What actors have produced the best child / teen performances in which movies?

Here are some kids to start your discussion off the top of my head.

So name the actor and the movie.

- The kids in Harry Potter - remember to name which kid in which movie.
- The kids in Lemony Snicket's.
- Haley Joel in Sixth Sense
- Haley Joel in AI
- Haley Joel in Pay it Forward ( Joking but I want to give all examples )
- Dakota Fanning in I am Sam
- Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire
- Dakota Fanning in Hide and Seek

There are probably lots of those other pure kids movies that I haven't seen and can't list.

I think Dakota Fanning is consistantly a great actress. She knows how to play a role, especially in Hide and Seek.

two child actresses who really struck me as being great are

Renee Olstead whos also a rapidly rising jazz singer http://www.reneeolstead.com/ who appeared in 13 Going on 30 briefly, but her talent in music makes me think that come age 20 she will be quite famous.

Kristen Prout was very good in Elektra and Haley Joel Osments all grown up now, but was exceptional in A.I

Drew Barrymore was cute in E.T

The Harry Potter actors are not the best i must say - the third film saw what id call acceptable performances - before that they really didnt have a clue.

Kirsten Dunst in Jumanji

Wow we all have short term memory around here.

The best child performance ever was definately Tatum O'Neil in Paper Moon. How can anyone forget that role? She did well, and was rewarded as the youngest Oscar winner ever I believe (barring Temple, I don't know how old she was when she won).

Anna Paquin in The Piano. There's no denying it. Regardless of your sentiments towards this movie (I thought it was excellent) Paquin did marvelously.

On a more obscure note, I really liked Martha Byrne in Anna to the Infinite Power.

My favorite performance by a child actor, of all time, is Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun.

I believe they CREATED categories in order to award him.

And don't forget Keisha Castle Hughes

Wonderful choices, just wonderful.

Another nod to Hayley Joel in The Sixth Sense

Oh yeh, Haley Joel Osmont in The Sixth Sense.

Also, Miko Hughes from Mercury Rising, sensational little actor.

My favorite child performances:

Tatum O'Neal, Paper Moon
Haley Joel Osment, The Sixth Sense
Drew Barrymore, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Dakota Fanning, I Am Sam
Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Anna Paquin, The Piano

I also can't forget the recent work of Sarah Steele and Shelbie Bruce, who elevated Spanglish to a higher level.

-Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver
-the two girls in In America. I can't remember their names...Emma and Sara Bolger maybe?
the little boy in Sling Blade

but my all-time favorite is Keisha Castle Hughes in Whale Rider.

Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire was the best kid performance in a movie I've seen in the last few years.

Agreed good choices especially KCH.

One big problem I had with Hayley Joel after seeing the Sixth Sense a couple of times, in both AI and the Sixth Sense, he seemed to have very limited acting to do - lot of it was just standing around, looking scared or thinking.

I just think that Dakota Fanning has gone places that Haley Joel will never as an actor with her roles in Sam, Fire and Hide and Seek.

In Hide and Seek, I thought see played her scenes with Deniro, E Shue and Famke J very well.

The thing that worries me about Dakota is that she will be like mostly every other child actor, and not make that transition from young child actress to young adult actress to adult actress. She'll probably be fine for a few years, but once she's older, she may lose that appeal, even though she is a terrific young actress. Here's hoping young Dakota has staying power.

Although, one must take into consideration that the roles she has are fairly different, whereas someone like Macauly Culkin was the same in the three movies he did that propelled him to being famous (Home Alone 1 and 2, Uncle Buck).

If you want to go back a ways, here's an older one that is still played on tv today. And besides Shirley Temple, you have Mickey Rooney among others.

- Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz about 16 / 17.
- Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street
- Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet and others.
- Roddy McDowell in My Friend Flicka and others.

And you are correct on Tatum O'Neal > Youngest person to ever win an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress, Paper Moon (1973)

- On Tatum, she also did the Bad News Bears which I liked cause of Walter Matthau.

Lohan in the parent trap. That's all that I can really think of that hasn't been mentioned already.

Was the award a special one-time award or have they done it since?

Elijah Wood in The War.

Geez only one mention for Jodie Foster. Shes the queen of all child actors, no one has come close to having the career she had. Shes the only former child actor who can open a movie almost by her own name

Young 'Ray Charles Robinson' in Ray.

Mae Whitman in Hope Floats.

She's absolutely fabulous.

1.Christian Bale in Empire of the sun
2.Haley joel osmont in A.I
3.Jodie foster in taxie driver
4.Linda Blair in The Exorcist
5.Tatum o'neil in paper moon
6.ricky schroder in the champ
7.River Phoenix in Stand by me
8.Haley joel osmont in the sixth sense

But the absolute best is Douglas Silva as Li'l Dice in city of god.

Neo, Lots of good and some original choices. City of God was a very good movie.

Mean Creek had some great performances.

Danielle Harris in Halloween 4, she was also outstanding in the mediocre Halloween 5.