“From Stardom to Obscurity: Uncover the 25 Child Actors Who Vanished from the Spotlight!”
Despite working consistently in the 90s, Furlong’s career momentum slowed significantly in the 2000s, with most of his projects going straight to DVD. His output was increasingly hampered by addiction problems and, in 2013, Furlong was ordered by a court to undergo domestic violence counselling, after a spate of arrests.
Ariana Richards
Though Jurassic Park is arguably closer to a horror movie than a traditional family film, it has always been popular with kids and adults alike. This is in part due to the awe-inspiring nature of the movie, but it helps for younger viewers to relate that the plot follows John Hammond’s grandkids for a significant portion of the runtime – including Ariana Richards as Lex Murphy.
Lex wasn’t Richards’ first role, as she also appeared in 1990 monster movie Tremors (plus 2001 direct-to-DVD sequel Tremors 3: Back to Perfection), but it remains her most iconic part today. As an adult, Richards pivoted from the cinematic arts to the fine arts, and she now works as a prolific portrait and landscape artist.
Omri Katz
After starting out as a child actor on TV’s Dallas, Omri Katz went up in the world with the short-lived but well-loved TV series Eerie, Indiana. 1993 movie Matinee followed, before Katz landed the role he’s really remembered for: Max Dennison in Hocus Pocus (a part originally earmarked for Leonardo DiCaprio, who turned it down to make What’s Eating Gilbert Grape).
Hocus Pocus flopped on release (maybe releasing an autumnal movie in July wasn’t the smartest move?) but in the years since it’s become a perennial family favourite at Halloween. However, it proved to be Katz’s last movie. After taking several more TV roles he quit acting in the early 2000s, and he now makes a living running a cannabis company in Los Angeles.
