Introduction

Who Participated in the Study?

74 adults (40 men & 34 women) who were employed as actors in the television and film industries between the ages of 0 to 18 years.
Recruited from the membership list of A Minor Consideration, the Screen Actors Guild Conference on the Welfare of Young Performers, and through "snowballing" (a research technique that uses associations and referrals among individuals who consent to participate).
Ages 18 to 68. Average age of the participants was 42.
Self-reported racial/ethnic identity reflects the demographic composition of the entertainment industry as a whole: over 90% White, 5.4% African American, and 4.1% identifying themselves as Multiracial or other.
The response rate is estimated at 32.5%. In other words, approximately one-third of the people who were invited to participate in the study actually returned a survey.

Characteristics of the Sample

1. Work History

Began their professional acting careers at an average age of 6.7 years, ranging from 6 months to 15 years of age. The majority of these individuals are veteran actors:

Leading Roles on Television: 78% had at least one appearance in a leading role on television. The average number of episodes performed as a lead was 108.
Supporting Roles on Television: Over 90% had a least one appearance in a supporting role on television. Average number of supporting role appearances was 66.
Leading Roles in a Major Film: Nearly half the sample (49%) had leading roles in a major film. Average number of film leads was 3.
Supporting Roles in a Major Film: 74% had supporting roles in a major film (average= 6)
Other Indices of National Exposure: Over 75% of the sample have been on the cover of a fan magazine, 46% have been on the cover of a national periodical (e.g., Time, Life, or People), and 58% had or have fan clubs in their names.

2. Employment Transition at Age 18:

Over 80% of the participants reported that they were still working actors at age 18; however, their peak year of earnings was at an average age of 14.3 years. Severeral participants who reported themselves as still working at 18 also noted that they had not worked regularly for some time prior to age 18; yet, they either falsely believed that more work would come or were simply unable to acknowledge that their acting careers had ended. Of those individuals who acknowledged that they were no longer working actors at age 18, 67% reported that this was not by choice. 71% experienced the transition as somewhat or very distressing.

3. Childhood Family History

Primary Caregiver. 45% perceived mother to be their primary caregiver, whereas 51% perceived both parents as equally involved in their care. One participant (1.4%) was raised primarily by his father, and two women (2.7%) were raised primarily by other relatives. 17% reported that someone other than a parent (e.g., another relative, agent, or self) serve as their primary caregiver for some period of time during their childhood. 16% were emancipated as minors.
Siblings. 85% had siblings and 53% had siblings who were also professional young performers.
Parental Divorce The parents of 46% percent of the sample had divorced; average age of the participants at the time of the divorce was 9.8 years.
Financial Earnings and the Family Among 68 % of the sample, at a mean age of 9.9 years, a annual income from their earnings as a young performer exceeded that of their parents.

60% were satisfied with the management of thcir childhood earnings.
60% believed they received the full benefit of their Coogan Funds.
26% had a trust fund other than the Coogan Fund.

4. Childhood Social and Educational History

Friends. 55% reported that, as children, the majority of their friends were adults, with another 16% reporting that they had equal numbers of adult and age mate friends.
School.
On average, 36% of their total Kindergarten through l2th-grade education was received on set
30% believed that their involvement in the entertainment industry as a child compromised the quality of their education. ¹
75% rated the quality of their on-set education as good, very good, or excellent.
90% reported receiving an average of at least 15 hours of on-set tutoring per week.
Regular high school diplomas were earned by 85% of the participants, with 11% earning GED certificates and 2 participants (3%) not completing a 12th-grade equivalent.
No participant had their work permit revoked for academic reasons.
8% were aware that they worked in violation of work permits for minors.

5. Where are they now?

Current Level of Education.

Ranged from 8 to 20 years. Average level of education achieved was 14 years (i.e., 2 years post high school).
55% completed at least two years of college or technical training.
42% completed a bachelor's degree or equivalent.
7% (5 participants) received advanced degrees aid now practice in the fields of law, academic theatre, mental health and physical medicine (2).

A majority of the participants (72%) reported that their current occupation includes involvement in some form of the Arts:
54% in performing arts (e.g., acting, broadcasting, musician)
18% in non-performance aspects of the Arts (e.g., director, producer, composer, and technical fields such as make-up and properties).

Arts Only. For 49%, some form of work in the Arts was the only occupation (or combination of occupations) listed.

Arts-and-Something-Else. One-third of those participants reporting continued involvement in the Arts also listed another occupation unrelated to the entertainment industry (e.g., actress/salesperson, actress/manicurist, actor/student, musician/clerk).

Current Income. Ranged from $0 to $2 million (median = $52, 500) for the year prior to the study.

Marital Status. 22% never married, 31% in their first marriage, 23% remarried, 20% currently separated or divorced, and 2% widowed, with 2% describing their marital status as other.