Fred Savage: Early Life and Entry into Acting

Fred Savage was born on July 9, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. From a young age, he showed an interest in acting and performance. When he was 9 years old, he went with his parents to see a production of The Pirates of Penzance and was enamored by the experience. Soon after, he convinced his parents to take him to a few auditions.

Early Small Roles

Savage’s outgoing personality and charm quickly earned him his first TV role in 1985 as the grandson of the character Max on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life. This marked his official entry into the world of acting. A few more small roles followed:

• A minor role in the pilot episode of the CBS series Morningstar/Eveningstar
• A guest appearance on the show Crime Story
• A supporting part in the pilot episode of the ABC series Sister Kate

While these were minor roles, they helped the young Savage get experience on TV and movie sets. According to Savage: “Even though they were small parts, just being on set and learning the ropes helped me so much. I learned about hitting my marks, finding my light, and delivering my lines. It made me hungry for bigger roles.”

Breakout Role on The Wonder Years

Savage’s big break came in 1988 when he was cast as the lead character, Kevin Arnold, in ABC’s new comedy-drama series The Wonder Years. The show was one of the most popular and critically acclaimed series of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Savage was chosen for the role out of hundreds of candidates and his natural acting talents and chemistry with the cast shone through. The show was set from 1968 to 1973 and followed 12-year old Kevin growing up during this turbulent period of American history.

Being the lead actor on a hit network show was a huge accomplishment for the young Savage. Over the course of the show’s six seasons, he earned two Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, remarkable achievements for someone under the age of 16.

Balancing Acting with Schooling

Working full-time on The Wonder Years could have easily distracted young Fred Savage from his schoolwork or traditional childhood activities. However, his parents prioritized that he stays grounded and made sure acting did not impede his education or personal development.

Savage remained enrolled at a regular public school and worked with tutors on sets to stay at grade level with his peers. When not filming the show, he enjoyed bike riding, playing sports, hanging out with friends, going to school dances, and participating in extracurricular activities.

In interviews, Savage credited this balance with helping him stay focused on furthering his acting career. The money he earned was placed into a Coogan account that he would not have access to until turning 18. This prevented the common challenge of young actors struggling later in life due to lack of career or financial planning.

Major Film Roles During The Wonder Years Era

While starring on The Wonder Years, Savage also pursued roles in feature films. With his exposure on the hit TV show, movie producers saw star potential in the young actor. Some of his most notable movie projects during his Wonder Years peak include:

The Princess Bride

In 1987, just before The Wonder Years premiered, Savage landed the role of The Grandson in Rob Reiner’s classic comedy-fantasy film The Princess Bride. Even as a child, he held his own among legendary actors like Peter Falk, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Billy Crystal. His performance as the young boy who is sick in bed listening to his grandfather read him the storybook showed both comedic timing and authenticity. The movie continues to be a fan favorite.

The Wizard

In 1989, Savage starred opposite Beau Bridges and Christian Slater as a skilled video game player journeying cross-country for a gaming tournament in The Wizard. This lighthearted road trip comedy capitalized on the 1980s video game craze and 98% of critics and audiences liked it. While silly at times, Savage’s performance anchored the human story behind the arcade action.

Vice Versa

Also released in 1988, Vice Versa was a fantasy comedy featuring Judge Reinhold and Savage as a father and son who magically swap bodies. They then have to grapple with living each other’s lives until they can reverse the spell. Savage proved he could deftly handle both comedic moments and emotional acting scenes despite being only 12 years old.

Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film and Savage’s ability to channel Reinhold’s mannerisms, saying “it can be disconcerting, to say the least, to see Reinhold pretending to be Savage pretending to be Reinhold.”

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Other Notable Film Projects

A few other films Savage appeared in during or just after his peak Wonder Years fame include:

• Little Monsters (1989) – Plays the older brother to real-life younger brother Ben Savage’s character. Holds his own alongside veteran actors Rick Ducommun and Howie Mandel.
• The Boy Who Could Fly (1986) – Supporting role in this fantasy drama about an autistic boy who believes he can fly.
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) – Cameo as a young Number Three / young Austin Powers

Winding Down The Wonder Years and the Later Years

The Wonder Years aired its final episode on May 12, 1993 after six successful seasons. Along with his co-stars, Savage had grown up on the show and was ready to move on to other projects. By the series finale he was 16 years old.

Directing and Other Creative Pursuits

Without the full-time commitment of filming a weekly television series, Savage began exploring other areas of entertainment that interested him including directing. His first directing credit was on the Disney Channel’s Boy Meets World, a show starring his younger brother Ben Savage.

In the 2000s, Savage would go on to produce films such as the 2007 comedy Daddy Day Camp. He also dabbled in screenwriting, TV production, and even authored children’s books including the 2016 title The Zeus Problem.

While acting remained his priority, branching out allowed Savage to develop new skills and challenge his creative talents.

Shift to More Adult Roles

As Savage entered his late teens and early 20s, the lovable child actor naturally matured into more adult roles. His appearances shifted to edgier, more provocative films such as:

• Working (1998) – Dark comedy where he plays an unemployed teenager frustrated with his life
• Boys Life 2 (1997) – Plays a gay teenager discovering his sexuality (Savage received an Outfest Award for Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) – Seedy club owner who battles Austin Powers

He also took roles in horror films such as 1993’s No One Could Protect Her as well a supporting part in the 1999 thriller Never Been Kissed.

While sometimes unsettling for audiences used to his child persona, this experimentation showed Savage’s desire to avoid typecasting and continue growing as an actor able to play diverse characters.

Fred Savage’s Continued Success in Hollywood

While arguably hitting a peak in popularity and critical acclaim as a child star, Fred Savage continues acting in both television and film to this day. Some examples of his recent roles include:

• Recurring character on HBO’s short-lived series The Grinder (2015-2016)
• Supporting role in the Judd Apatow produced comedy series Friends with College (2017)
• Guest appearances on shows such as Web Therapy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Modern Family
• Reprised his role as Kevin Arnold in the 2018 reboot of The Wonder Years produced by ABC

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He also remains active in directing, producing, and screenwriting. And as of 2022, Fred Savage has an estimated net worth of $17 million showing how even child stars can continue thriving in the entertainment industry for the long run.

While nothing quite matches the mania surrounding his early fame as Kevin Arnold and his string of hit kid’s movies, Savage has enjoyed a diverse – and very successful – Hollywood career spanning over four decades and still going strong.

Not many former child actors can claim that feat.

Was Fred Savage’s Career Impacted by His Young Start?

A recurring question around stars who gained fame early in life is whether starting acting so young benefits or hinders future career prospects. In Savage’s case, strong evidence suggests that getting his foot in Hollywood’s door at age 9 had a overwhelmingly positive impact. Some reasons supporting this:

Formal Training and Skill Building from Childhood

As a young child, Fred Savage quickly progressed from minor TV roles to anchoring a network series within just 3 years. This accelerated pace gave him hands-on experience and training most aspiring actors wait years to receive, if ever. Scenes were rehearsed diligently on the set of The Wonder Years and he worked closely with directors and acting coaches to continually improve his techniques in areas like:

• Memorizing lines
• Hitting comedic timing and emotional cues
• Adjusting performance based on director feedback
• Giving more natural, subtle performances tailored for the camera vs stage

Rather than struggling through acting classes as a teenager then potentially waiting tables for years before getting noticed, Savage gained in-demand skills as a professional actor from age 9-15 laying the foundation for his continued success over 40+ years later.

Recognition and Industry Connections

While starring on The Wonder Years and having prominent movie roles, Savage made key connections spanning Hollywood directors, producers, writers, fellow actors that a non-famous actor would struggle to access. His exposure and recognition during that era opened doors that propelled his later behind-the-scenes work in areas like directing and production.

The mentorship from veteran actors and directors he met through child acting gave him knowledge most people must seek out via pricey film schools. Savage translated that privileged access and guidance into continued TV and film roles through to today – a full career fueled in many ways by childhood stardom making up for limitations he may have faced without it.

Wealth and Business Training

As a young teen, Savage earned over $100,000 per episode by the end series. While too young to fully manage that himself, his parents worked with financial advisors to invest portions of his earnings in ways that facilitated development of business savvy and supported pursuits later in life when acting roles slowed down. For example, funding projects where he could write, direct or consult vs relying purely on getting cast.

Monetizing early fame into production budgets or financial security needed to pick and choose roles is an asset very few actors establish. So breaking out as a known name with in-demand talent before adulthood gave Savage earnings and development potential exceeding that of late-in-life acting success stories.

Did Fred Savage’s Early Fame Also Have Drawbacks?

Despite many clear advantages, there are also risks associated with acting professionally from such a young age vs attempting to break into entertainment as an adult such as:

Missed “Normal” Development Stages

Even with precautions from his parents, taking on adult responsibilities of memorizing lines, delivering consistent performances, managing a hectic multi-year filming schedule unavoidably distracts from normal childhood development. While admirably balanced on Savage’s part, he still sacrificed free play, school activities, unstructured social time and other aspects integral at that age.

A “regular” non-famous kid journeys through middle and high school developing identity without public scrutiny. Child actors lack that privacy at vulnerable adolescent stages, forcing maturity faster than peers. There can be much publicity and limits around interests or social interactions. So early entry into Hollywood forfeited some emotional nurturing and freedom associated with more typical upbringings.

Typecasting Barriers

Starting professional acting so young led Savage to be heavily associated with the wholesome, funny but reasonably innocent characters he portrayed during the peak of his early fame such as Kevin Arnold and roles in Vice Versa or The Wizard. As he aged, shedding that friendly adolescent image to access more diverse adult roles likely required extra effort and lobbying.

Having a famous identity as a child means casting directors automatically associate you with that vs a fresh unknown adult actor with flexibility. Convincing directors, producers AND the public you “grew up” and handle more serious, provocative characters is an uphill climb child stars uniquely face vs adult actor counterparts.

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While arguably outweighed by benefits, these drawbacks posed by early success are costs to balance out for child actors like Fred Savage when strategizing how long-term careers spanning adulthood. Overall his ability to thrive across over 4 decades shows proper handling can yield more rewards than barriers when the acting bug strikes early.

Conclusion

In summary, despite industry pre-cautionary tales of promising young talents flaming out, Fred Savage managed to skillfully transform his meteoric pre-teen fame into decades of continued Hollywood success.

As the star and driving force behind the ratings juggernaut show The Wonder Years while simultaneously charming audiences in hit movies like The Wizard and The Princess Bride all before age 16, Fred enjoyed a level of accomplishment and public adoration that actors twice his age struggle to ever achieve.

What’s most impressive is that unlike the sad fate befalling many child actors unable to convert early stardom into adult prosperity, Savage steered clear of major scandals, rehabilitation and career irrelevance.

Through cultivated talents via extensive on-set experience before puberty, lucrative financial planning securing his future, and support from family plus industry veterans, Fred built upon, rather than rested on, his head start as a pre-teen phenomenon.

Rather than peaking early, he utilized that flash-in-the-pan window to propel continuous Hollywood success across writing, directing and acting ventures feeding off, not running from, his former childhood fame.

So while obviously gifted from the start, Fred Savage’s thriving rise, peak AND longevity in entertainment spotlight the right kind of early start providing rare staying power. His incredible career demonstrates how the stars truly aligned by entering Hollywood’s radar as a wide-eyed youth full of potential transformed into an industry mainstay still in front of cameras over forty years later.

FAQs About Fred Savage’s Time as a Famous Child Actor

Did Fred have a high net worth as a child star?

Yes, it is estimated that Savage earned around $100,000 per episode by the final seasons of The Wonder Years. Along with income from hit films like The Wizard and starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand, his peak fame as a child likely earned millions before adulthood.

Was he given proper financial planning and resources?

Fortunately yes. His earnings as a minor were protected in a special “Coogan account” that child performers use to save a portion of their wages safely. Savage also had guidance from his parents, lawyers and money managers to prudently invest some funds into assets like real estate so later in adulthood he had resources to draw from.

Did his early fame impact his personal life?

In both good and bad ways, yes. On the upside, it gave him confidence plus connections useful in work and his interests like directing later on. The downside was dealing with more adult issues like interviews, criticism, busy schedules than most kids plus having less privacy. But Fred benefited from strong family support and a balanced lifestyle between acting and normal school.

What happens when famous child actors grow up?

Typically three situations unfold – they leave acting for a normal adulthood, they struggle to get taken seriously in adult roles and quit, or similar to Fred Savage, with the right guidance, connections and talent, they transition into steady adult careers. Fred avoided falling into the struggles faced by stars who fail to adapt like Macaulay Culkin. So while challenging, the child fame gave him tools to keep thriving where others stumbled.

Why was The Wonder Years so impactful as a show?

Beyond Savage’s outstanding performance as lead character Kevin Arnold, the show’s coming-of-age plot during a key era of 1960s/early 1970s cultural change resonated with families across generations. Hitting on personal topics from first loves, high school pressures, family dynamics while set against the backdrop of events like Vietnam gave it a magical nostalgia feeling and identifiable, empathetic storylines. The result was high viewrship, critical acclaim and cemented Savage’s legacy.