Kristy McNichol

Although well-known for her TV work, having won two Emmy awards in her teens for her role on the drama series Family, Kristy McNichol seemed poised to become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood thanks to roles in Little Darlings and Only When I Laugh, winning a People’s Choice Award in 1980 for the latter movie in the Favorite Young Motion Picture Actress category. However, her first movie flop (The Pirate Movie in 1982) may have started her downhill slide. She had a breakdown while filming her next movie (Just the Way You Are) from stress due the loss of her childhood – she’d worked nonstop since she was seven, and later realized her problems were exacerbated due to a chemical imbalance, which proved to be bipolar disorder. Since retiring from movies she devotes her time to charity work.