauty pageant contestant who began working in television at age 9, started the non-profit organization CAST (Child Actors Supporting Themselves) to help out other child actors whose parents had squandered their earnings, as Watson's own parents did. Although she's been involved in stage work and other television and film work since the show's end, Watson hasn't found the same fame since.
Jaleel White (Steve Urkel on Family Matters)Last we left Urkel, his suave alter-ego Stefan Urquel was set to marry Laura on "Family Matters." Actor Jaleel White tried to move past Urkel's iconic laugh and suspenders when he starred as college graduate J in "Grown-Ups," but the show didn't survive its first season. White had better luck voicing the cartoon hedgehog Sonic in the "Sonic Underground" series. More recently, White had a bit role as a talent booker in 2006's "Dreamgirls" and guest-starred on "Boston Legal" in 2007 as a law school graduate interviewing at Crane, Pool and Schmidt.
Kellie Wilson (Laura Winslow on Family Matters)Actress Kellie Williams moonlighted on "Moesha" during the last season of "Family Matters" and, following the latter show's story-book ending, Williams scored a bit part on the short-lived "What About Joan." Williams continued to pick up small sitcom roles, including stints on "Girlfriends," "The Parkers" and a recurring role on "Eve." However, after a role in 2005's "In the Mix," the Washington D.C. native bid adieu to Tinseltown, returned to her hometown in 2006 and started a fine arts program at Howard University's Children's Theater. She returns to the screen in "Steppin' Up," which also stars her "Family Matters" costars Reginald VelJohnson and Darius McCrary.
Sasha Mitchell (Cody Lambert on Step By Step)Behind actor Sasha Mitchell's ditzy portrayal of Cody Lambert was a black belt in tae kwon do, which had earned him earlier fame in the "Kickboxer" movie series. Despite his martial arts skills, Mitchell had to publicly defend himself against his wife's accusations of spousal abuse. Mitchell told Entertainment Tonight in 2002 that his wife suffered from drug addiction and made the claims to sell to tabloids. The actor, who retains custody of their four children (his wife has limited visitation rights), recently reappeared on network TV as a bartender on "E.R."
Christine Lakin (Al Lambert on Step By Step)Actress Christine Lakin may have been the show's biggest brat, but she has found consistent work since the show ended. Lakin had bit parts on "7th Heaven" and "3rd Rock From the Sun" and played the antithesis of Al's tomboy character as a popular girl in the 2000 teen flick "Whatever it Takes" (which also starred fellow TGIF alum Marla Sokoloff ("Full House"). While Lakin hasn't struck stardom gold yet, she has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood's most notorious starlets -- she had a role in the Lindsay Lohan flick, "Georgia Rule," and recently costarred with Paris Hilton in her flop, "The Hottie and the Nottie."
Darius McCrary (Eddie Winslow on Family Matters)Actor Darius McCrary has had the most fruitful post-show career compared to his "Family Matters" costars. In addition to small roles in "Kingdom Come" (2001) and "Hostage" (2002), McCreary starred as Bowie James in the NBC sitcom "Committed," which ran for 12 episodes in 2005. More recently, McCrary guest-starred on "Eve" and voiced Jazz in Michael Bay's "Transformers." In addition to "Steppin' Up" with Kellie Williams, McCrary has a couple flicks on the horizon. Additionally, McCrary is famously involved with Karrine Steffans, who has chronicled her sexual affairs as a hip-hop video vixen in two memoirs.
Ben Savage (Cory Matthews on Boy Meets World)The younger Savage brother left his family-friendly "world" behind after the last episode aired in 2000. Savage, 19 at the time, decided that he wasn't going to become dependent on his acting career and attended Stanford University. Savage joined a fraternity and interned for Sen. Arlen Spector before graduating with a degree in political science in 2000. His reappearance onscreen in 2002's "Swimming Upstream" was probably missed by even devout "BMW" fans. The curly-haired actor may be making a comeback though: He walked the red carpet recently at the Tribeca Film Festival and is currently filming "Doesn't Texas Ever End" alongside Haylie Duff, according to imdb.com.
Rider Strong (Shawn Hunter on Boy Meets World)Actor Rider Strong also opted for the collegiate world rather than Hollywood when the show ended. Strong graduated from Columbia University in 2004 with a degree in English and his poetry was published in several literary journals, but Strong kept his ties to Tinseltown. Strong, whose romance with actress Rachel Leigh Cook generated tabloid buzz, returned to the screen in the 2003 horror flick "Cabin Fever" and then scored a role on the WB show, "Pepper Dennis," which failed to make it through the first season. More recently, Strong guest starred on an episode of "Bones" and premiered "Irish Twins," which Strong and his brother wrote and produced, at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
Raven Symone (Nicole Lee from Hanging with Mr. Cooper)The "Cosby Show" alum had her moment to shine on TGIF's lineup and hasn't left the spotlight since. Actress Raven-Symone played Eddie Murphy's daughter in "Doctor Dolittle" and its sequel and scored voice parts in "The Proud Family" and "Kim Possible." After a stint on "The Cheetah Girls," the child star won over tween fans everywhere with her own Disney Channel show, "That's So Raven." Meanwhile, the actress-singer just released her fourth album,
Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Clarissa from Clarissa Explains It All)Child star Melissa Joan Hart shed her good-girl image by posing on the
cover of Maxim in 1999, but "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" didn't go off the air until 2003. Although Hart had relative success in the 1998 teen flick "Drive Me Crazy" opposite Adrian Grenier, her post-sitcom film work's highlight was 2007's "Holiday in Handcuffs" with "Saved by the Bell" alum Mario Lopez. Hart seems to be focusing on her family life; She welcomed her second child with musician husband Mark Wilkerson in March.
Rachel Blanchard (Cher Horowitz on Clueless the series)Actress Alicia Silverstone may have created the iconic role of Cher in the '90s teen hit "Clueless," but Rachel Blanchard played the role for three years on Friday nights. Following the show's end, Blanchard won a a bit yet important part in the satirical teen flick "Road Trip" (2000). The blond beauty then got a two-season stint on "7th Heaven" playing Roxanne Richardson. Blanchard continues to score minor roles in films ("Where the Truth Lies") and TV ("The Flight of the Conchords"), but may make a critical impact in "Adoration." Co-starring Scott Speedman ("Felicity"), the film is up for the Palm d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Danielle Fishel (Topenga Lawrence on Boy Meets World)Actress Danielle Fishel went from wrapping up her romance with Cory Matthews as the eccentric Topanga to beginning a high-profile relationship with Nsync member Lance Bass. While that relationship clearly didn't work out -- he came out on the cover of People magazine in 2006 -- Fishel's post-show fame didn't stop there. Fishel starred in a National Lampoon college flick with fellow child star Tatyana Ali in 2003 and embraced her inner video game vixen for indie flick "Game Box 1.0." However, "BMW" fans are more likely to have seen Fishel as a correspondent for "The Tyra Banks Show," or on the gossip blogs after a December 2007 arrest for an alleged DUI.
Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow on Family Matters)Actress Jaimee Foxworth left the world of family programming in the dust following her sudden disappearance from "Family Matters." After she was inexplicably written out of the show, Foxworth found herself broke, depressed and battling drug and alcohol addictions, which drove her to dabble in the adult film industry. Not quite fitting her goody-two-shoes, "Judy Winslow" image, Foxworth starred in a handful of pornographic films under the pseudonym Crave and would later talk about the experience on the talk show circuit in 2006. Later, Foxworth continued to battle an addiction to marijuana and starred on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab," which filmed in late 2007.
Will Friedle (Eric Matthews on Boy Meets World)Actor Will Friedle had reached young heartthrob status by the time "BMW" went off-air, partially propagated by a relationship with actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. Although he snagged some stints on other shows, including "3rd Rock From the Sun" and the short-lived "Go Fish," Friedle has found the most success voicing characters for "Batman Beyond" and "Kim Possible." Friedle, who attended Occidental College, continues to get both live action and voice work, but he told People magazine in 2006 that he was considering culinary school.
Jodie Sweetin (Stephanie Tanner on Full House)TV land's favorite middle child, Stephanie Tanner has grown up since we last saw the bubbly blond. Since her time with the Tanners, Jodie Sweetin has ditched daytime drama for the altar twice. The actress, who divorced semipro tennis player Shaun Holguin in 2006 after four years, has given marriage another go with her recent July 14 nuptials to Cody Herpin. Although she says she's currently sober, Sweetin has also admitted to a crystal meth addiction for which she voluntarily entered rehab in 2005. She's currently the host of Fuse TV's "Pants Off Dance Off."
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (Michelle Tanner on Full House)America watched as Michelle Tanner teetered from a toddler to a rambunctious 8-year-old, and as she did so, so did dynamic duo Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. The twins turned their "Full House" fling into a full-fledged franchise, and turned their company, Dualstar, into a multibillion-dollar operation. Finally legal, the infamous twins have come a long way from diapers, and are now known for their iconic fashion statements and Hollywood appearances. But growing up in the public eye is never easy, and Mary Kate has battled rumors of drug abuse and anorexia. She also recently began a recurring appearance in her first solo (minus Ashley) role in the Showtime indie hit "Weeds."
Candace Cameron (JD Tanner on Full House)Adolescent audiences across the country sympathized with the teenage trials of D.J. Tanner. The oldest of the Tanner brood, Donna Jo kept us captivated with her high school happenings. Candace Cameron, stemming from a theatrical family herself as sister to fellow child star Kirk Cameron, is not the teen we once knew. The actress has been enjoying marital life since 1996 when she said "I do" to NHL hockey player Valeri Bure. The couple currently live in Florida with their three children and Cameron embraces her evangelical faith, similar to her devout brother, and endorses online Christian home-schooling academies.
