11 Child Actors Who Remade Their Image

You knew it was coming, and after a bit of a delay, Alfonso Ribeiro finally broke out the infamous Carlton Banks dance on Dancing With The Stars. Believe it or not, Carlton Banks of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame might not have been Ribeiro’s most memorable dancing character.

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The former Silver Spoons actor diversified his acting resume and kept busy outside of acting, but he’s still that affable, dancing guy from back in the days. But childhood acting roles don’t have to mean being pigeonholed into the same character. Here are actors who managed to change the image they initially portrayed during childhood roles.

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Don’t call Raven-Symone African-American. She hasn’t had a big breakout role since headlining That’s So Raven, but her outspoken nature keeps her in headlines.

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Panorama City, California native Meagan Good has come a long way since starring in Cousin Skeeter back in 1998. We’re told there are some pictures which support this theory.

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Alfonso Ribeiro’s Silver Spoons running mate Ricky Schroeder pulled a complete 180-degree turn when he portrayed Detective Danny Sorenson on NYPD Blue.

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Mayim Bialik held her non-traditional family down in the ‘90s as Blossom Russo. Since then, she’s racked up the IMDB credits including a prominent role as Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory.

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Kevin Arnold was put out to pasture in 1993 after a five-year run on The Wonder Years. But Fred Savage kept it moving as an actor and then ensured some Hollywood longevity by hopping behind the camera as a director.

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Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey had an eight-year run between Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts Of Life. But that didn’t stop Kim Fields from broadening her range on a myriad of shows including Living Single and Meet The Browns.

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Madeline Zima scored a choice role as Grace Sheffield on The Nanny. In more recent times, she proved equally skilled at throwing punches and tantrums on Californication.

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Millicent “Penny” Woods had the worst of luck on the ‘70s show Good Times. In real life, Janet Jackson is doing quite well for herself as a musician and locking down roles in Poetic Justice, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and the Why Did I Get Married series.

There are plenty of grown men on the Internet who feel some kind of way about looking at Keke Palmer the way they do. The former Akeelah And The Bee actress is 21-years-old, and nature and time have completed the image makeover.

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Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Meagan Good both starred in Eve’s Bayou, with Smollett-Bell continuing her dramatic roles in Friday Night Lights, Grey’s Anatomy, The Great Debaters, and House M.D. among others.