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10 Child Movie Stars Who Went Off The Rails

It can be tough becoming a famous actor when you’re a kid. Yes, there’s adulation and money but as these celebs prove, it doesn’t take a lot for it to blow up in your face.

Macaulay Culkin

The ‘Home Alone’ star is in the dictionary under ‘suffered from pushy showbiz parents’, thanks to the business dealings of dad Kit who turned young Mac into the biggest child star in the world.

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Of course, despite poor Culkin's obvious talent, it proved to be unsustainable and he essentially dropped out of Hollywood, surfacing occasionally to host club nights, be the subject of death hoaxes and get busted for drug possession.

Jake Lloyd

The man formerly known as Anakin Skywalker has spoken about how his role in ‘The Phantom Menace’ turned his life into a “living hell”, suffering from school bullies and unreasonable backlash over the 'Star Wars' prequel. It led him to abandon acting and attempt a civilian life. That would appear to have been difficult following his arrest after a high-speed chase in South Carolina.

Edward Furlong

Plucked from obscurity by James Cameron to play a young John Connor in ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’, Furlong, now 37, has battled serious drug addiction for years, as well as being arrested several times for domestic abuse.

He has previously failed to pay child support for his son Ethan, telling the court he was “broke”, as well as serving 61 days in prison for violating his parole. Having been fired from movies because of his legal problems, his acting career has essentially derailed. 'Terminator' proved he had talent, so let's hope he gets back on track.

Nick Stahl

Furlong’s successor as John Connor – Stahl played him in 2003’s ‘Terminator: Rise of the Machines’ – has also suffered from severe addiction. At one point in 2012, his girlfriend reported him missing twice, before he was found and entered rehab.

The unfortunate 35-year-old, who also appeared in ‘Sin City’, was also arrested for lewd conduct after an incident in a sex shop and was subject to an involuntary psychiatric hold in 2013.

Lindsay Lohan

The very definition of a celebrity car crash - all the more disappointing because of her clear on-screen skills - Lohan made her name as the freckly star of ‘The Parent Trap’ and ‘Freaky Friday’ before succumbing to the dark forces of Hollywood.

She has been to rehab multiple times, as well as being arrested for driving under the influence, cocaine possession and probation violation, for which she served 14 days in jail.

Thankfully, having finally completed her community service, she decided to live in London in a bid to stay clean, the first time in nearly eight years she hasn’t been burdened with legal issues. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Brad Renfro

The magnetic Tennessee native burst onto the scene with his role in 1994 John Grisham adaptation ‘The Client’ and continued to impress with movies like ‘Sleepers’.

But sadly, away from the screen he suffered from a substance abuse problem and was arrested and charged for trying to steal a yacht in Florida, for which he received two years probation.

Unfortunately, he continued to use heroin and methadone and was found dead aged 25 in 2008. The coroner ruled it an accidental overdose of heroin and morphine.

Sky McCole Bartusiak

The tragic actress – who played Mel Gibon’s daughter in ‘The Patriot’ – was only 21 when she died from an overdose of several drugs including Vicodin and a chemical refridgerant.

Her mother said she wasn’t a regular drugs user and it was ruled an accidental death.

Frankie Muniz

The ‘Malcolm In The Middle’ star, who appeared on the big-screen in the ‘Cody Banks’ franchise, was accused in 2011 of punching his girlfriend in her head and holding a gun to his.

Police were called, though the couple appeared to make up and put it down to an overheated exchange.

Now 26, the actor spends most of his time car racing and winning on Twitter. When a user made fun of the star’s acting ability, his brilliant reply was, “Yeah, but being retired with $40,000,000.00 at 19 has not been awful. Good luck moving out of your moms house before you’re 35.”

Jonathan Brandis

Brandis starred in ‘The Neverending Story 2’ and auditioned to play Anakin Skywalker, but died tragically after hanging himself at the age of 27.

Despite not leaving a suicide note, it’s thought he was a heavy drinker, as well as being upset about the lack of progression in his career.

River Phoenix

Possibly the greatest young actor of all time – Phoenix (‘Stand By Me’, ‘Running On Empty’) became a byword for celebrity addiction, after collapsing and dying from a drug overdose outside the Viper Room in Hollywood. He was just 23.

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Photos: Rex_Shutterstock/Department/Kazden/KeystoneUSA-Zuma/ Everett/Moviestore/Munawar Hosain/MB Pictures