Dana Plato
Dana Plato is a classic child star cautionary tale. She was most famous for her role in the hit show “Diff’rent Strokes,” lasting through the eighties. However, Dana became addicted to prescription pills, and while she claimed to have been sober for over ten years, Dana passed away at the young age of thirty-four in 1999.
Incredibly, only a day before her death, she appeared on the Howard Stern radio program and directly discussed her addiction. Her death was ruled a suicide, though we’ll never know if it was accidental or intentional.
Johnny Whitaker
Johnny Whitaker began his career at the age of three in a TV commercial for a car dealership and then leaped straight to "General Hospital." He's best known as the orphan Jody Davis in "Family Affair," from 1966-71. He's also been in "The Littlest Angel," "Snowball Express," "The Biscuit Eater," "Napoleon and Samantha," and plenty more. He also had the lead role in the 1973 musical "Tom Sawyer."
Whitaker has received Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, and while he has had drug issues, he's on the road to recovery and remains with us today.
Maureen McCormick
Before she appeared as the eldest Brady, daughter, McCormick also appeared on "My Three Sons," "Bewitched," and "Camp Runamuck," as well as commercials for Barbie and Kool-Aid. While McCormick continued TV roles, she also appeared in the movies "Dogtown," "Great Easter Adventure," and "The Million Dollar Kid." She also won on the reality show "VH1's Celebrity Fit Club."
She's detailed her Brady Bunch experiences in her book "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice," which came out in 2008.
Lance Kerwin
With an acting coach for a father and a talent manager for a mother, Lance Kerwin almost had no choice but to go on screen. His talent, backed by the skills and professions of his parents, landed him the leading role in the late '70s drama "James at 15". His career went from strength to strength until he decided to give up acting in the '90s.
After tumbling down the infamous road of substance dependencies, Kerwin did his best to free himself from it and was even reported to be working in a program that helps people do the same. Sadly, he relapsed, which led to his unfortunate death in early 2023 at the age of 62.
Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford's name is more famous in the UK than it is in the US. We would expect nothing else from someone who had major roles in "Just William," "Doctor Who," and the famous British soap opera "EastEnders." Lnagford's career goes beyond the screen, as she is a well-known name on Broadway and on the West End.
She has appeared in productions like "Peter Pan," "Cats," and more, where she could show off her dancing skills too. After decades in the industry, this star is still showing audiences how it's done as a theater regular. This is one child star who managed to beat some worrying statistics.