Troubled Child Stars of the 1970's: What Happened to Them?

The 1970's was a decade of movies and TV shows filed with child stars (The Brady Bunch cast alone had 6 of them) but some of these kids had trouble adjusting to life outside the spotlight. They were cute and talented, but when their stars dimmed, these child stars headed for hard times. Here's an update on some of the most troubled child stars from the 1970's.

Tatum O'Neal (Paper Moon, 1973). An Academy award winner by the time she was 10 years old, Tatum O'Neal was a charming child star. After starring in movies like "The Bad News Bears", "International Velvet" and "Little Darlings" as a child, she took a long break from acting after marrying tennis pro John McEnroe in 1986 and having three children. But drugs were present in O'Neal's life early on, and she admitted to a longtime heroin addiction (she was also arrested for crack possession). In her 2004 memoir "A Paper Life", O'Neal details her struggles with addiction and also her tumultuous relationship with her father, actor Ryan O'Neal, whom she claimed was jealous of her Oscar win. In a 2009 "Vanity Fair" article, Ryan O'Neal claimed that he didn't recognize his daughter at Farrah Fawcett's funeral and he even attempted to flirt with her after the service. Family matters aside, for now Tatum O'Neal has quit drugs and returned to acting. In October 2009 she signed on to play a female boxer in the movie "Sweet Lo Raine."

Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family, 1970-1974). He was a chubby, smart alecky redheaded kid who has publically joked about taking David Cassidy's castoffs, but as a child Partridge Family star Danny Bonaduce lived through his own personal hell. A victim of physical abuse from his father, Bonaduce often retreated to his co-stars homes during bad times. In his teens, Bonaduce became a drug and alcohol abuser and was notoriously arrested for assaulting a transvestite. Things calmed down for him for a while when he married Gretchen Hillmer in 1990, and the couple (who had only known each other for one day before getting married) had two children, Isabella and Dante. The birth of their son Dante was sweetly documented on the TLC show "A Baby Story" in 2001. But after appearing together on a train wreck of a reality show, Breaking Bonaduce, the pair split in 2007. Bonaduce later participated in a few celebrity boxing matches and was involved in various altercations over the years, including a televised brawl with Survivor contestant Jonny Fairplay during Fox Reality Channel's "Really Awards" show in 2007, causing Fairplay to lose a few teeth (a lawsuit against Bonaduce and the show's producers soon followed). Today, Danny Bonaduce seems to have cleaned up his act. He has relocated to his native Philadelphia and hosts the morning show on Philadelphia rock station, 94 WYSP, where he seems to be staying out of trouble....for now.

Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time, 1975-1984). Actress Mackenzie Phillips is best known for her teenage role on the sitcom One Day at a Time, but she also starred in the movie American Graffiti when she was only 12. The daughter of Mama's and the Papas singer John Phillips, Mackenzie was arrested for alcohol and cocaine abuse many times throughout her life, admitting that she first tried drugs at age 11. An admitted long time drug addict, she has overdosed several times and was arrested for drug possession as recently as October 2008 on her way to an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show. But Mackenzie's biggest shocker came in 2009, when she released her memoirs, titled "High on Arrival". In the book she detailed a ten year incestuous relationship with John Phillips. With her family divided over her shocking admission, Mackenzie Phillips may be facing her hardest battle to date.

Leif Garrett (Three For the Road, 1975). Leif Garret had it all- good looks, acting talent and a decent singing voice. After appearing on almost every popular TV show in the 1970's (The Odd Couple, Gunsmoke, Apples Way, The F.B.I.), Garret landed a permanent role on the TV series Three for the Road in 1975. Garrett soon became a teen fan magazine staple. He delved into a singing career, producing bubblegum pop records like 'Runaround Sue" and "I Was Made for Dancin'" and eventually skyrocketed to teen idol status. But it wasn't all fun and games for Leif Garrett. In 1979, Garrett crashed his car while driving intoxicated, permanently crippling his passenger, his best friend at the time, Roland Winkler. Winkler later sued Garrett and the two became estranged (an awkward reunion between the two was featured in a 1999 episode of VH1'a Behind the Music). Garrett struggled with drug addiction for the next three decades. These days, Garrett records music with his new band, most recently releasing the album "The Three Sides Of". Garrett also appears on the cable TV show The Smoking Gun Presents: World'sDumbest as a commentator, alongside other Hollywood bad boys like Danny Bonaduce and Todd Bridges.

Sources:
IMDB
Wikipedia
Vanity Fair
www.leifgarrett.net