Some actors hit the silver screen after maturing as individuals, and begin to attain success into their adulthood. While other celebrities have been gracing the big screen well before they even reached puberty. These child stars have had to learn how to grow up while being household names, and having America witness every one of their great career milestones, and also their low moments in life as well. Nonetheless, these kid celebrities began amassing their wealth at such a young age, and many have continued to do so into their adult careers. But which stars truly beat the odds to earn ridiculous wealth at such young ages? These are the top 10 richest child stars of all time.
Abigail Breslin — Net worth: $16 Million
By the young age of 10, Abigail Breslin had already surpassed some of Hollywood’s most esteemed actors, by garnering an Oscar nomination for Little Miss Sunshine. Because of this recognition, she was able to begin asking for no less than $2 million for her movie appearances. By age 15, Breslin had so much clout that she earned a whopping $275,000 for only one week on the set of the smash-hit comedy New Year’s Eve.
Shirley Temple — Net worth: $30 Million
At the height of her career, Shirley Temple was one of the biggest child stars of her time. From the age of 3 to 21 years old, Temple appeared in over 40 films. She made Hollywood history in 1936 when she was paid $50,000 per picture through a deal with 20th Century Fox. This was an obscene and unheard of amount at the time, which would equate to more than $900,000 today.
Demi Lovato — Net worth: $33 Million
From her time on Disney’s Camp Rock to her appearances on shows like The X Factor, Demi Lovato’s asking price has totally skyrocketed. At the infancy of her career, she was paid about $12,000 per episode for Sonny with a Chance. At the age of 19, she was paid $1 million to appear as a judge on The X Factor.
Frankie Muniz — Net worth: $40 Million
Frankie Muniz found his fortune on one of Fox’s most successful sitcoms ever, Malcolm in the Middle. During its seven seasons, Muniz landed a huge raise. When the series started in 2000, Muniz was paying $30,000 per episode. When the series ended in 2006, Muniz was making a handsome $120,000 per episode.
Rupert Grint — Net worth: $50 Million
The leading three actors of the Harry Potter films all made this list, as the franchise made an astronomical amount in sales. Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley, was only 11 when the franchise started. He has mostly made his fortune through the franchise, which has risen to a whopping $50 million.
Selena Gomez — Net worth: $50 Million
Selena is a veteran in show biz, starting at the young age of 10. She got her big break on Barney and Friends, where she earned $3,000 per episode. Her career catapulted with Disney, making $30,000 per episode for her role on The Wizards of Waverly Place. She has continued to amass a large fortune as one of the biggest pop stars of her generation.
Emma Watson — Net worth: $80 Million
Another Harry Potter franchise star to make this list is Emma Watson, who earned over half of her fortune from her role in Harry Potter films as Hermoine Granger. Because of her status secured through the Potter franchise, Emma’s asking price for a movie is enough to buy a small private island. For her role in Disney’s Beauty, the live-action rendition of Beauty and the Beast, Watson was paid $3 million, and landed an additional $15 million from box office sales.
Daniel Radcliffe — Net worth: $110 Million
It’s no surprise that the star of the Harry Potter franchise would be raking in mountains of cash. When he started the series of movies, he was paid about $145,000 for the very first Harry Potter film. As notoriety of his character began to increase, so did his salary. For the final two films of the eight film franchise, Radcliffe was paid a whopping $20 million for each. In total, the Harry Potter franchise is worth about $8.6 million in box office sales.
Miley Cyrus — Net worth: $160 Million
Miley Cyrus is one of the most successful Disney stars who took her childhood stardom and turned it into an entertainment empire. When she started with Disney at the age of 11, she was making $15,000 an episode for Hannah Montana. Her income started to skyrocket with the success of her album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, which went triple platinum and earned over $10 million in revenue.
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen — Net worth: $400 Million
There is no child star who has been able to amass the wealth of the likes of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. At the very young age of just nine months old, the twin sisters earned a shared income of $2,400 per episode for Full House. They amassed their fortune through the shared payment of $80,000 per episode at the end of Full House’s run, and through subsequent ventures like straight-to-video movies, fashion lines, and other merchandise.
