Remember the days sitting in front of the TV and just wondering what your celebrity crush would wear for that episode? Teen actresses of the ’80s and ’90s were truly unforgettable, meaning we all had a poster or two on the wall. So what happened to our childhood crushes?
This is a list of then-and-now pictures of the hottest crushes from our childhood. It’s a side-by-side comparison of where they are now.
Melissa Joan Hart – Then


She was born in Smithtown, New York and was named after the Allman Brothers song “Melissa”. Her middle name, Joan, came from her maternal grandmother.
Hart’s career began at the age of four, starring in commercials and taking on small roles in many eighties TV shows before becoming famous thanks to Nickelodeon.


Melissa Joan Hart – Now
After her younger years delighting little girls and charming young boys, Hart directed her first movie, a 15-minute live-action short film called Mute (2005), which starred her sister Emily.
She went on to take on more mature roles both in films and TV. A mother, author, and vocal presence on social media, Hart is all grown up though many wish she didn’t have to.


Alicia Silverstone – Then
Alicia Silverstone was born October 4, 1976. Her career began in the 90’s, starring in a few films and an Aerosmith music video. She took on roles in drama, erotic films, and a few comedies.
She stepped away from the spotlight in the 2000’s to focus on theater, before coming back to take on a few roles in film after a few years.


Alicia Silverstone – Now
In 2020, Silverstone appeared in the comedies Bad Therapy, Sister of the Groom and Valley Girl. She also narrated the eco-superhero fantasy novel CHENDELL: A Natural Warrior and the Audible podcast Eat S-t Kenny Daniels. She went on to star in the Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club.
In 2021, Silverstone appeared in the Netflix series Masters of the Universe: Revelation. She is an animal rights and environmental activist today.


Kelly LeBrock – Then
LeBrock was born in New York City and began a career in modeling as a teenager. She appeared in numerous magazines before being cast in a few films.
She was sex symbol of the time and was once married to Steven Seagal.


Kelly LeBrock – Now
LeBrock had roles in the films Wrongfully Accused (1998), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2001), Zerophilia (2005), and Gamers: The Movie (2006). She was also in a thriller called Hidden Affairs, released in 2013. In 2015 she appeared in A Prince for Christmas as Queen Ariana.
Today, she is a spokeswoman for Club Carson, whose members are children suffering from cancer.


The Spice Girls – Then
The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994. They consisted of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B (“Scary Spice”); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C (“Sporty Spice”); Emma Bunton (“Baby Spice”); Geri Halliwell (“Ginger Spice”); and Victoria Beckham (“Posh Spice”).
They started the “girl power” mantra, redefining the girl-group concept by targeting a young female fanbase. Leading the teen pop resurgence of the 1990s, the girls were a major part of the Cool Britannia era, soon becoming pop culture icons of the time.


The Spice Girls – Now
In August 2012, the Spice Girls reunited, delighting fans and the world, with a medley of “Wannabe” and “Spice Up Your Life” at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. Their performance received acclaim, becoming the most tweeted moment of the Olympics with over 116,000 tweets per minute on Twitter.
In 2019, 4 of the original members went on a world tour, minus Beckham who had commitments to her fashion business.
Over 13 dates, the tour produced 700,000 spectators, earning $78.2 million in ticket sales. The three-night sellout stand at Wembley Stadium was the highest-grossing engagement of the year, with an audience of 221,971. They won the 2019 Billboard Live Music Award for Top Boxscore.


Drew Barrymore – Then
Drew Barrymore was born into an acting family. She first starred in a dog food commercial before becoming a star in E.T. thanks to her godfather, Steven Spielberg.
She had a rebellious image in the 90’s which translated to many roles on screen.


Drew Barrymore – Now
She found fame once again, starring in Charlie’s Angels alongside Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, then delighting fans with the romantic comedy 50 First Dates with funny man Adam Sandler.
In 1999, Barrymore was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star “Lifetime Achievement” Award which commemorated her outstanding achievements within the film industry as a child actress.
Drew’s many contributions to the film industry had her receiving a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. Her star is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard.


Danica McKellar – Then
McKellar played Winnie Cooper in the television series The Wonder Years from 1988 to 1993. She says she found it “difficult” to transition from a child actress to an adult actress.
Aside from being an actress, Danica is a mathematics writer, and education advocate.


Danica McKellar – Now
McKellar was able to break through as an actress in her adult years. She’s also taken part in radio programs, done voice overs, and appeared in magazines.
She has been married twice with a son, Draco, from her first husband.


Tiffani Amber Thiessen – Then
Thiessen starred as Kelly Kapowski on NBC’s Saved by the Bell (1989–1993), and as Valerie Malone on Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 (1994–98). She participated in beauty pageants during her childhood and was even crowned Miss Junior America in 1987.
The following year, Thiessen appeared on the cover of Teen magazine, winning the magazine’s “Great Model Search”, and in 1989, was named Cover Girl‘s “Model of the Year”.


Tiffani Amber Thiessen – Now
In recent years, Thiessen has appeared in numerous films and TV series, even taking part in a Saved By The Bell reunion special. She was a teen idol adored by many young boys.
Tiffani married actor Brady Smith on July 9, 2005,. They have two children together, a daughter born in 2010, and a son born in 2015.


Danielle Fishel – Then
At the age of 10, Fishel was discovered in a community theater where she was performing in two productions, The Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. She went on to do voice-overs and commercials, with several as a Barbie Girl for Mattel. Fischel appeared on two episodes of Full House, guest starring as a character named Jennifer.
In 1993, at the age of 12, Fishel took on her well-known role as Topanga Lawrence-Matthews on the ABC series Boy Meets World. Fishel played a sparky, intelligent girl, one who was mature beyond her years.


Danielle Fishel – Now
In 2014, Fishel delighted her fans when she reprised her role of Topanga Lawrence-Matthews in the Boy Meets World spin-off series, Girl Meets World. Premiering on Disney Channel on June 27, 2014, the show featured Topanga and her Boy Meets World love interest Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) married with two children.
She has 2 sons with producer and former rapper Jensen Karp.


Soleil Moon Frye – Then
Frye beat out over 3,000 girls (including her future Sabrina, the Teenage Witch co-star Melissa Joan Hart) in an audition to win the titular role on the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster. The series premiered in September 1984.
The series struggled in ratings, but the character was popular among children. Frye routinely appeared at parades where she participated in anti drug walks with then-First Lady Nancy Reagan.


Soleil Moon Frye – Now
Frye went on to become a director and an author, retaining her friendship with Melissa Joan Hart throughout her career. She has 4 children with producer Jason Goldberg.
The couple filed for divorce after 22 years of marriage.


Christine Lakin – Then
Lakin began acting in commercials, before taking on her first major role as Young Rose in the American Civil War drama The Rose and the Jackal.
The movie aired in 1990, one year before being cast as Alicia Lambert, the tomboyish daughter, on Step by Step. After Step by Step was cancelled in 1998, Lakin continued to appear in television movies, such as Showtime’s Reefer Madness and 2005’s Who’s Your Daddy?.


Christine Lakin – Now
Lakin is the voice of news anchor Joyce Kinney in Family Guy, debuting in the episode “Excellence in Broadcasting”. She then starred in the Pop series Hollywood Darlings with fellow 1990s child stars Jodie Sweetin and Beverley Mitchell.
Lakin has numerous television directing credits, including 10 episodes of ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, 3 episodes of 2019 Goldbergs spinoff sitcom Schooled, and 3 episodes of the 2021 Apple TV+ original series Puppy Place.


Michelle Trachtenberg
Trachtenberg was just 3 when she starred in a commercial for Wisk detergent. Her first TV role was in the second season of Law & Order, but her first credited role was as Nona F. Mecklenberg on the Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 until 1996. She also played Lily Montgomery on the soap opera All My Children.
Her film career began in 1996 with the title role in Harriet the Spy. In the summer of 2000, Trachtenberg took on the role of Dawn Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, until the show ended in 2003. She hosted the Discovery Kids series Truth or Scare from 2001 to 2003.


Michelle Trachtenberg
On June 9, 2011, Trachtenberg guest starred on Love Bites, reprising the role on June 16, 2011, and in the series finale on July 21, 2011. In the same year, she was a guest star on Weeds during its seventh season.
Trachtenberg was cast in the film The Scribbler in June 2012 which was produced by Gabriel Cowan.


Kirsten Dunst – Then
Kirsten gained recognition for her role as child vampiress Claudia in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994). The role earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also took on roles in Little Women (1994), the fantasy films Jumanji (1995) and Small Soldiers (1998).
In the late 1990s, Dunst transitioned to leading roles for teen films, like the political satire Dick (1999) and the Sofia Coppola-directed drama The Virgin Suicides (1999). Dunst also starred in the lead role in the cheerleading film Bring It On, which became a cult classic.


Kirsten Dunst – Now
Dunst was active in real estate, purchasing and selling homes for massive amounts. In early 2008, she was treated for depression at the Cirque Lodge treatment center in Utah.
In late March 2008, she left the center to film All Good Things.She went public to dispel rumors of drug and alcohol abuse, stating, “Now that I’m feeling stronger, I was prepared to say something. Depression is pretty serious and should not be gossiped about.”


Alyssa Milano – Then
Milano’s career began when she was just 7. She went to auditions, performed on Broadway, and soon starred in films. At the age 12, Milano co-starred in Commando as Jenny Matrix, the daughter of John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
In late 1996, Milano was offered a role of Jennifer Mancini on the drama Melrose Place by producer Aaron Spelling who thought she was the perfect choice.
In 1998, Milano was cast as Phoebe Halliwell, one of the three lead characters on the show Charmed. She and Holly Marie Combs became producers for during season four. The series ran for eight seasons, concluding in 2006.


Alyssa Milano – Now
Milano has appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Stuff, Seventeen, Cleo, Woman’s World, Veronica, Maxim and FHM. She made appearances in commercials for Wen, Candies, Veet, Hi-C and Atkins diet.
Milano was also a spokesmodel for Sheer Cover cosmetics. She’s also outspoken regarding politics.


Lea Thompson – Then
Thompson’s most famous role is that of Lorraine Baines McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, with the first film released in 1985. Then in 1986, she starred in SpaceCamp and Howard the Duck.
In the early 1990s, Thompson starred as the mother of Dennis in Dennis the Menace (1993), the villainess in The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), and a snooty ballet instructor in The Little Rascals (1994).


Lea Thompson – Now
On April 27, 2017, Thompson was cast in the film Little Women, written and directed by first-time Director Clare Niederpruem. She portrayed Marmee March, the mother who helps her daughters handle the struggles and heartbreaks of adolescence and adulthood.
Lea has been married to film director Howard Deutch since 1989. They have two daughters, Madelyn Deutch (born 1991) and Zoey Deutch (born 1994).


Christina Ricci – Then
Ricci was discovered at the age of 8 by a local theater critic when she starred in a school production of The Twelve Days of Christmas. She is known for playing the morbidly precocious Wednesday Addams in Barry Sonnenfeld’s The Addams Family, reprising the role for the 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values.
Critics went on to single out Ricci’s performances as highlights of both films.
The live-action adaptation of Casper (1995), was Ricci’s first in a lead role.


Christina Ricci – Now
In 1999, Ricci starred alongside Johnny Depp, in Tim Burton’s gothic horror fantasy film Sleepy Hollow. The film was a commercial and critical success, and she received a Saturn Award for her portrayal of Katrina Van Tassel.
She went on to play roles in many films and TV shows, all while struggling with both anxiety and anorexia.
She is listed in several art publications as one of artist Mark Ryden’s muses. Her image appears in several of his oil paintings and sketches.


Jennifer Grey – Then
Grey was cast in 1986 as the jealous sister Jeannie Bueller in the John Hughes comedy film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, opposite Matthew Broderick. The film was commercially successful, receiving a positive critical reception.
The following year, she starred alongside Patrick Swayze, her co-star in Red Dawn, to play Frances “Baby” Houseman in Dirty Dancing. A role most people remember her for. A botched nose job caused her problems for awhile but she soon bounced back.


Jennifer Grey – Now
Grey was once romantically involved with actors Michael J. Fox, Johnny Depp, William Baldwin and then-aide to President Clinton, George Stephanopoulos. She married actor/director Clark Gregg on July 21, 2001, with whom she has a daughter.
They lived in Venice, California, and together, starred in the Lifetime movie The Road to Christmas in 2006. On July 3, 2020, the couple announced they had separated amicably on January 18, 2020.


Amy Jo Johnson – Then
Johnson moved to New York City at 18 to pursue acting, attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She then moved to Los Angeles to audition for her first part.
Her breakthrough role came less than a month after she moved to Los Angeles. She was selected to portray Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The series was a huge success and it gave Johnson international recognition as an actress, but the show brought her little financial security.


Amy Jo Johnson – Now
Johnson went on to play many other roles before becoming a director. She has directed and produced two acclaimed short films: Bent (2013) and Lines (2014).
Amy went on to direct the feature film The Space Between. In 2018, she began working on, Tammy’s Always Dying. The movie received praise from critics, especially thanks to Huffman’s and Phillips’ performances.
Johnson is also a singer-songwriter and has released three albums: The Trans-American Treatment (2001), Imperfect (2005), and Never Broken (2013).


Tami Stronach – Then
Stronach was a child actress when she portrayed Piglet in a San Francisco stage adaptation of Winnie-the-Pooh. She was approached by the casting director for The NeverEnding Story who asked her to audition for the role of the Childlike Empress. The 1984 film has been her only major motion picture.
NeverEnding Story became a huge success, and the Stronachs were besieged with unwanted attention. Her mother Ruth took her away from the spotlight.


Tami Stronach – Now
She switched her focus from acting to professional dancing after The NeverEnding Story, devoting herself for ten years (through her twenties) in New York City.
In 1996, Stronach began dancing with Neta Pulvermacher and Dancers, while exhibiting her own productions at Dixon Place, Washington Square Park, and the Galápagos Islands.
Stronach also followed in her father’s footsteps, becoming a professor in New York City.


Larisa Oleynik – Then
Oleynik’s career began at age 12, in a 1993 episode of the television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In the same year, she also appeared in the made-for-television film River of Rage: The Taking of Maggie Keene, providing the voice of young Odette in the animated feature film The Swan Princess (1994).
In 1993, she was cast in the lead role of the series The Secret World of Alex Mack, a teenage girl who receives telekinetic powers as the result of an accident. She won the role over 400 other aspirants. The series ran on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 1998, becoming one of the network’s top three most watched shows.


Larisa Oleynik – Now
Oleynik went on to take small roles for television shows and a few films, and in 2017, starred in the Off-Broadway musical comedy Baghdaddy. In 2020, Oleynik appeared in the Netflix family comedy series, The Healing Powers of Dude.


Anna Chlumsky – Then
Chlumsky began modeling at a young age with her mother in an advertising campaign. Her roles in My Girl (1991) and My Girl 2 (1994) brought her fame.
She then starred in Trading Mom (1994) with Sissy Spacek, and in Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain (1995) with Christina Ricci. In the mid- to late 1990s, chlumsky appeared and starred in several television films and series before taking a break from acting to attend College.


Anna Chlumsky – Now
Chlumsky took on the role of Mary Calvin in a season 17 episode of Law & Order, first airing on January 12, 2007, then as Lisa Klein in a season 20 episode, first airing on March 15, 2010. In March 2007, she appeared in the 30 Rock episode “The Fighting Irish”.
Chlumsky was also in four episodes of the ABC dramedy Cupid in 2009.She starred in the Lifetime Television movie 12 Men of Christmas as Jan Lucas later in 2009.


Madeline Zima – Then
Zima began her career at the age of 2 with an appearance in a television commercial for Downy fabric softener. From 1993 to 1999, she played Grace Sheffield on the television show The Nanny throughout all of its six seasons.
Madeline was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Her surname means “winter” in Polish which comes from her maternal grandfather, who was of Polish descent.


Madeline Zima – Now
Zima starred in The Blondes (2019), which was a scripted podcast series, with her sister Yvonne. Then in 2020, she appeared in HBO’s Perry Mason. In 2021, Zima appeared in NCIS: Hawaiʻi‘s fifth episode “Gaijin” as suspect Abby Nelson.
She loves art, nature, and has a knack for taking pictures. Zima is also passionate about social justice.


Robyn Lively – Then
Lively started at the age of six, making her screen debut in the television movie Summer of My German Soldier in 1978. In the 1980s, she appeared in many television shows including Silver Spoons, Punky Brewster and Starman.
Lively then appeared in the feature films Wildcats, Teen Witch, and Not Quite Human before being cast as Jessica Andrews in The Karate Kid Part III in 1989.


Robyn Lively – Now
Lively appeared alongside Holly Hunter in an episode of Saving Grace in 2008. In 2020, she starred in the thriller Through the Glass Darkly, premiering at the Frameline Film Festival on September 19, 2020.
She married actor Bart Johnson on September 25, 1999. They have three children together: Baylen, Kate, and Wyatt Blake


Marley Shelton – Then
Shelton found fame when she appeared in the 1993 film The Sandlot, playing the lifeguard Wendy Peffercorn. The movie , budgeted at US$7 million, was a box office success with a worldwide gross of over US$33 million.
In 1994, Shelton played a supporting part in Hercules in the Underworld, the fourth made-for-television movie in the series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
A major film role arrived in 1998 with the fantasy comedy Pleasantville. Shelton portrayed Margaret, Tobey Maguire’s love interest. She went on to take roles in films aimed at a teenage audience, including a role in 1999’s sleeper hit Never Been Kissed, a romantic comedy co-starring Drew Barrymore and David Arquette.


Marley Shelton – Now
In 2018, Shelton made a brief appearance as a scientist and astronaut in the science fiction monster film Rampage. The movie made over US$428 million worldwide.
She met film producer Beau Flynn on the set of Bubble Boy in 2000. The couple got married in July 2001. Their first daughter, West Flynn, was born on September 6, 2009. While their second daughter, Ruby Jeanne Flynn, was born on May 1, 2012.


Phoebe Cates – Then
Cates appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine four times as a teen model. The first was the April 1979 issue, and she would even appear inside the magazine on the editorial pages in 1979 and 1980.
Cates decided to pursue acting after feeling dissatisfied with modeling. She was offered her first role in Paradise (1982), after a screen test in New York. She was uncertain about the nudity required but her father encouraged her to take the job.
Later that year, Cates starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), and was quoted saying that she had the most fun in filming that movie.


Phoebe Cates – Now
In the early 1980s, Cates shared an apartment in Greenwich Village with her then boyfriend Stavros Merjos. During her audition for a role, Cates met actor Kevin Kline. They were both dating other people, but became romantically involved two years later. They tied the knot in 1989.
The Klines moved to the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York across Fifth Avenue from Central Park . They raised their two children, son Owen Joseph Kline (born 1991) and daughter Greta Kline (born 1994) together.


Natalie Portman – Then
Portman auditioned for the leading role in Luc Besson’s action drama Léon: The Professional (1994), a role which had people taking notice of her. Michael Mann then offered her the part of the suicidal stepdaughter of Al Pacino’s character in the action film Heat (1995).
She became popular as Queen Amidala in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. She went on to reprise the role for the prequel trilogy, delighting fans all over the world.


Natalie Portman – Now
Portman continued her studies while taking on more mature roles. She portrayed Jacqueline Kennedy in the Pablo Larraín-directed biopic Jackie (2016). In 2018, she starred in the science fiction film Annihilation, based on Jeff VanderMeer’s novel.
Portman went on to play Jane, Chris Hemsworth’s love interest in Marvel’s Thor series.


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