Long Island has produced its fair share of child actors. Whether they’re from Nassau or Suffolk County, these kids have made it big.

 

Nancy McKeon

 

Photo: Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 Collection: White House Photographic Collection, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Born in Westbury, McKeon was a Sears model as a baby who went on to star as rebel and tomboy Jo Polniaczek in 1980 on The Facts of Life. Her character was introduced in the show’s second season and became a foil and eventual frenemy for Lisa Whelchel’s stuck-up preppy Blair Warner.

 

Philip McKeon

 

Photo: CBS Television Network, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Brother to Nancy McKeon, Philip is remembered for his time playing Tommy son of the title character on the sitcom Alice from 1976 to 1985. Sadly, McKeon died in Texas in 2019 at 55-years-old.

 

Natalie Portman

 

 

Born in Israel, Natalie Portman moved to Jericho with her family as a child and graduated from Syosset High School in 1999. She launched her career in the movie Léon: The Professional as the young protegee of a hitman. She is well-known for playing Queen Amidala, the mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker in Star Wars. Portman has since been cast in challenging and intense roles such as Nina in Black Swan, a psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky about competing ballet dancers in a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. One of her biggest upcoming turns will be in the blockbuster Marvel franchise where she will reprise her role as Jane Foster taking the hammer and becoming Thor, Goddess of Thunder.

 

Lindsay Lohan

 

 

Photo:Shutterstock.

The troubled wild child Lindsay Lohan began her film career in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. The Merrick native went on to star in a string of other successful movies like Disney’s Freaky Friday  and her iconic role as Cady Heron, a 16-year-old girl who transfers to a public high school after being homeschooled her whole life in Mean Girls. The Long Islander starred opposite Rachel McAdams’ mean girls character Regina George in the Tina Fey-scripted teen comedy.

 

Melissa Joan Hart

 

 

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Born in Smithtown, Hart is best known for her acting pursuits in the Nickelodeon TV show Clarissa Explains It All, ABC’s “T.G.I.F." lineup hit Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and the ABC show Melissa & Joey, which also featured child star Joey Lawrence. When her parents divorced, she and her siblings were moved to New York City with her mother. In addition to her work on TV, She’s also written a book called Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormal Life. In 2013, Hart partnered with NutriSystem as a spokeswoman.

 

Jamie-Lynn Sigler

 

Photo:Shutterstock.

 

The Jericho native is most famous for her role as Meadow Soprano, the daughter of mob boss Tony Soprano. The Long Islander played meadow on The Sopranos from 1999 until 2007. Now in her 30s, Sigler is mother to two boys.

 

Ralph Macchio

 

Photo:Shutterstock.

 

No Long Island child star list is complete without the venerable Ralph George Macchio Jr, best known as Daniel LaRusso aka The Karate Kid. Bringing the character back in Cobra Kai, the popular Netflix series, Macchio was recently inducted into the Long island Sports Hall of Fame.  He also played Johnny in The Outsiders (“Do it for Johnny!”) and Jeremy in Eight Is Enough and of course the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny. Macchio was born in Huntington and graduated from Half Hollow Hills Central School District in the class of ‘79.

 

Debbie Gibson

 

Photo: MR O from USA [2], CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Bonus for 80s pop star Debbie Gibson who not only topped the charts with her hit single “Only In My Dreams” at 16-years-old, she also played Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. “It was a little girl’s dream come true to play this beloved princess and to work with such an exquisite cast and crew and to live and play in NYC for 9 months,” Merrick-raised Gibson tweeted. She also performed on Broadway in Les Miserables, Grease, and Funny Girl.