By Jessica Wedemeyer
5:04am PDT, Jun 7, 2021
All '90s kids loved Nickelodeon! Wonderwall.com is taking a look at what happened to a few of our favorite actors and actresses who starred on the channel during that decade, starting with this actress, who celebrates her 40th birthday on June 7, 2021… Larisa Oleynik was 13 when Nickelodeon's "The Secret World of Alex Mack" debuted in 1994. She starred as the titular teen — who developed the ability to liquefy after an accident with a top-secret chemical — until 1998.
Keep reading to find out what Larisa is up to today, and to get the scoop on kids from the casts of "All That," "Clarissa Explains It All," "The Amanda Show" and more…
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Larisa Oleynik went on to star in "10 Things I Hate About You" in 1999. She also had runs on "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Pretty Little Liars," "Hawaii Five-0" and "Mad Men" and appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies. She also popped up on a 2016 episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." These days, you can see her on "The Healing Powers of Dude" and "Trinkets" on Netflix. In 2021, she appeared in the comedy "We Broke Up."
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Amanda Bynes was 10 when she debuted on "All That." She appeared on the sketch-comedy show from 1996 to 2000 and starred on spinoff "The Amanda Show" from 1999 to 2002.
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Since her days as a Nickelodeon child star, Amanda Bynes' career has been filled with ups and downs. From 2002 to 2006, she starred on The WB sitcom "What I Like About You" and went on to make her film debut in 2002's "Big Fat Liar." Throughout the '00s, she landed several starring roles in films including "What A Girl Wants," "She's the Man," "Hairspray" and 2010's "Easy A." Unfortunately, her personal life has also unraveled in the spotlight — she's faced a series of drug and mental health-related struggles in recent years. Amanda's mother has been in charge of her affairs since 2013, the year she became her daughter's conservator. In 2014, Amanda — who paused her acting career to study fashion (she graduated from California's Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2019) — revealed that she'd been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2020, she became engaged to Paul Michael, whom she reportedly met in her former sober living home. In January 2021, Amanda released the rap track "Diamonds."
Danny Tamberelli had just turned 9 when Nickelodeon's "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" aired its first special on the network in February 1991, which was followed by four more, then a three-season series run. He starred as Little Pete until 1996 and then appeared on the network's variety show "All That" from 1997 to 2000.
Danny Tamberelli appeared in "Igby Goes Down" in 2002, voiced a character on "Fillmore!" from 2002 to 2004 and then left Hollywood. He studied music at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and earned a degree in interdisciplinary arts, and then, according to his LinkedIn profile, worked as a sales rep for the Vinvino Wine Company from 2006 to 2009. The former child star who also plays bass and sings for punk-rock trio Jounce founded a sketch comedy group, ManBoobs Comedy, in 2007 and launched the "Adventures of Danny & Mike" podcast with "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" co-star Michael C. Maronna in 2013. And get this: Danny lent his voice and likeness to the character Jimmy in the 2013 video game "Grand Theft Auto V." He has definitely stayed busy! Next up, he'll appear in two television shows: "Stellar People" and "The Tonopah Five." In 2018, he wed author Katelyn Detweiler. They welcomed their first child, son Alfie, in 2019.
Michael C. Maronna was 13 when Nickelodeon's "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" debuted in 1992. He starred on the series as Big Pete until 1996.
After "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" ended in 1996, Michael C. Maronna put acting aside to work behind the scenes, though he had small roles in a handful of projects including films "Slackers" and "40 Days and 40 Nights" in 2002. The former child star, who studied film at SUNY-Purchase in New York, has since worked as an on-set electrician doing lighting for a number of films — from the "Sex and the City" movie and "Men in Black 3" to "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Notorious." He's also worked on the sets of TV shows "Ugly Betty," "Pan Am," "Nurse Jackie," "Elementary" and "Shades of Blue." In 2013, he launched the "Adventures of Danny & Mike" podcast with "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" co-star Danny Tamberelli.
Kenan Thompson began acting on Nickelodeon's "All That" when he was 16. He had a main role on the series from 1994 to 1999 and simultaneously starred on the sitcom "Kenan & Kel" from 1996 to 2000 opposite Kel Mitchell.
Since his days as a Nickelodeon child star, Kenan Thompson sure has crafted an impressive — and enduring — career. The actor joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 2003 and is still on the hit NBC show. In fact, he's the longest tenured cast member in the show's history. He's also been nominated for four Emmys for his work on "SNL" and won once (in 2018). The "Mighty Ducks," "Good Burger" and "Fat Albert" actor has also lent his voice to characters in several films including "The Smurfs," "The Smurfs 2," "Wonder Park" and "Trolls World Tour." Kenan — who debuted the NBC sitcom "Kenan" in 2021 — will next appear in the films "Spinning Gold" and a "Home Alone" reboot and will voice the vet in 2021's "Clifford the Big Red Dog." In March 2021, Kenan went back to his roots when he hosted the 34th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He married Christina Evangeline, with whom he has two kids, in 2011.
Kel Mitchell was 15 when the first season of Nickelodeon's "All That" debuted in 1994. He starred on the variety show until 1999 and also headlined the network's "Kenan & Kel" from 1996 to 2000.
Kel Mitchell has worked consistently on television since the '90s but has yet to recreate his early success. He's booked plenty of work as a voice actor over the years, though, and even returned to Nickelodeon in 2015 to portray rapper Double G on the sitcom "Game Shakers." He went back to his "All That" roots in June 2019, serving as executive producer alongside former co-star Kenan Thompson for the show's reboot with a new cast of kids and even occasionally made appearances on the revival. More recently, Kel returned to the small screen in 2019 to compete on season 28 of "Dancing With the Stars" — he came in second place with pro partner Witney Carson. Since December 2020, he's co-hosted the comedy clip series "Deliciousness" alongside Angela Kinsey, Tim Chantarangsu and Tiffani Thiessen. In 2004, the former child star parted ways with Tyisha Hampton, his wife of six years, with whom he had son Lyric and daughter Allure. In 2012, he married rapper-designer Asia Lee. The two welcomed daughter Wisdom in 2017 and son Honor in 2020.
Melissa Joan Hart was just 14 when her show "Clarissa Explains It All" launched in 1991. She starred on the series until 1994.
Melissa Joan Hart went on to star on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" from 1996 to 2003 and "Melissa & Joey" from 2010 to 2015. She also headlined the 1999 teen rom-com "Drive Me Crazy" as well as countless made-for-TV movies. Melissa also starred in the 2016 Christian-themed film "God's Not Dead 2." More recently, she starred on the 2019 Netflix sitcom "No Good Nick" and made several Lifetime holiday movies. She's also done quite a bit of work behind the camera, producing projects as well as directing everything from movies like "The Santa Con" and "The Watcher in the Woods" to episodes of "The Goldbergs" and "Young Sheldon." 2020 was a busy year for the former Nickelodeon star: She appeared in the television movie "Dear Christmas" and lent her voice to a character on "The Casagrandes." Next up, she might be reprising her role as Clarissa Darling on a reboot of her old Nick series, which is currently on hold. In 2003, the former child star married musician Mark Wilkerson, with whom she shares sons Mason, Brady and Tucker.
Josh Server, who's known for his character Walter the Earboy, had just turned 15 when Nickelodeon's "All That" debuted in 1994. He starred on the variety show until 2000.
Josh Server stepped out of the spotlight after his reign as the longest tenured "All That" cast member came to an end in 2000. Though he hasn't worked much in Hollywood since then, the former child star did appear as a series regular on Amazon's 2015-2016 series "Good Girls Revolt." And when "All That" was rebooted in June 2019, Josh was on board alongside former co-star Lori Beth Denberg (Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson served as executive producers). In 2020, he appeared in the sci-fi flick "Await the Dawn." In 2021, he appeared in the short film "Cookie."
Katrina Johnson was just 11 when Nickelodeon's "All That" debuted in 1994. The child actress, who was known for her impersonations of Ross Perot and Roseanne Barr, starred on the variety show until 1997.
Katrina Johnson said goodbye to Hollywood when she left "All That" in 1997. She now lives primarily in Las Vegas, where she works as a contact flight attendant for private jets. According to a profile for the former child star on one flight contract website, Katrina is "a qualified professional with a degree in communication," who has "a determined work ethic [and] flight safety proficiency." The profile also states that the former child star has "traveled all over the world and [has] vast experience with all sorts of clientele and different cultures." Katrina, who's active on Instagram, also co-hosts the "Uncensored Radio" podcast.
Jewel Staite — who also appeared on two episodes of Nickelodeon's horror anthology "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" — was 13 when "Space Cases" debuted in 1996. She starred as rainbow-haired engineer Catalina on the first season but left before season 2 of the Nick sci-fi show.
Jewel Staite left Nickelodeon's "Space Cases" to star on the Disney Channel's "Flash Forward." She appeared on several TV shows before returning to her roots in 2002: The former child star portrayed yet another spaceship engineer on FOX's short-lived "Firefly." Two years later, she starred in "Serenity," a film continuation of the cult series. Jewel went on to star on "Stargate: Atlantis" from 2005 to 2009 and on season 3 of "The Killing" in 2013. More recently, she popped up in episodes of "Blindspot" from 2017 to 2020 and "The Magicians" from 2019 to 2020. Next up, she'll star as Abigail Bianchi on the crime drama series "Family Law," which is set to debut in 2021. Jewel and "Impastor" actor Matt Anderson were reportedly married from 2003 to 2011. In 2015, she got engaged to Charlie Ritchie. The duo welcomed a son, Wilder, later that year and wed in 2016.
Drake Bell was 13 in 1999 during the first season of Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show." He starred in the Totally Kyle and Tony Pajamas sketches on the variety show until 2001.
Drake Bell went on to star on another Nickelodeon series, "Drake & Josh," from 2004 to 2007. He's continued to work regularly since then, primarily as a voice actor. The former child star also appeared in the 2005 family comedy "Yours, Mine & Ours" and in a handful of made-for-TV movies and in 2013 competed on the reality TV show "Splash." Drake reunited with "Drake & Josh" co-star Josh Peck for a 2016 episode of "Grandfathered." In 2020, he released his fifth studio album, "Sesiones En Casa." It hasn't all been good news: The former Nick star filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and was arrested for DUI in 2009 and 2015. In June 2021, he was charged in Cleveland, Ohio, with attempted endangerment of a child and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles reportedly related to a December 2017 incident there. He pleaded not guilty.
Meagan Good was 17 when Nickelodeon's "Cousin Skeeter" debuted in 1998. She starred as Bobby's friend and love interest Nina Jones until 2001.
Meagan Good went on to appear in a number of films including "Deliver Us from Eva," "Brick," "Stomp the Yard," "The Love Guru," "Saw V," "Think Like a Man" and "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues." She's also appeared on television on "Raising Dad," "My Wife and Kids," "Californication" and "Deception." She starred on the short-lived 2015 television reboot of "Minority Report" and popped up on three episodes of "Code Black" in 2016. More recently, she did a stint on FOX's "Star" in 2018 and "Prodigal Son" in 2020. In 2021, she starred in the Lifetime movie "Death Saved My Life" alongside her sister, La'Myia Good. Up next? She'll play Camille on the television series "Harlem" and will appear in the Jamie Foxx-led film "Day Shift." In 2012, the former child star and preacher-writer-producer DeVon Franklin tied the knot.
In 1996, Michelle Trachtenberg starred as aspiring sixth grade spy Harriet M. Welsch in "Harriet the Spy." When the film came out, Michelle was three months shy of her 11th birthday! That wasn't her first acting gig for Nickelodeon though — from 1994 to 1996, she portrayed Nona F. Mecklenberg on "The Adventures of Pete & Pete."
After her days on Nickelodeon, Michelle Trachtenberg continued to grace the small screen. Notably, from 2000 to 2003, she portrayed Dawn Summers on the supernatural television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The actress, who in 2021 called out "BTVS" creator Joss Whedon's inappropriate behavior on set, went on to play bad girl Georgina Sparks on The CW's "Gossip Girl" from 2007 to 2012. In addition to voicing multiple roles on "Robot Chicken" and appearing on shows including "Mercy," "Love Bites" and "Weeds," Michelle most recently voiced Judy Reilly on the Facebook Watch series "Human Kind Of."
