Growing Pains: The Trials and Tribulations of 1980s TV Child Stars

Andrew Koenig and more '80s stars who went through troubled times.

ByABC News
February 24, 2010, 5:06 AM

Feb. 24, 2010 — -- Andrew Koenig, Dana Plato, Gary Coleman, MacKenzie Phillips:

Growing pains, indeed.

Maybe it was the heavy metal, maybe it was the designer drugs, maybe it was the questionable fashion -- for a host of reasons, many of the actors and actresses who grew up on TV during the late 1970s and '80s plummeted from childhood stardom to a life mired in trials and tribulations.

Koenig, the "Growing Pains" actor who went missing in Vancouver, Canada, earlier this month, is the latest to reveal his personal struggles. Below, check out his story plus those of nine other child stars from 1980s TV who ended up plagued with problems.