Top 10 Hollywood superstars who started out as child artists

Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson, Brie Larson, Christian Bale are just some of the big names ruling over Hollywood today. But, did you know these super talented celebrities set out on their road to superstardom as child artists?

Let's take a look at some of the biggest names in the business, who started small and went on to earn name, fame and fortune.

Oscar-winning star Leonardo DiCaprio has the ultimate child-to-adult acting success story. The star whose name and fame knows no bounds, started out as a child artist. At just five-year-old Leo made his debut on a television series 'Romper Room' but was removed for reportedly being 'disruptive'. However, he later went on to star in the sitcom 'Parenthood' and also bagged his first film opposite Robert De Niro in 'This Boy's Life'. He delivered his first critically acclaimed performance in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape', scoring his first nominations for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. Since then, he went on to give some of the biggest hits including 'Titanic', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'The Great Gatsby', 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and finally earned Oscar glory for 'The Revenant'.

Photo: TV Still; Movie Stills

Emma Watson is, without a doubt, one of the most successful child actors, who continues to raise the bar. We all watched her grow up from a nerdy little wizard Hermione Granger in the 'Harry Potter' series and saw her get immortalised as Bell in the first live-action retelling of the animated classic 'Beauty and The Beast'. Even though Watson's role as Bell lost her a part in 'La La Land', with the way this young lady is going, you can bet she will have plenty of shots at Oscar glory, if not a humanitarian award for all her work with the United Nations.

Photo: Movie Stills

Christian Bale will always be regarded as one of the best 'Batman' of all time, but did you know that long before he put on his cape, his first real gig was appearing on a fabric softener commercial at just eight-years? Though he starred in some minor productions, Bale bagged his big break in Steven Spielberg's 1987 film, 'Empire of the Sun'. Over the years he has wowed the audience with his roles in 'American Psycho', 'The Machinist', 'The Dark Knight' series and even won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'The Fighter'. According to the latest buzz, he will be seen playing a villain in 'Thor: Love and Thunder'.

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Brie Larson is currently flying high with her role as Captain Marvel, the first female superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get her solo film and even get inducted into the billion-dollar club. Before striking gold at the box office and the Oscars with her 2015 film 'Room', the actress made her television debut when she was just around 8-years-old. After numerous stints on American television sitcoms, Brie went on to play one of the six girls in the Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo starrer, '13 Going on 30'.

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Everybody's favourite hottie, Ryan Gosling, started on his journey to stardom from the same place some of the biggest celebrities made their debut - the famous Mickey Mouse Club. Gosling was just twelve years old when he first hit the small screen and since then, there has been no looking back. It was, however, his role in the romantic flick 'The Notebook' that became his claim to fame which could only be topped by his dreamy performance in 'La La Land'.

Photo: Poster; Movie Still

Another Hollywood A-lister who started out as a kid is none other than Scarlett Johansson. The actress, who is one of the highest-earning actresses in Hollywood and the star of Marvel's upcoming 'Black Widow' movie, scored her first major film role as a 12-year-old in 'Manny & Lo'. From then on, she had so many hits it got hard to keep track of them all. Besides her work in the 'Avengers' franchise, she is also noted for her films like 'Lost in Translation', 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', 'Her', 'Lucy', 'Marriage Story' and many others.

Photo: Movie Stills

Today we know him as the foul-mouthed anti-hero 'Deadpool', but It is easy to forget that Ryan Reynolds also began his career when he was just a kid. At 15, he landed a prominent role in the television series, 'Hillside', which set the ball rolling. Besides starring in hit TV shows, Reynolds transitioned seamlessly into some prominent film roles like 'The Proposal', 'Blade: Trinity', 'The Amityville Horror', 'Detective Pikachu', among many others.

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Natalie Portman is considered as Hollywood royalty, after playing a long list of iconic characters, the latest being her role as Lady Thor. While her talent has taken her a long way and even set her up for Oscar glory, she was reportedly discovered by a modelling representative while dining at a pizza restaurant. A then 11-year-old Natalie went on to bag her first major role in the 1994 film, 'The Professional'. She later signed up for prominent roles in films ranging from 'Star Wars', to 'Black Swan', and even the superhit 'Thor' franchise.

Photo: Movie Still

Actress and director Kristen Stewart also started out as a child star before rising to the ranks of a Hollywood icon. Although she worked her way up the ladder all through her childhood, Kristen bagged her first big hit, co-starring opposite Jodie Foster in 'Panic Room'. She featured in an impressive line-up of films before becoming a teen icon with her role as Bella Swan in the hugely successful vampire series, 'Twilight'. Since then, she has gone on to feature in films like 'Snow White and the Huntsman', 'Charlie's Angels', among many others.

Photo: Movie Still; Movie Poster

Once known for playing the young medical prodigy 'Doogie Howser' on the sitcom by the same name, Neil Patrick Harris got his break as an adorable child actor. Since his childhood, Harris has seen his fair share of success on and off the big screen. Keeping in mind his great body of work on television shows and on the big screen, he remains one of the most successful child actors.

Photo: TV Still; Movie Still.