Where are they now: Kids from 'The Twilight Zone'
Image: AP / YouTube
We saw many unexpected things go down in The Twilight Zone, but for obvious reasons, we always got a little more twitchy than usual when a kid was involved in any of the imaginative series' warped plots. From the owner of Talky Tina to Bill Mumy's frightening mind control powers, these child actors were often tasked to portray characters with a lot of extra dimension.
Wondering what ever happened to all those kids who creeped you out in Twilight Zone episodes? We followed them out into the real world to discover their later roles in film and TV, as well as unexpected twists, like growing up to breed horses or be conservative news commentators and even open restaurants in major cities.
Ready to turn forward the hands of time to catch up? See your favorite Twilight Zone kids all grown up below.
Bill Mumy
Twilight Zone episode: "It's a Good Life"
Best remembered as Will Robinson on Lost in Space, Bill Mumy has remained active as an actor long after his Twilight Zone appearance as an ominous child who can control things with his mind in "It's a Good Life." Most recently, Mumy's worked as a voice actor on the animated series Bravest Warriors.
Image: YouTube
Ron Howard
Twilight Zone episode: "Walking Distance"
Ron Howard memorably turned up in The Twilight Zone as a young boy playing marbles in the street who waves over the lead character Martin Sloan. In "Walking Distance," the man is on an unexpected journey to meet his younger self, and Howard is the first to signal to the character that not everything is as it seems. Of course, nowadays, Howard sticks more to directing than acting, although he does occasionally take on a role. Most recently he's been working on the new Han Solo movie Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Image: Twitter
Ann Jillian
Twilight Zone episode: "Mute"
Ann Jillian had an intriguing role in The Twilight Zone where she played a young mute girl who only knew how to communicate telepathically with her parents. When they die, her hopes for communicating are lost. Since then, Jillian was cast to star in several short-lived series, including It's a Living and Ann Jillian. Her final acting role was as a senator on Walker, Texas Ranger in 2000, pictured here.
Image: CBS Studios International
Jeffrey Byron and Mary Badham
Twilight Zone episode: "The Bewitchin' Pool"
The freckle-faced kids from the final episode of The Twilight Zone, "The Bewitchin' Pool," both continued acting after their disappearing and reappearing act in their backyard pool. Byron most recently appeared in the TV movie Enough About Jack in addition to appearances in feature films like Star Trek (2009) and TV shows like The Bold and the Beautiful. His onscreen "sister" Mary Badham largely retired from acting after 1966, but returned for one final role in the 2005 movie Our Very Own. More recently in that, she's appeared in several documentaries discussing her memorable role as Scout in the 1962 movie To Kill a Mockingbird.
Image: IMDb / AP
Tracy Stratford
Twilight Zone episode: "The Living Doll"
Tracy Stratford held her own across from Telly Savalas as her temperamental stepfather in the top-rated Twilight Zone episode "The Living Doll." She retired from acting in 1969, with her last role on the My Three Sons episode "Three's a Crowd." Most recently, though, she's also appeared in documentaries, discussing her role as the voice of Lucy Van Pelt in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Image: noblemania.com
Ricky Kelman
Twilight Zone episode: "Young Man's Fancy"
For The Twilight Zone episode "Young Man's Fancy," Ricky Kelman played the searing younger version of the starring character Alex. We first see older Alex and his new bride going through his mother's house after she's died. But when his mother's ghost appears, Alex turns back into his younger self, and Ricky Kelman's glare manages to come across hauntingly adult when he tells his bride to leave him with his mom. Kelman retired from acting in the 1970s, shown here on one of his last appearances, The Lucy Show episode "Lucy and Andy Griffith."
Morgan Brittany
Twilight Zone episodes: "The Valley of the Shadow," "Nightmare as a Child"
Morgan Brittany appeared in several episodes of The Twilight Zone, most prominently in "Nightmare as a Child" but also memorable as the girl who zaps the dog away in "Valley of the Shadow." After retiring from acting in 2004, Brittany went on to become a conservative commentator on shows on Fox News and CNBC. She currently co-owns and serves as co-anchor for the conservative news site PolitiChicks.
Image: YouTube
Stephen Perry
Twilight Zone episode: "Big Tall Wish"
After appearing in The Twilight Zone episode "Big Tall Wish" as the young boy who wishes his boxing hero will win, the child actor Stephen Perry became famous for his memorable role in A Raisin in the Sun. He continued acting through the '90s, last seen in the 1997 TV movie Escape from Atlantis. These days, though, he's in the restaurant biz with his L.A. eatery Stevie's Creole Cafe, which opened in 2016.
Image: eddlacity.com
Michael Burns
Twilight Zone episode: "The Shelter"
In The Twilight Zone episode "The Shelter," Michael Burns plays young Paul Stockton, the son of the family who has the stocked storm shelter. Since then, the child actor has led a whirlwind life beyond the world of TV, though. He retired from acting in 1986, but before then, he got his PhD from Yale University and has become a published historian with his book Dreyfus. He also taught at Mount Holyoke College for more than 20 years and currently, it's reported that he breeds thoroughbred horses.
Image: alchetron.com