As effortless as it may seem, acting is not an easy task. Many of the actors we know all over the world spend years of their lives studying, training and seeking to improve their technique in order to achieve public and critical acclaim. Some of them have an inherent gift, but the vast majority of their success is the result of hard work.

Nevertheless, throughout the course of film history, there have been several child actors who really seem to be natural-born talents. In some cases, they have even managed to embody very challenging characters despite their young ages. And, sometimes, they simply incarnated roles that ended up charming the audience in such a way that the rest of the actors in the film were totally overshadowed by these young stars.

There are actors that we first met as children and have since become tremendously successful and acclaimed, such as Leonardo DiCaprio. The star of the current Netflix movie Don't Look Up started at a very young age, triumphing on the silver screen with movies such as This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. However, some child actors have drifted away from acting despite their talent, though they will always be remembered through the roles that rocketed them to glory. Take a look at these movies with great performances by young actors.

Related: Danny DeVito Pitches Matilda 2, Says He's Always Wanted a Sequel

9 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

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Olive (Abigail Breslin) is the youngest of a very messed up family with one goal in mind: to win the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. Her family is composed of totally bizarre members, from her teenage older brother who is taking a silent vow, to her junkie grandfather, her father who flunks courses to achieve success, and her suicidal uncle. Thanks to a stroke of luck, she is invited to participate in the contest in California, and the whole family accompanies her in a rickety van, starting a life-changing journey full of unexpected surprises.

This film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris broke all the schemes about the idea of what a normal family should be, with an all-star cast including Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano and Alan Arkin. This was the production that brought Abigail Breslin international acknowledgement and made her the youngest actress to be nominated for an Academy Award. The actress has had a great career and continues to star in movies. In fact, in 2021 she co-starred with Matt Damon in Stillwater.

8 Boyhood (2014)

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This film is an unprecedented piece of filmmaking, because it traces 12 years of Mason's (Ellar Coltrane) life, from the age of six to eighteen, and involved filming the actors throughout that extended time period. During the movie there are all sorts of changes, relocations and controversies. Relationships that flounder, weddings, different schools, first loves, disappointments and wonderful moments. Boyhood is based on the euphoria of childhood and the changes that modern families undergo as time goes by.

The movie was directed by Richard Linklater and stars Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater and Ethan Hawke. Filming of the movie began in the summer of 2002 in Houston, Texas, and was wrapped in August 2013, taking a collective 39 days to shoot. It was the first feature film for Ellar Coltrane, who was six years old when they began filming. The young actor garnered critical acclaim and, after that role, has appeared in a few productions and starred in Summer Night in 2019.

7 Matilda (1996)

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The adaptation of Roal Dahl's novel follows the story of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson), a gifted girl with mental powers who is part of a very uneducated family. She feels misunderstood and isolated at home, because her family does not share any of her interests. But her life changes radically when she starts school, where she enhances her abilities and forms a very special bond with Miss Jennifer Honey (Embeth Davidtz), a woman who will help the protagonist become a girl with an even greater potential.

The movie was directed by Danny DeVito, who also played Harry Wormwood, Matilda's father, and also starred Rhea Perlman and Pam Ferris. Young actress Mara Wilson, who had risen to fame for her role in Mrs. Doubtfire, earned excellent critics for her role and several nominations. However, her time in Hollywood was brief, as in 2000 she retired from acting and subsequently devoted herself to writing.

6 Room (2015)

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This film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and inspired by the novel by Emma Donoghue tells the story of Jack (Jacob Tremblay), a cheerful five-year-old boy who lives with his mom Joy (Brie Larson) in a windowless room. Seven years prior Joy was kidnapped by a man who abuses her, and in that period, Jack was born. The woman created a world to keep the little boy unaware of the situation, but as the years pass and the boy grows older, they come up with a risky plan that will allow them to escape and face something even scarier: the real world, full of new things and new first times.

His role in Room marked one of the first performances for Jacob Tremblay, a young boy with an innate talent for acting, and earned him the Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Artist. Jacob's career is still rising: in 2017 he starred in Wonder, and in the following years he participated in films such as The Predator, Doctor Sleep and Luca.

Related: Luca is Now Streaming For Free on Disney+

5 Billy Elliot (2000)

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Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) is an 11-year-old boy, son and brother of mineworkers. At his father's (Gary Lewis) request, Billy takes boxing lessons, yet he doesn't enjoy them. One day, while he is taking his class at the gym, a classical ballet class catches his attention. Therefore, and with the complicity of the teacher, Billy joins the class without telling his father, who eventually finds out and forbids him to continue. However, Billy decides to pursue his passion and begins his lessons secretly with a dance teacher who pushes him to become a great dancer.

This film directed by Stephen Daldry is a screen adaptation of Lee Hall's play, and was the production that launched Jamie Bell to success, earning him a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Jamie kept playing different roles over the years, and in 2021 he joined the cast of Tom Clancy's Without Remorse.

4 I Am Sam (2001)

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I Am Sam was the movie that launched the young talent Dakota Fanning to stardom. Directed by Jessie Nelson, it tells the story of Sam Dawson (Sean Penn), a mentally handicapped man who must fight to keep custody of his young daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) because the state considers him unfit to raise her. The prestigious lawyer Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer) is in charge of Sam's defense, and her initial disinterest and indifference will change after meeting the man and discovering the love he feels for his daughter.

Dakota Fanning was considered a child acting prodigy, and her career from this film onwards was nothing but on the rise, starring in films such as Man on Fire, Uptown Girls and Hide and Seek.

3 Léon: The Professional (1994)

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Mathilda (Natalie Portman) is a girl with a dysfunctional family. Her father is a drug dealer who is in business with Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman), a corrupt DEA agent. One day, while the girl is shopping, Norman kills her entire family. When she comes back, she takes refuge in Léon's house (Jean Reno), a lonely and mysterious neighbor who works as a hitman. The two of them make a pact: Mathilda will take care of the housework and teach Léon to read, and in exchange, he will teach her how to shoot in order to take revenge on those who killed her little brother. Over the course of the film the relationship between these two characters grows closer and closer.

Léon: The Professional was Natalie Portman's feature film debut, and she has since starred in numerous productions, including Black Swan, V for Vendetta and Star Wars.

2 Home Alone (1990)

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This Christmas classic catapulted Macaulay Culkin to stardom, making him by far the most famous kid of the 90s. Directed by Chris Columbus, Home Alone follows the story of little Kevin McAllister, an eight-year-old member of a large family, who is accidentally left at home when the whole family travels to France for the vacations. Kevin takes advantage of this newfound freedom, but all things come at a price: not only must he learn some basic lessons about responsibility and independence, but he must also use all his intelligence to defend his home from two burglars who attempt to break in.

The cast is rounded out by actors such as Joe Pesci, Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Stern and John Heard, and was the first of many roles played by Culkin. After some scandals and recovering from his addictions and personal problems, the actor returned to the screen in 2021 to join the cast of American Horror Story.

1 The Sixth Sense (1999)

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Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a prominent Philadelphia child psychologist who is haunted by the painful memory of a young patient he was unable to help. But when he meets Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a terrified eight-year-old boy in need of treatment, he finds an opportunity to redeem himself by trying his best to help him. But the doctor is unprepared to learn the terrible truth behind his patient's supernatural gift: Cole is getting unwanted visits from tormented spirits.

The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, is considered one of the best psychological thrillers ever, with a very unexpected plot twist. The part of Cole Sear brought Haley Joel Osment worldwide fame, along with an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. And while he has played a few more parts over the years, to this day his performance as Cole Sear is still his best-remembered role.