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Haley Joel Osment in 'The Sixth Sense' (1999) -

He saw dead people, and audiences saw an amazing performance by Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear.

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Christian Bale in 'Empire Of The Sun' (1987) -

Set during WWII, a young Christian Bale plays an English kid who is captured by the Japanese.

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Anna Paquin in 'The Piano' (1993) -

This outstanding performance earned 11-year-old Paquin an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

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Henry Thomas in 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' (1982) -

Henry Thomas's role was so iconic that he's still remembered as the 'E.T.' kid. Thomas was such a good actor that he was hired on the spot during the audition.

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Jean-Pierre Léaud in 'The 400 Blows' (1959) -

This iconic François Truffaut film was marked by Jean-Pierre Léaud's outstanding performance, which set him on the path to becoming an important figure in French New Wave.

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Natalie Portman in 'Leon: The Professional' (1994) -

In her debut movie, Portman plays a 12-year-old who develops an unusual relationship with a hitman.

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Isabelle Fuhrman in 'Orphan' (2009) -

Isabelle Fuhrman performance as a dwarf pretending to be a child is truly intense and indeed chilling.

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River Phoenix in 'Stand by Me' (1986) -

The late actor's performance in this coming-of-age classic is outstanding. 

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Abigail Breslin in 'Little Miss Sunshine' (2006) -

Breslin received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for this role. She was just 10, making her one of the youngest Oscar nominees in history.

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Linda Blair in 'The Exorcist' (1973) -

Linda Blair played the possessed girl Regan MacNeil in this horror classic.  

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Salvatore Cascio in 'Cinema Paradiso' (1988) -

A kid in a Sicilian village falls in love with movies, and the rest is history. 

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Jamie Bell in 'Billy Elliot' (2000) -

Bell plays an English working class kid who discovers his talent for dancing. 

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Enzo Staiola in 'Bicycle Thieves' (1948) -

Enzo Staiola's performance as little Bruno in this Italian neorealism classic is a must-watch. 

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Jackie Coogan in 'The Kid' (1921) -

You might think a silent performance is challenging and you are absolutely right. Jackie Coogan goes down in history for his performance in this Charlie Chaplin movie. 

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Jodie Foster in 'Taxi Driver' (1976) -

The famous actress was only 12 when she played teenage prostitute Iris in the Martin Scorsese masterpiece.   

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Tatum O’Neal in 'Paper Moon' (1973) -

Set during the Great Depression, the actress plays a girl that may or may not be the daughter of a con-man. Tatum O’Neal won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

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Macaulay Culkin in 'Home Alone' (1990) -

Macaulay Culkin's performance was so iconic that, to this day, he is still known as the 'Home Alone' kid.

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Heather O’Rourke in 'Poltergeist' (1982) -

Sadly, the actress died at the age of 12, but she left this fantastic performance to be remembered by.

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Saoirse Ronan in 'Atonement' (2007) -

This was the movie that catapulted Ronan's career. The role earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

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Keisha Castle-Hughes in 'Whale Rider' (2002) -

Oscar-nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes plays a young Maori girl in this truly fantastic performance.

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Elle Fanning in 'Somewhere' (2010) -

A young Elle Fanning has an outstanding performance in this Sofia Coppola movie.

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Alex Hibbert in 'Moonlight' (2016) -

The actor co-stars with Mahershala Ali in Barry Jenkins’ touching coming-of-age movie.

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Christina Ricci in 'The Addams Family' (1991) -

Ricci's dark humor and deadpan performance is magnificent. Wednesday Addams became an iconic character. 

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Hailee Steinfeld in 'True Grit' (2010) -

For this role, Steinfield was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

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Lindsay Lohan in 'The Parent Trap' (1998) -

A 12-year-old Lohan convincingly played identical twins Annie and Hallie.  

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Quvenzhané Wallis in 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' (2012) -

Wallis was nine years old when she became the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscars history. 

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Giorgio Cantarini in 'Life is Beautiful' (1997) -

Cantarini plays the son of a Jewish man who uses imagination and humor to distract his son from the horror of the Nazis.

Sources: (Close-up Culture) (The Independent) (Screen Rant) 

See also: The best comedic performances from dramatic actors

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