Corey Haim & Corey Feldman

We all remember them. The two Coreys who ruled the teen comedy movies of the 80s. Together they made classic movies such as Lost Boys, License To Drive, Dream A Little Dream etc.
Individually they made classic movies such as The Goonies, Lucas, Stand By Me etc.

We all know that they both got into trouble with drugs, alcohol & general standard child star problems and as far as Im aware have both cleaned up their acts years ago.

So heres my question.
Why are they not able to get back into the business and star in any decent big box office movies? It cant be because they were child stars because other child stars have happily went onto enjoy successful careers in movies & television such as Drew Barrymore, Anthony Michael Hall & Sean Astin plus many more. As far as Im aware all these stars have had problems that weren't any different from the two Coreys.

So why are the two Coreys unable to be offered decent parts in any decent well-known movies? Whats the reason for big movies staying clear of them whilst other child stars like them who were in the same sitaution get offered parts?

Anyone got any views or opinions on the reason?

I know...because they both are sucky actors..IMHO... :p

A lot of it is because their drug and alcohol problems get the best of them, crippling their careers at their most vital times - their late teens and early 20s, when an actor really needs to learn more about the craft and the industry. They were recovering from their addictions at that time.

Most child stars who have successfully become adult stars didn't have that hindrance at that time - besides Anthony Michael Hall and Sean Astin, I'm also looking at Diane Lane, Jodie Foster, Kurt Russell, Christina Ricci, and Mickey Rooney. Drew Barrymore is an exception, but she had pretty much kicked her habit by then (having gotten it out of her system by, like, 13).

Plus, they're just not very good actors, and they were so over-exposed they became their own punchlines. Maybe Quentin Tarantino will someday give them a Pam Grier-like career resurrection in one of his movies.

AriesPlus, they're just not very good actors, and they were so over-exposed they became their own punchlines. Maybe Quentin Tarantino will someday give them a Pam Grier-like career resurrection in one of his movies.

He brought Travolta back to life too...

I thought for the types of movies they did they were ok actors (just as good as anyone in the American Pie type movies of today).

My guess is movie companies dont consider them now because there not seen as a money making names, even although everyone knows who they are. Surely they cant be scared of by their drug habits from 15 years ago???

Must be annoying for them though. Plus I've heard they have both declared themselves bankrupt. Imagine having everything to lose everything. They both had the oppertunity and blew it.

What do they do now?????????? I cant imagine either getting a normal job after everything they have done. Are any of them married/have children etc?

My guess is movie companies dont consider them now because there not seen as a money making names, even although everyone knows who they are.

I doubt any one younger than 25 has a clue who they are....

I doubt any one younger than 25 has a clue who they are....


Well, I'm 19 and I know who they are...but I mainly knew them as punchlines until I went and watched some of their movies.

I'm guessing Aries is right, they screwed up at the most important time for their careers. Plus, it's not exactly like Anthony Micheal Hall has had a fabulous career lately. I just think it's hard to recapture that charm or humor that an actor may have as a child. We've discusses this with Natalie Wood as well, she wasn't a bad actress persay as she got older, but she was so much more appealing as a child.

That might have something to do with it....but I dunno.

Anthony Michael Hall is actually doing quite well in the TV series The Dead Zone. Steady work for an actor must not be easy to land.

It may also have a lot to do with what actors people found appealing in the 80s and early 90s and how that has changed so much now. Just look at Patrick Swayze...

It may also have a lot to do with what actors people found appealing in the 80s and early 90s and how that has changed so much now. Just look at Patrick Swayze...

thats a great point, never thought of it like that.

If they can't get anywork in movies/Tv, they can always stay on the autograph circuit/write the biography....

If they can't get anywork in movies/Tv, they can always stay on the autograph circuit/write the biography....Corey Feldman has been on one of the cheesier reality shows with some other two-bit, washed up celebs and singers...like Vince Neal of Motley Crue and Brigette Nielsen ......

If they can't get anywork in movies/Tv, they can always stay on the autograph circuit/write the biography....

Ooh I dunno. There's nothing sadder than the sight of an adult actor..especially one who has gone through a period of obscurity and/or drug/drink rehab sitting at memorabilia conventions signing photos of himself as a cheeky 12 year old child actor....

Reminds me of the scene in...either Family Guy or The Simpsons....with a fat (adult) Butch Patrick still dressing in his Eddie Munster costume to do conventions....

Corey Feldman has been on one of the cheesier reality shows with some other two-bit, washed up celebs and singers...like Vince Neal of Motley Crue and Brigette Nielsen

Jeez! What was that called? 'I'm a Non-entity...Get Me Out Of Here'?
'Miniscule Brother'?...'Poop Idol'?

It was called The Surreal Life . . . really.

It was called The Surreal Life . . . really.
Yeah that is it...really a sad sad program :p


CharlieJeez! What was that called? 'I'm a Non-entity...Get Me Out Of Here'?
'Miniscule Brother'?...'Poop Idol'? :D

That figures...if Bridget 'What Day Is It?' Neilsen was in it, 'Surreal' is an understatement!

She was in the last series of Celebrity Big Brother over here...as was Jackie Stallone!!!

That figures...if Bridget 'What Day Is It?' Neilsen was in it, 'Surreal' is an understatement!

She was in the last series of Celebrity Big Brother over here...as was Jackie Stallone!!!
it was BAD..and I don't care for Reality Shows anyway...but it is like they say...it was like a bad wreck, you don't want to look but you just can't help it....

It may also have a lot to do with what actors people found appealing in the 80s and early 90s and how that has changed so much now. Just look at Patrick Swayze...

Except of course, he's had his own Donnie Darko-led mini-ressurrection. He's in the new brit-rom-com "Keeping Mum" with Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott-Thomas, and Maggie Smith right now (don't know if it's being released across the pond, though).

Except of course, he's had his own Donnie Darko-led mini-ressurrection. He's in the new brit-rom-com "Keeping Mum" with Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott-Thomas, and Maggie Smith right now (don't know if it's being released across the pond, though).

I hope he's not relying on this movie as his comeback movie. Im surprised he is even appearing in it. Any movie who's main star is Rowan Atkinson is going to be crap. He's hardly a telented actor, the guy isn't even funny. Im embarrssed for him. Im surprised this has even come out at the cinema and not went straight to DVD.

Maybe Patrick should have made a his comeback movie with the two Coreys instead, ha ha theres an idea to try and get your head round :eek: :D

Except of course, he's had his own Donnie Darko-led mini-ressurrection. He's in the new brit-rom-com "Keeping Mum" with Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott-Thomas, and Maggie Smith right now (don't know if it's being released across the pond, though).

Mini-ressurrection you say? I was under the impression he had Donnie Darko and was otherwise doing very poorly with things like the television movie of King Solomon's Mines. However this new show he is in Keeping Mum is good? Or at least popular?

Any movie who's main star is Rowan Atkinson is going to be crap. He's hardly a telented actor, the guy isn't even funny.

Depends what you see him in and who wrote it. Atkinson is actually a very talented physical comedian (although I'm not a fan of Mr Bean, that TV series has been phenomenally successful around the world..as dialogue free comedy often is). The Blackadder series on Tv were also very successful and very funny..

Unfortunately he's yet to find a film role that matches up to any of the Blackadder stuff

Rowan Atkinson is a television "actor".
Me personally, I think the only thing he has done that was any good was Blackadder.
Mr Bean was terrible.

Plus what has he done film wise that has been any good?
Nothing. A Mr Bean movie and some spoof Bond type movie.

What has he done in the last 10 years thats been any good, not a lot.
Blackadder & even Mr Bean stuff was 80s early 90s.

Anyway this has nothing to do with the original post.

Im guessing both the Coreys still want to work in movies so why do they movie companies not give them another shot when they give other child actors who were more messed up than them, like Drew Barrymore a shot.

Sure they were not the best actors in the world but neither is half the actors out there who still appear in decent well known movies.

Are there some actors maybe the movie companies just dont want to know about anymore?

Have either the Coreys starred in anything recently?

I don't think it has much to do with any problems they have had, Hollywood seems to be extremely forgiving with it's troubled stars of any age.

I still maintain they just aren't that good and I for one have not missed either one an iota. In fact I always found Feldman extremely annoying in everything he has ever been in.

And sorry to digress again, but yeah, what is the deal with Rowan Atkinson, I think Blackadder is one of the most brillant shows ever and he too is just brilliant as Blackadder....

but I can't stand anything else he has done... :confused:..

Moving to "Sidestream & Old School" . . . because they are. :)

I don't think it has much to do with any problems they have had, Hollywood seems to be extremely forgiving with it's troubled stars of any age.

I still maintain they just aren't that good and I for one have not missed either one an iota. In fact I always found Feldman extremely annoying in everything he has ever been in.

And sorry to digress again, but yeah, what is the deal with Rowan Atkinson, I think Blackadder is one of the most brillant shows ever and he too is just brilliant as Blackadder....

but I can't stand anything else he has done... :confused:..

I see where your coming from, maybe it is just the simple fact they are not good actors hence the reason no-one wants them in their movies.

I personally thought they were funny in the movies they were and really like some of their movies they did.

I suppose maybe a problem they have is that people still identify with them as being teenagers and are not interested in seeing them now, in their 30s playng parts in movies.

Ya know how people get stuck in a certain roles, like Stallone as an action hero, Adam Sandler as a comedy movie guy, Dustin Hoffman as a boring old fart. Well maybe the two Coreys are stuck in the role of a teenager, problem is theres no way they can play those parts now obviouslly cause they're both grown up so pretty much, their both f*cked.

I can hardly remember anything Cory Haim has been in other than The Lost Boys, well both of them and Feldman The Goonies and The Burbs and Stand by Me....CF stands out more in my brain, but I didn't grow up watching either of them, and as an adult I always found CF an extremely annoying smart-ass....

Feldman is superb in Stand By Me as Vern. Exactly how I imagined him in the book

No question Feldman was the more talented of the two, but, yeah, it's the Deana Durbin effect--even roaringly popular child actors can have trouble transitioning to adult roles. People (both filmmakers and audiences) get creepily attached to them as darling little children and have an awful time accepting them in maturity.

I think Liz Taylor made the easiest/best transition to adult star.

I have noticed alot of the child actors are like puppies, they are just so damn cute when they are little and then they grow up and aren't so cute anymore....then we look to the next batch of puppies.

Feldman is superb in Stand By Me as Vern. Exactly how I imagined him in the book

do you mean O'Connell as Vern Tessio, or Feldman as Teddy Duchamp? :confused:

I agree that Hollywood is very forgiving of actors who have had their share of problems... Tim Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Charlie Sheen to name a few. It's possible that they were just more of the young stars that no one ever hears from again, be it because they pursue other avenues or just have a really hard time getting back on the horse...

Corey Haim was pretty good in Silver Bullet.

I think Liz Taylor made the easiest/best transition to adult star.
I don't know what about Gary Coleman :p . I really can't remember CH but CF I can :D

do you mean O'Connell as Vern Tessio, or Feldman as Teddy Duchamp

Sorry...your quite right :o been a while since I've seen/read it...Teddy Duchamp..

I don't know what about Gary Coleman :p . I really can't remember CH but CF I can :D
Oh yeah forgot about him :rolleyes:

I think CF is more memorable, atleast for me, because he was so annoying...

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b376/Plummereatpatch/gary_coleman_romo.jpg
How could you forget this face :D

I feel it's probably a mix of what everyone's said. Hollywood is very forgiving, but only under certain circumstances, like if an actor had a drug/alcohol problem that was hugely publicized, and they're "blacklisted" persay, they won't be brought back into Hollywood's good graces unless they act in something that shows they should be brought back. I can't really think of any actor who had some issues publicized everywhere and then was accepted back into Hollywood without producing some good/popular work.

And what I meant by my Anthony Michael Hall example is that he's certainly not as popular with Dead Zone now as he was with his movies back in the 80's. And besides, it took him quite a while to get any legitimately recognized work. Feldman was good at playing a smartass, but very few people can make that transition from child actor to adult actor, and considering his roles were basically the same in every film as a kid, it's not like he could be considered versatile.

I think being a child actor is kind of like a death sentence to your career, except for the few lucky ones....and even for them, like Liz Taylor, she's obviously not exactly a healthy 73 year old, and that's besides the brain tumor...Hollywood has obviously taken it's toll on her.

think being a child actor is kind of like a death sentence to your career I agree with that, you could get a huge part in a drama and everyone would still say "isn't that the kid from so and so?" and some would even go as far to avoid the movie because they know you played a certain role as a child actor :rolleyes:

Who is more stable now out of the two Coreys?

Feldman or Haim

I heard somewhere that Haim is still living with his mother whereas Feldman I think is married.

Anyone know?

i met anthony michael hall a couple weeks ago-i was in downtown saratoga with a few of my girlfriends, and there he was. my friend nikki was the 1st one to see him, and as she said, 'isn't that the dork from the breakfast club?' i suppose years and years can pass, but with just the right/wrong part, you can have it permanently stapled to you...

i met anthony michael hall a couple weeks ago-i was in downtown saratoga with a few of my girlfriends, and there he was. my friend nikki was the 1st one to see him, and as she said, 'isn't that the dork from the breakfast club?' i suppose years and years can pass, but with just the right/wrong part, you can have it permanently stapled to you...

very true.

ha ha poor anthony michael hall, always remembered for being a geek.

The series he is in The Dead Zone is pretty good.

he'll always be Farmer Ted, the geek from Sixteen Candles, to me. :)

Saw a recent pic of Corey Haim. Two things I noticed.

1. He's put on a lot of weight. I know he's an adult now but he looks fat.

2. He still has the same hairdo from the 80s. ha ha :eek:

Channel 4 did The 100 Top Family Films over Christmas and Coery Feldman (representing The Goonies and Gremlins) and he looks exactly the same...only older...same hair, same voice..same build..just ..older

I just saw an episode of "Cheers" from like 1983 where Corey Feldman played a kid on Coach's little league team and even though he only had 2 lines it was like fingers on a chalkboard when he delivered them.

Though I think maybe I'd enjoy his performances as a kid more if I didn't know what a tool he's grown up to be.

Channel 4 did The 100 Top Family Films over Christmas and Coery Feldman (representing The Goonies and Gremlins) and he looks exactly the same...only older...same hair, same voice..same build..just ..older


yeah I saw that, he hasn't changed at all.
strange but true

yeah I saw that, he hasn't changed at all.
strange but trueYes, he is like some sort of an alternate universe Peter Pan....

ha ha maybe so.

I heard that Feldman is married (to a fan) now and is still trying to get back into movies and is also fronting his own rock band.

Haim is meant to still be living with his mother back in Canada and works part time in a record star and is also trying to get back into movies.

Surely they must sit some days or maybe lie in bed a night and think, I had everything, a career, more money to see me through the rest of my life, everyone loved me now no-one wants to know me etc etc and now Im a has been with nothing. Must suck.

it was BAD..and I don't care for Reality Shows anyway...but it is like they say...it was like a bad wreck, you don't want to look but you just can't help it....


i saw about 10 minutes of an episode of the sureal life this summer while i was in Canada and it was exactly like you said... a car wreck.. horrifying but you cant seem to look away. If memory serves me well mini me was on it and so drunk somone had to carry him to his bed and he was humping a pillow in his sleep :eek:


p.s. i miss Cory Fieldmen i had such a crush on him in stand by me and the goonies... ofcourse i hadnt hit puberty yet then LOL

Does anyone remeber him on that episode of Married with Children? LOL

I missed that, but man that Surreal Life is something else... :eek: I saw a few of the ones with Vince Neil of Motley Crue and Brigette Neilson.

MARRIED WITH CHILDREN was brilliant

Hey, I was a child of the 80's, so this thread got me a little interested in what happened to Corey Haim..so I searched and was surprized that he has been making films still...found these on the net


Universal Groove (2004) .... Jim
The Back Lot Murders (2002) .... Tony
Without Malice (2000) (TV) .... Marty


Merlin (1998/I) (TV) .... Wilf
... aka Merlin: The Magic Begins
... aka Merlin: The Quest Begins
Demolition University (1997) (V) .... Lenny Slater
Never Too Late (1997) .... Max
... aka Jamais trop tard (Canada: French title)
Busted (1996) .... Clifford
Demolition High (1996) .... Lenny Slater

Hey, I was a child of the 80's, so this thread got me a little interested in what happened to Corey Haim..so I searched and was surprized that he has been making films still...found these on the net


Universal Groove (2004) .... Jim
The Back Lot Murders (2002) .... Tony
Without Malice (2000) (TV) .... Marty


Merlin (1998/I) (TV) .... Wilf
... aka Merlin: The Magic Begins
... aka Merlin: The Quest Begins
Demolition University (1997) (V) .... Lenny Slater
Never Too Late (1997) .... Max
... aka Jamais trop tard (Canada: French title)
Busted (1996) .... Clifford
Demolition High (1996) .... Lenny Slater

Those movies aren't well known or even have a cult following. The movies all go straight to DVD. I was meaning why aren't they in big movies like the ones that are shown at the cinema first.

Those movies aren't well known or even have a cult following. The movies all go straight to DVD. I was meaning why aren't they in big movies like the ones that are shown at the cinema first.

Because they're appearing in the sort of straight to DVD crap listed above and therefore no self respecting director is going to want to cast them in their film.

The only way the Coreys are likely to get back into mainstream, theatre released films is if Tarantino casts either of them in a John Travolta/Pam Greer type career re-launching role...

I had not seen or heard of any of those movies....only posting my findings through searching....never seen any one of them, don't plan on it. :)

Dickie Roberts, anyone see that?

the 2 Coreys were in it singing at the end.

yep...seen that.