The world fell in love with the eight-year-old Kevin McCallister as he defended himself and his home from burglars in the Christmas comedy classic Home Alone
Where are the child stars of our best-loved Christmas movies NOW? Drug rumours, writing plays and a leather-clad rocker - what these festive film favourites did next
Nothing says it's Christmas like curling up in front of a classic tearjerker such as It's A Wonderful Life, or reliving your childhood with Home Alone, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Home Alone launched the career of child actor Macaulay Culkin, who became a millionaire by the time he was 12 years old, while Love Actually's Thomas Brodie Sangster has found enduring fame with roles in The Maze Runner films and Game Of Thrones.
Six-year-old Karolyn Grimes (centre with Jimmy Stewart) starred as Zuzu Bailey in the 1946 Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life
At the age of six, Karolyn played Zuzu Bailey in one of the best loved Christmas films of all time.
Karolyn started acting at the age of four and her career spanned 16 films, including appearances alongside John Wayne, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby and Betty Grable.
She had already acted in four films when she landed the role of Zuzu, the daughter of the film's protagonist George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart.
George is a man who has given up on his dreams to help others but is depressed and plans to commit suicide on Christmas Eve.
Karolyn Grimes, now 75, makes a living from touring screenings of It's A Wonderful Life where she signs autographs and reveals secrets from the set. Interest in the film only picked up in the 1980s as it wasn't initially a success
Karolyn can be seen climbing on to Jimmy Stewart's back. He played George Bailey, a man whose guardian angel stops him committing suicide by showing him how many lives he's touched
His guardian angel Clarence intervenes and shows him how he's touched the lives of people in his hometown Bedford Falls, and how different everyone's lives would be if he'd never been born.
Although Karolyn only had a small part, she got to speak the film's most memorable line: 'Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.'
Karolyn's film career came to an abrupt end when her mother died from early-onset Alzheimer's disease and her father died in a car accident when she was in her early teens.
She was sent to live with her aunt in a tiny town called Osceola, Missouri.
She went on to become a medical technician and had two daughters with her first husband who was killed in a hunting accident two years after they divorced.
Karolyn (front centre) only played a small part but got to speak the film's most famous line: 'Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.'
Her second husband already had three children and they went on to have two together, making her a mother of seven.
In 1989 Karolyn's youngest child committed suicide at the age of 18, which she'd described as the 'most devastating' period of her life.
Fiver years later her husband of 25 years then died from lung cancer.
But during this dark period, it was the film that saved Karolyn by giving her a new focus.
It's A Wonderful Life was not a success when it was released in 1943, but in the Seventies it started to see a surge in popularity as it was out of copyright and TV stations started to screen it.
In 1980, Karolyn got a knock on her door asking for an interview, and soon after started receiving fan mail.
The actress was 40 years old before she saw the film in full and realised how wonderful it was. One of her ventures includes Zuzu Baile's It's A Wonderful Life Cookbook
She admits that at this point she had never even seen the whole film.
'When I watched the movie – oh my goodness – I realised what a wonderful film it really was and how it touched so many people’s lives,' she previously told Parade.com.
She's since made a career on the back of her notoriety, touring big-screen showings of the film where she signs autographs and shares stories from the set.
In March 2001 she released Zuzu Bailey's It's A Wonderful Life Cookbook of recipes inspired by Bedford Falls, including Harry Bailey Hero Sandwich and Mrs. Martini's Creamy Linguine.
As well as her public appearances, Karolyn tours the antique circuit selling movie memorabilia.
CARRIE KEI HEIM: SANTA CLAUS THE MOVIE - 1985
Tokyo-born Carrie, then 12, starred in the 1985 film Santa Claus: The Movie which sees sees Santa trying to foil the plot of an evil toy manufacturer called B.Z. who is trying to take over Christmas.
Carrie played his niece Cornelia who teams up with an elf called Patch to help save Christmas for the world's children.
Despite a big budget and the star power of Dudley Moore in the role of Patch, the film was a box office flop.
Carrie Kei Heim was 12 years old when she starred in Santa Claus: The Movie in 1985. Despite a big budget it was a box office flop, however it's gained cult status as a Christmas classic over the years
Carrie, 42, went on to star in a made-for-TV sequel to Disney's 1961 classic The Parent Trap, which was her last film role. After a career in law she is now an aspiring novelist and is married with one child
However, over the years it's become a cult Christmas classic.
After playing Cornelia, Carrie's next film role was in a made-for-TV sequel to Disney's 1961 classic The Parent Trap.
She attended Hunter College High School in New York, a secondary school for gifted students.
She went on to attend a private liberal arts school in New York, Vassar College, where she gained a BA in French.
A scene from the film shows Carrie hitching a ride in Santa's sleigh alongside Dudley Moore, (front left) who played an elf called Patch
Two years later she graduated from another New York university with a BA in English and Theatre.
In 2001, she got a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a law clerk and then litigator until 2008.
After losing her job she has been pursuing a carer as a novelist and runs a blog about her writing.
The mother-of-one, 42, married husband Peter K. Binas in 2005.
MACAULAY CULKIN: HOME ALONE - 1990
It's been 25 years since the world fell in love with the eight-year-old Kevin McCallister as he defended himself and his home from burglars in the Christmas comedy classic Home Alone.
The 1990 film not only took in almost $500 million at the box office and spawned four sequels, but also launched the career of child actor Macaulay Culkin, who became a millionaire by the time he was 12 years old.
The talented child actor went on to conquer a variety of roles, from the benevolent billionaire in Richie Rich to the psychopathic, murdering terror child in The Good Son.
Home Alone spwaned four sequels and launched the carer of ten-year-old Macaulay Culkin who became a millionaire by the time he was 12 years old
He is still recognised as the biggest child star of his generation.
The late 1990s were relatively inactive for Macaulay and, even after returning to acting in 2000, the majority of his onscreen roles since have been cameos.
His biggest acting role of the past decade has been his voice work for animated comedy program Robot Chicken.
In 2013 he also started a pizza-themed Velvet Underground cover band called Pizza Underground, which has played a series of shows across the US and the UK.
Macaulay Culkin revisits Home Alone's Kevin 25 years later
The former child star is now in a Velvet Underground cover band called Pizza Underground, pictured here performing in 2014
Macaulay has certainly earned more attention for his off-screen antics than for his on-screen roles.
The actor, who is now 35, reportedly struggled with a dependence on drugs.
In 2012, the National Enquirer alleged that he was battling a heroin addiction, which his publicist categorically denied.
He was then reported as having developed an intense nicotine habit that saw him smoking up to 60 cigarettes a day, leading to new health fears for the troubled star.
The former star recently appeared in a hilarious web series parodying his role in the hit 1990 film.
Now 35, he has reportedly struggled with drug addiction and in 2012 he was said to be close to death as he battled with heroin use
And while he never says his name, it is obvious that Culkin is playing a grown-up Kevin, albeit one entirely unsanctioned by the studio.
Episode One, entitled Just Me In The House By Myself, shows Culkin's character working as a driver for on-demand car service DRYVRS, apparently a fictional version of Uber.
After picking up a client he rejects a call from his mother, leading into a rant about his parents.
'How about this, it’s Christmas time. It’s f****** Christmas and your whole family goes on vacation and they forget their eight-year-old f****** son,' he hisses.
The classic Christmassy film that is Home Alone
Macaulay recently appeared in a parody video of his famous role, referring to being left in the house for a week fending off 'two psychopath home invaders.'
'All by yourself, for a week. I had to fend off my house from two psychopath home invaders. I was just a kid, I still have nightmares about this bald weirdo dude chasing me around.'
Fans of the movie will remember Buzz, Culkin's bully of an older brother.
He certainly does: 'They remembered my brother, but forget me, the cutest f****** eight-year-old in the universe.'
In the movie Culkin's onscreen mother moved heaven and earth to get back to her beloved son after realising her mistake.
MARA WILSON: MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET - 1994
She was one of the most successful female child actresses of the Nineties.
After her star turn in Mrs Doubtfire at the tender age of four, Mara Wilson landed lead roles in Matilda and the remake of Miracle On 34th Street.
Aged seven she played Susan Walker, a little girl who doesn't believe in Santa Claus, originally portrayed by Natalie Wood in 1947.
Mara Wilson was one of the most successful child actresses of the 1990s with roles in Mrs Doubtfire, Matilda and the remake of Miracle On 34th Street (above)
Mara said she felt uncomfortable with the idea of fame and wanted to pursue a career as a scriptwriter instead of being an actress for the rest of her life
Even then she said she didn't know if she wanted to act for the rest of her life and expressed a dream of becoming a script writer.
She went on to have bit roles in a handful on TV shows and low-budget films, before turning her back on film acting completely.
Mara studied art at New York University and has fulfilled her dream of working as a playwright.
The adorable star acted alongside Sir Richard Attenborough in the 1994 remake of Miracle On 34th Street. Her role was played by Natalie Wood in the original film
In an interview in 2009, Mara spoke about teenage girls knocking on her door at 12am to introduce themselves and invite her to parties.
And she admitted she didn't like to talk about her past as an actress, calling it 'an embarrassing childhood memory'.
She said: 'I remember cringeing a bit and thinking “Oh no, they’re going to lump me with the Olsen twins”.
'I’m not an Olsen twin... I have nothing against the Olsen twins. I’m just not like them.'
TAYLOR MOMSEN: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS - 2000
Actress and singer Taylor Momsen began her career with her breakout role in How The Grinch Stole Christmas - the film adaptation of the Dr Seuss tale at the age of seven.
Roles in Hansel and Gretel and Spy Kids 2 followed, but then her career went quiet for a while.
She was in the top three for the part of Hannah Montana, which eventually went to Miley Cyrus but her profile skyrocketed again when she landed the part of teenage socialite Jenny Humphrey in the show, Gossip Girl.
Seven-year-old Taylor Momsen starred in the film adaptation of the Dr Seuss tale How The Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as singing on the movie's soundtrack
After a role in Gossip Girl, Taylor has turned her back on acting to focus on music and now fronts the rock band The Pretty Reckless
Taylor Momsen rocks out on stage to My Medicine in Texas
However, her heart has always been in music and she even recorded a song called Why Can't I Find You? for the Grinch soundtrack.
At eight, she wrote a song called Blackout, which The Hills star Heidi Montag went on record for her debut album, Superficial.
In 2009 her band The Pretty Reckless landed a deal with Interscope Records. They have released two successful albums and Taylor, 22, now spends her time touring with the band.
Her image is as far away from the cheery youngster as possible and her trademark style includes peroxide hair, thick black eyeliner, ripped fishnet tights and leather.
She has described shows in which she invited fans onstage but had to stop because it got 'a little violent', telling Rolling Stone how her hair was ripped out and she was 'sexually assaulted in an uncool way' as one fan was 'a little too aggressive for my liking'.
And after saying she prefers singing to acting, it's unlikely we'll see her return to our screens in any film role - let alone a heart-warming festive one, any time soon.
THOMAS BRODIE SANGSTER: LOVE ACTUALLY - 2003
He was propelled into the spotlight after playing Sam in Love Actually aged just 12, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster has come a long way since his child-acting days.
Thomas played Liam Neeson's stepson and had an iconic scene where he pursued his love interest Joanna through the airport before she boarded a plane.
He then landed a lead role in Nanny McPhee alongside Emma Thompson, and has acted with Sir Ben Kingsley as child ruler Romulus Augustus, the last Roman Emperor.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster shot to fame with his role as a lovestruck young boy in the 2003 hit Love Actually
Thomas, 25, has gone to build a successful film and TV career with roles in The Maze Runner series of teen movies, Game of Thrones and Wolf Hall
Thomas Brodie-Sangster in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Unlike many other child actors, Thomas's star has continued to rise with roles as Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones and Newt in The Maze Runner series of teen movies.
Now 25, he looks a lot younger than his years.
But his youthful appearance also works in his favour as it puts him in the frame for a wider range of roles.
He starred as Thomas Cromwell's 15-year-old protege in the BBC's adaptation of Wolf Hall.
Credit: Daily Mail UK
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