Mae Whitman

Mae Whitman defied the conventional wisdom that child stars come and go once they grow out of their cuteness. She was one of those rare Hollywood actresses who grew up in front of the camera yet avoided the all-too-common pitfalls of achieving fast fame and fortune. Whitman first stepped onto the limelight acting in television commercials, but her natural talent quickly landed her feature film roles - usually as a good-natured yet quirky daughter - opposite A-list actors like Meg Ryan in the drama "When a Man Loves a Woman" (1994), Bill Pullman in the blockbuster action flick "Independence Day" (1996), and Sandra Bullock in "Hope Floats" (1998) before she even hit her teen years. The versatile actress appeared on numerous sitcoms such as the cult classic "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06; Netflix, 2013- ) and NBC's hit drama "Parenthood" (2010-15). Whitman worked nonstop throughout her long career, straddling both comedic roles, voice-over parts for animated characters, and serious subjects with the ease and passion of an actress who found her calling early on, and by managing to avoid the tragic child actor stereotype, carved out a successful career for herself into her young adulthood.