50 Greatest Teen Stars of All Time

As Bieber fever rages through theaters this weekend with the release of "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," "Extra" helps you remember your teen crushes and favorite stars -- on a trip through the time machine -- with the 50 Greatest Teen Stars of All Time! [*teen screaming*]

From "Growing Pains" heartthrob Kirk Cameron to Disney superstar Miley Cyrus, we'll look back at how they got famous, and what they're up to today!

50 Greatest Teen Stars

50- Matthew Broderick

Broderick rose to fame with his charismatic lead in the 1986 hit, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." He continued to demonstrate his versatility in "The Lion King," "The Cable Guy" and "The Stepford Wives," and in Broadway's hit, "The Producers."

49- Patrick Dempsey

Dempsey, also known as "McDreamy" on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" was also a 1980's teen star — famous for romantic comedy hits "Can't Buy Me Love" (1987) and "Happy Together" (1989).

48- Kirsten Dunst

Dunst's breakthrough role came in "Interview with the Vampire" (1994), in which she played a surrogate daughter vampire to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Dunst then starred in the cheerleading sensation, "Bring It On," and the box office hit, "Spider-Man."

47- Brandy

When she was 15, her debut album "Brandy" sold more than four million copies. In 1996, Brandy became the title character of the sitcom "Moesha." She appears on VH1's "Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business."

46- Tom Cruise

Cruise's breakthrough film came with 1983's "Risky Business." Within five years he had starred in some of the top-grossing films of the decade: "Top Gun," "Rain Man," and "Born on the Fourth of July." "Mission: Impossible IV" is slated for release on Memorial Day weekend 2011.

45- Christina Aguilera

A former Mouseketeer, she signed with RCA Records in 1998 and landed three #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Genie in a Bottle," "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)." She continues to tour and stars in 2010's "Burlesque" with Cher.

44-Ben Savage

Savage rose to fame as Cory Matthews in the Disney series "Boy Meets World" (1993-2000). In 2008, he appeared in episodes of "Without a Trace" and "Chuck."

43- Jonathon Taylor Thomas

Thomas played opposite Tim Allen as his son Randy Taylor in "Home Improvement" (1991-1998). He went on to star in "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Man of the House" and "Tom Huck."

42- Scott Baio

Best known for his work on sitcoms "Happy Days," "Joanie Loves Chachi" and "Charles in Charge," in 2005 he appeared in episodes of "Arrested Development" and in 2009 hosted an episode of "Confessions of a Teen Idol."

41- James Van Der Beek

Van Der Beek's career skyrocketed with his leading role as Dawson in "Dawson's Creek" (1998-2003). He later starred in "Varsity Blues," "Texas Rangers."

40- Maureen McCormick

An actress and recording artist, she's best known as Marcia Brady in "The Brady Bunch" (1969-1974). She has appeared in episodes of "Johnny Bravo" (1997) and "Outsider's Inn" (2008).

39- Rick Springfield

His music career sparked in 1981 with hit single, Jesse's Girl. He starred in TV's "General Hospital" from 1983-2008.

38- Brooke Shields

By age 16, Shields was one of the most recognizable faces in the world due to her dual career as a fashion model and controversial child actress. She recently starred in "Lipstick Jungle" (2008-2009) and played Miley Cyrus's mom in "Hannah Montana."

37- Jason Bateman

Jason became a teen sensation with roles in "Silver Spoons," "It's Your Move," and "Valerie." He stars in 2010's "The Switch" with Jennifer Aniston.

36- Paul Walker

Walker rose to fame with roles in "Highway to Heaven," "Who's the Boss" and "The Young and the Restless." Starting in 2001 he took on a leading role in "The Fast and the Furious" movie series as heartthrob daredevil, Brian O'Conner.

35- Mandy Moore

Moore's rise to fame came in the late 1990s with albums, "So Real," "I Wanna Be with You" and "Mandy Moore." She went on to star in "A Walk to Remember" (2002) and "License to Wed" (2007).

34- Matt Dilon

Dillon rose to fame in the 1980s playing troubled teen roles in "The Outsiders" and "Rebel." "Takers" will hits screens in 2010.

33- John Cusack

Cusack rose to fame in the mid-1980s with hit teen movies, "Sixteen Candles," "Better Off Dead" and "One Crazy Summer." He recently appeared in the 2010 comedy, "Hot Tub Time Machine."

32- Katie Holmes

Famous for her role as Joey Potter in "Dawson's Creek," her movie roles have ranged from thrillers like "Phone Booth" (2002) to box office hits like "Batman Begins" (2005). Oh, and she married Tom Cruise and gave birth to Suri.

31- Will Smith

Smith became TV's 'Fresh Prince' in the 1990's and his career has boomed ever since. He was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Oscars, and has won four MTV movie awards. His recent hits include "Seven Pounds," "Hancock" and "I am Legend."

30- Reese Witherspoon

Her breakout role came in the box office hit "Legally Blonde" as bombshell lawyer, Elle Woods. Her recent films include, "Four Christmases" and "Monsters vs. Aliens" as the voice of Susan Murphy.

29- River Phoenix

After his standout performance in "Stand by Me" (1986), Phoenix's picture was hanging in every teen girl's locker. He died of a drug overdose in 1993, age 23.

28- Shia LaBeouf

Shia LaBeouf blossomed from geek Louis Stevens in the Disney series "Even Stevens" into the star of "Transformers" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

27- Neve Campbell

Campbell's star ascended in the 1990's TV series,"Party of Five." She has since starred in "Scream," "Blind Horizon" and "Partition," and is set for "Scream 4."

26- Winona Ryder

Her rise to fame came in Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" in 1988. Ryder went on star in "Edward Scissorhands" with then-boyfriend Johnny Depp. In 2010 she'll star in "Cheaters."

25- Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio rose to fame with performances in "This Boy's Life" and the box office megahit, "Titanic." Today Leo continues to star in hit movies — most recently "Shutter Island" and "Inception."

24- Drew Barrymore

Barrymore began as a child with "ET." She continued to stardom in the mid-'90s with appearances in "Poison Ivy" (1992), "Bad Girls" (1994) and "Batman Forever" (1995). In 2009, she appeared in "He's Just Not That Into You."

23- Donny and Marie Osmond

The "Donnie & Marie" TV series aired from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1998-2000. Donnie graced the cover of teen magazines more times than anyone can count. You can now find Donnie and Marie performing together in Las Vegas.

22- Corey Feldman

He played the cute kid next door in "The Goonies" and starred in "Stand by Me" (1986) and "The Lost Boys" (1987). In 2009, he starred in the TV series "Splatter."

21- Jennifer Love Hewitt

Hewitt's career began in the Disney Channel series "Kids Incorporated" and grew with roles in "Party of Five" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer." She starred in CBS's hit, "Ghost Whisperer."

20- Joey Lawrence

Joey Lawrence was the "It" boy of the '90s. His role in"Blossom" launched a singing career, leading to two hit albums. With Joey's third-place finish on "Dancing with the Stars" he bounced back into the limelight and even hosted his own dance series, "Master of Dance."

19- New Kids on the Block

This American boy band rose to fame in the late 1980s, selling 80 million records worldwide. Various members have pursued a solo career, but they reunited in 2008 for a tour.

18- Alicia Silverstone

In 1995 Silverstone became known as valley girl Cher from "Clueless." She is currently in the Broadway play "Time Stands Still," and a vegetarian activist and author.

17- Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar rose to fame as the lead in TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for which she won 6 Teen Choice Awards. Gellar went on to star in "Cruel Intentions," "Scooby-Doo" and most recently, "Veronika Decided to Die."

16- Kirk Cameron

"Growing Pains" landed Cameron on the covers of teen magazines like Tiger Beat and Bop. Now a Christian evangelist, he starred in the 2008 religious drama, "Fireproof."

15- Alyssa Milano

Her childhood role in the sitcom, "Who's the Boss?" made her famous, and her eight-year stint as Phoebe on "Charmed" brought her a new round of fame. Milano's new series, "Romantically Challenged" premiered on ABC in 2010.

14- Joshua Jackson

Jackson rose to fame as Charlie (#96) in "The Mighty Ducks" features, and as Pacey on "Dawson's Creek" (1998-2003). He went on to star in TV's "Fringe."

13- Hilary Duff

Duff's rise to fame came with her role in Disney Channel's "Lizzie McGuire" (2001-2004). She went on to star in "A Cinderella Story" alongside "One Tree Hill" hunk Chad Michael Murray. In 2009, she appeared in 6 episodes of "Gossip Girl" as Dan Humphrey's love interest.

12- *NSYNC

*NYSYNC has sold more than 56 million records worldwide, going their separate ways in 2002. Justin Timberlake went on to superstardom, Lance Bass and Joey Fatone have appeared on "Dancing with the Stars," and Chris Kirkpatrick and J.C. Chasez have solo and acting careers.

11- Michael J. Fox

With a film and TV career spanning from the 1970s to the present, Fox's starring roles include the "Back to the Future" trilogy, "Family Ties" and "Spin City." In 2009 he appeared in a prime-time special, "Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist (A Personal Journey of Hope)."

10- 'Saved by the Bell' Cast

The entertaining high school comedy aired from 1989 to 1993, launching the careers of "Extra's" own Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater), Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack), Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski) and Dustin Diamond (Screech).

9- Miley Cyrus

The Disney superstar, best known as "Hannah Montana," has wrapped up her final season of the Disney hit and intends to change her image from child star to "mature actress" with her new album, "Can't Be Tamed."

8- The Olsen Twins

Their fame started at age one with their role as Michelle Tanner in "Full House." Mary-Kate and Ashley have starred in movies together ever since - "Passport to Paris," "Our Lips are Sealed" and "Holiday in the Sun." The Olsen Twins are have a fashion line, debuting in 2010 at New York Fashion Week.

7- Anthony Michael Hall

Hall reached teen stardom with 80's classics "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "The Breakfast Club" (1985) and "Weird Science" (1985). In 2008 he appeared in the "The Dark Knight." In 2010, Hall appeared in an episode of "CSI: Miami."

6- Lindsay Lohan

Lohan made her motion picture debut in Disney's remake of "The Parent Trap" (1998). She catapulted to fame between 2003 and 2005 with leading roles in "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls," kept in the public eye through her driving mishaps and court cases.

5- David Cassidy

The teen idol sold millions of albums and sparked a frenzy whenever he performed. His biggest hit was 1970's "I Think I Love You." At 21, he was the highest-paid solo performer. In 2009, he and brother Shaun teamed for TV's "Ruby & the Rockits."

4- 'Beverly Hills, 90210' Cast

The drama series aired from 1990-2000 and made overnight stars of cast members Jason Priestly, Luke Perry, Shannon Doherty, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling.

3- Rob Lowe

Rob's breakthrough came in 1983 with his role as Sodapop in "The Outsiders." He later starred in "St. Elmo's Fire" and went on to become one of the more popular boys of the "brat pack." In 2009, Lowe had a supporting role in "The Invention of Lying" and a leading role in "Too Late to Say Goodbye."

2- Britney Spears

Britney signed with Jive Records in 1997 and has sold over 85 million albums worldwide. She was the best selling artist of the 2000s and a prominent figure in mainstream popular music, aided by a much-publicized personal life.

1- Molly Ringwald

Ringwald won over audiences with starring roles in "Sixteen Candles" (1984), "Breakfast Club" (1985) and "Pretty in Pink" (1986). She is currently starring in the ABC Family series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."

comments

Where’s the jackson 5, soliel moon fryre and melissa joan hart

Anonymous
October 27, 2011

@Anonymous(August 28, 2010)
You’re right, Nicole Kidman was in Batman Forever. But you’re also thinking of the wrong character.
Drew Barrymore WAS in Batman Forever, in which played one of Two-Face’s two girlfriends.

They'renotwrong
August 31, 2010

I’m sorry but in batman forever was Nicole kid man and not drew barrymore

Anonymous
August 28, 2010

Rick Springfield was like 32 in 1981! That is hardly a teen star!

ck
August 21, 2010

Um, this is more like “the first 50 jews we could think of who were once kids”. A List that not doesn’t have Leif Garrett in the top 2 let alone the entire list is pure BS. Leif was multiple times, MULTIPLE times as popular and renowned as the bozos you selected. As some other posters mentions, stars of the 50’s and 60’s were orders of magnitude more famous and recognizable than these schmucks. than these guys. I mean gimme a break, the cast of saved by the bell? which gave the world two horrible porn flicks?? Get real.

Elliott
August 19, 2010

uji

Anonymous
August 13, 2010

Lindsay Lohan?! Seriously?!

Where’s Neil Patrick Harris?!

Jenn Z
August 5, 2010

What a ludicrous list, obviously compiled by some child who thinks that the world began in 1975.
Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Freddy Bartholamew, Jackie Coogan, Jane Withers and Deanna Durbin (to name a few) were far bigger stars during their teens than most of these non-entities on the list

Rafe macpherson
August 2, 2010

WHAT A YOKE PLEASE FIND SOME PEOPLE THAT NOW CRAP NOT THAT WRITE IT

LOL
July 31, 2010

Rick Springfield born 1949 by 1981 HE WAS 32 YEARS OLD on what planet is that a teen? ELVIS PRESLEY NOT EVEN ON THE LIST?
Elizabeth Taylor has been doing movies sense she was 10 years old WERE IS SHE? JODI FOSTER,what about DAKOTA EFING FANNING? hell i could stick names in a hat a come up with a much better list

meagain
July 28, 2010

my guess is your between 30 and 40 years old because most of the people on this dumb dumb dumb list are from the 70’s and 80’s, WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP.
in reality you have maybe 5 people on this list that should be, the rest are a joke lol all time teen stars give me a break PATHETIC.



me
July 28, 2010

This is the worst list i have ever seen.
what is this your personal list of people that YOU admire? Did you do one second of research? A learning disabled 5 year old could have made a much better list.
this is truly pathetic please delete this worthless article DO SOME RESEARCH AND TRY AGAIN if i were your employer you would be looking for a new job.
if this is the best you can do you should change your career.

me
July 28, 2010

Wow, no Gary Coleman or Corey Haim? N’Sync rated higher than New Kids on the Block? Without NKOTB, there would be no N’Sync. No Fred Savage, but you include Ben Savage? And I greatly question the order that you have a lot of these people listed in.

poop
July 27, 2010

Ummm… Clearly there is a difference between a teen star and a teen “heartthrob”. Perhaps they should re-title is as such. There are several “teen stars” on this list that were clearly in their 20’s when they played these characters so technically they are NOT a TEEN star! Bottomline: Playing a teen does not account for being a teen star. Where do they get these people to research this stuff?

Wen
July 27, 2010

“Of all time”? This list considers the beginning of time to be when? The late 70s? Mickey Rooney ruled the box office in his teens. Did you forget Pamela Franklin? Patty Duke? Sally Field? Your concept “of all time” is as ridiculous as Sarah Palin’s assertion that dinosaurs walked the earth 4000 years ago. You have no sense of history.

Doc
July 27, 2010

hello….Annette!!!….Mickey Mouse Club and beach movies!

dave
July 26, 2010

HEATH LEDGER? CLARE DANES? MACAULAY CAULKIN? ABIGAIL BRESLIN? DAKOTA FANNING?

Hmmxx
July 26, 2010

how about….. MICHAEL friggin JACKSON!

youre a duck
July 24, 2010

Where is Beyonce?

Ola_Poland
July 24, 2010

ha ha this list is so wrong! Will Smith at 31? He should be no 1 or 2, he’s the biggest, best earning teen star, maybe possibly exception Cruise, but he’s kinda nuts, so i don’t mind him being low on the list. But Ringwald???? Are U ***** kidding me????!!
I guess somebody had a cruuuuhuuuuush ….

Linda Svenson
July 23, 2010
post comment


(not displayed)


Back to Top »