The death the other day of Joe Nuxhall, the youngest player in the history of the big leagues -- he was 15 years, 10 months, 11 days old when he nervously strode the mound in a wartime game against the Cardinals in 1944--got me to thinking about actors; specifically child actors. Now a 6'3" teenager like Nuxhall was that day didn't look like your average child actor. But I began to peruse (a good Scrabble word, by the way) the list of actors who made it big as youngsters, but the onslaught of age spelled the end of their careers.

Brandon De Wilde, for example, will forever be remembered as the boy in "Shane" and while he did make other movies when he was older, most notably "Cast a Giant Shadow" as John Wayne's son, he never became the star everyone expected, and died young in a car crash.

Claude Jarman, Jr., was so promising in "The Yearling" when he was 12 -- you know, Gregory Peck and that cute deer -- but his career eventually petered out. A dozen films, most notably in "Rio Grande," led to an otherwise-short career. Three wives and seven children to support may have led him to a more stable profession than occasional supporting film roles.

Recently I talked with Jesse Eisenberg, the young actor seen recently in "The Hunting Party." He's forging a promising career, with three films in the pipeline and a recent appearance on Broadway. His kid sister Hallie, who you probably know best from several Pepsi commercials made in the late ‘90s, played Helen Keller in a needless TV version of "The Miracle Worker" and has a new movie coming.

But she slowed her career of her own volition, Jesse told me, to concentrate on other things she wants to do. While there are many actors, most notably two time Oscar winner Jodie Foster and Brooke Shields, who began as children and have remained stars, many more have fallen by the wayside. It seems to me that the middle road is best, as it is in so many things in life. Those who are lucky to get roles as children, should never let the profession define them. They should take roles as they come, plan for another profession that really interests them, and then see how things develop. It sounds easy, doesn't it?

You can see my interview with Jesse Eisenberg below. Sound off, leave a comment and let me know what you think or visit our forum and start a conversation with other movie buffs.