Living in the shadow of a famous parent can have powerful effects, from professional opportunities to pressure so great it leads to suicide. Some children of stars are proud of their roots while others live in secrecy. This is a rare look into the private lives of the children (and, in a few cases, grandchildren) of these classic Hollywood icons, revealing the stresses and inspirations of living with great performers who may or may not have been great parents. Some movie stars protected their offspring, but others used them as publicity props or even made them into rivals. Despite their unusual upbringing, some of the children succeeded in the movies or elsewhere, but many never lived up to the public expectations. Many lost their parents, whether to the extremes of the celebrity lifestyle, to divorce, or to their careers. From the beautiful bedtime stories Harpo Marx and his wife told their four adopted children to explain where they'd come from, to the studded belt Bing Crosby used to punish his sons for not obeying the strict family rules, this work tells the best and worst of growing up in a celebrity home. Families covered include those of W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers, Eddie Cantor, Mario Lanza, Ruth Hussey, Jerry Lewis, Douglas Fairbanks and Boris Karloff. Research is drawn from interviews with celebrity offspring, who also provided never-before-published snapshots of Hollywood legends at home.

This collection of interviews, all conducted by the author, focuses on the children of Hollywood legends. Each child (and, in one case, grandchild) talks about the joys and difficulties of growing up in the shadow of the Hollywood spotlight. While some were significantly influenced by their famous parents and chose a career in entertainment, others felt no attraction toward the glamour of Tinseltown fame. Among the interviewees are the offspring of such major stars as Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Jimmy Stewart and Rosalind Russell, as well as such prominent supporting players as Jack Elam, Gene Lockhart, Billy Barty and Jesse White. The collection also includes a list of books and/or websites published by the children of the actors featured.

Diana Serra Cary's well-wrought, empathetic narrative presents the underside of the glittering stage and screen world: frightened children, merchants who buy and sell childhood as a commodity, rapacious stage mothers and fathers whose ambition and avarice make them willing to sacrifice their children to fulfill their own dreams. The first part of the book mines a lode of new information, recounting stories of the precursors to Hollywood's child stars (and their ambitious parents) - the spectacular 1853 stage debut of four-year-old Cordelia Howard, the rise of red-haired Lotta Crabtree in California's Gold Rush camps, and the travails and triumphs of the hoydenish Elsie Janis as she ad-libbed her way to stardom. Cary - as "Baby Peggy", Hollywood's pioneer child star, the youngest in theatrical history - has lived her subject, surviving a childhood filled with an enormous workload, some real physical danger, and emotional trauma. She weaves her own story of being her family's chief breadwinner with similar tales involving famous movie children she knew and worked with - Jackie Coogan, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, and Judy Garland, among many others.

The adult children of Hollywood's most successful make their own rules until journalist Kennedy Chase and detective Michael Scorsinni expose the sordid side of their lives.

A look at the world of child actors combines candid interviews, profiles, and anecdotes concerning the experiences of such young performers as Kristy McNichol, Jodie Foster, Gary Coleman and many others, both famous and unknown.

Accurate, experience-tested information on every step needed to give your child the best possible opportunity to make it in Hollywood. Inspiration. Resources to help you on your own journey, and even help you decide if this dream is right for you and your family to pursue at all.My daughter Dove and I moved to Los Angeles from an island in Washington State when she was fourteen, armed only with her head shot, resume of community theater roles, and her dream. What I didn't know about what we were doing would fill a large book.Today, Dove is a grounded, successful young woman with her own show on the Disney Channel, and four films to her credit, as well as numerous other TV and music credits.We have been incredibly fortunate, and this book is my way of sharing what we've learned-and what some other parents of young stars have learned-in the hope that more families might save themselves some pain and precious time. Hollywood is filled with tragic stories of people who crashed on the edge of this dream. It doesn't have to be that way. I can help you navigate this world with your child.Features interviews with industry experts and the parents of other young Hollywood stars, including Olivia Holt, Luke Benward, Cameron Boyce, Ryan McCartan, Jordan Fisher, and more.Visit my website for updated resources and helpful information: http: //www.HollywoodParentsGuide.com"If you have a child who is interested in getting into 'the business' THE HOLLYWOOD PARENTS GUIDE is an absolute MUST READ. Bonnie writes from the heart and the result is not only warm and funny, but full of useful information. Real stories from real parents of real kids working in the industry - tips and advice from casting directors, agents and other industry professionals. It's like arming yourself with a mini toolbox full of all the tools that you'll need to help guide you as you venture along this journey with your child. I should make it required reading for the parents of all of my clients! "Pamela Fisher Vice President Abrams Artists Agency - Head of Youth and Young Adult"From A to Z The Hollywood Parents Guide answers every question I have received as a Casting Director and more. If your child wants to be a professional actor, the first thing you need to realize is that acting is a business and as in any business, there are rules to help guide you. Bonnie Wallace has given parents a How to Guide that is a must read."Suzanne Goddard-SmytheCasting DirectorNominated for two Artios Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Casting"First let me say that The Hollywood Parents Guide is a fantastic book! Finally there is a guide to help parents steer their kids performing career. Thousands of parents have asked me for just such a book. There are a couple on the market already but they are written by agents or acting coaches. What parents have needed is a book written by one of them! And Bonnie has done a superb job writing it. The information is not only current but from the heart. If you have a little tyke that is driving you crazy to be on TV pick this one up!"Chambers Stevens, Author of the Hollywood 101 Series5-time winner of the Backstage Readers Choice Award"An absolute play by play of how to best help your young, budding artist become a healthy, fully-functioning Hollywood success. Not only is my mother an incredible writing talent, but she also possesses a true depth of experience in parenting a Hollywood hopeful. User-friendly and guided by an open, generous voice with first hand knowledge of the industry, this book is one I can truly call 'masterful'."Dove CameronActor and singerStar of Liv and Maddie, Disney Descendants, and Barely Lethal

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “This extraordinary book is not only a chronicle of Ron’s and Clint’s early careers and their wild adventures, but also a primer on so many topics—how an actor prepares, how to survive as a kid working in Hollywood, and how to be the best parents in the world! The Boys will surprise every reader with its humanity.” — Tom Hanks "I have read dozens of Hollywood memoirs. But The Boys stands alone. A delightful, warm and fascinating story of a good life in show business.” — Malcolm Gladwell Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, Gentle Ben—these shows captivated millions of TV viewers in the ’60s and ’70s. Join award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and audience-favorite actor Clint Howard as they frankly and fondly share their unusual family story of navigating and surviving life as sibling child actors. “What was it like to grow up on TV?” Ron Howard has been asked this question throughout his adult life. in The Boys, he and his younger brother, Clint, examine their childhoods in detail for the first time. For Ron, playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days offered fame, joy, and opportunity—but also invited stress and bullying. For Clint, a fast start on such programs as Gentle Ben and Star Trek petered out in adolescence, with some tough consequences and lessons. With the perspective of time and success—Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor—the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector—sometimes over-protector—from the snares and traps of Hollywood. By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, THE BOYS is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. It’s the journey of a tight four-person family unit that held fast in an unforgiving business and of two brothers who survived “child-actor syndrome” to become fulfilled adults.