SURVIVING STARDOM

Shirley Temple

• Made her first film at the age of 4 as a talented singer and tap dancer
• Became the first child to win an AAO Oscar
• Experienced a decline in her film career in her 20s and was divorced at 21
• Pursued a successful career as an international diplomat, representing the USA at the United Nations and serving as an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia

Elizabeth Taylor

• Starred as a child in sentimental films of the 1940s, including the Lassie series
• Became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood by the 1960s
• Had eight marriages, including twice to actor Richard Burton
• Struggled with alcoholism and weight problems in the 1970s, but became a campaigner and fund-raiser for AIDS charities in the 1980s

Jodie Foster

• Amazed critics and was nominated for an Oscar at 12 for her role in the 1976 film Taxi Driver
• Was stalked by a mad fan, John Hinckley, who shot President Reagan in 1981 in an attempt to re-enact the film
• Has had an accomplished career as an actress and director, winning two Oscars for The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs
• Is known as one of the most secretive and publicity-shy actresses in Hollywood

Drew Barrymore

• Comes from a large acting family, with her grandfather John being a classical British actor in the 1930s and her father an actor
• Starred in the blockbuster movie ET at 7, directed by her godfather Steven Spielberg
• Struggled with drugs, entering rehab and attempting suicide by 16, and separated from her parents
• Overcame her problems and has made successful films since the age of 21, including Scream and Charlie's Angels

Macaulay Culkin

• Became the most highly-paid child star ever in the 1990s with the Home Alone films, earning an estimated $30 million at 10
• Experienced a bitter custody battle between his parents in 1994 and obtained a legal separation from his father, gaining control over his finances
• Got married at 17 but divorced two years later
• Has had successful roles in the theatre, despite not making a film since 1994