Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician who rose to prominence as one of the best-known child actors of the 1980s. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he began performing in commercials, appearing in a McDonald's advert at age three. Over the next decade Feldman became widely recognized for energetic, often comedic supporting roles and for leading parts in youth-oriented genre films.
Career highlights
Feldman's film work during the 1980s made him a familiar face in American pop culture. He starred and co-starred in a string of commercially successful and influential films that helped define the era's teen and adventure cinema. His public profile continued through music and television, including reality series and reunion projects.
- Notable film roles include popular 1980s titles and ensemble coming‑of‑age pictures.
- He pursued music, fronting the ska-influenced group Truth Movement and releasing solo material.
- Feldman appeared on reality television, including programs such as The Surreal Life.
Personal life and struggles
Feldman has been open about difficulties he faced growing up in the entertainment industry. In his 2013 memoir, Coreyography, he recounted early exposure to drugs and wrote that he first used substances in his early teens and struggled with addiction. He has described interventions and appeals from colleagues—he has said that filmmaker Joe Dante and actress Carrie Fisher urged him to stop during his teenage years.
Beyond addiction, Feldman has publicly discussed alleged sexual abuse of child actors within Hollywood and has sought to draw attention to the issue through interviews and a later documentary project. He has pursued these claims cautiously in public statements and avoided naming certain individuals in ways that would be defamatory; his accounts have been part of broader conversations about safeguarding minors in the industry.
Feldman has also maintained friendships and associations with other celebrities; he has been publicly connected with figures such as Michael Jackson at various points in his life. While his career has had ups and downs, Feldman remains a recognizable figure for his early film work and his efforts to speak about the pressures faced by child performers.
For readers seeking more on his filmography, music releases, and personal writings, the best primary sources are his published memoirs and recorded interviews. General biographical summaries and archived coverage provide additional context about his acting roles, musical projects, and television appearances. For more detailed credits and timelines consult standard entertainment reference listings and press archives.
See also: actor and singer — background on child performers; further reading and citations in specialized film and music databases may be found via entertainment reference portals and library resources. Additional contemporary coverage and interviews appear in mainstream media outlets and archived television material.
Further resources and interviews are available through archival links and entertainment databases; select interviews and retrospectives also explore his collaborations, public struggles and advocacy work.
For contextual information and related personalities, readers may follow biographical entries and interviews that reference industry contemporaries and collaborators.
Note: this article avoids repeating sensational allegations and emphasizes publicly documented events, published works and Feldman's own statements about his life and career.
References and media: see original memoirs, interviews and documented film credits for primary-source verification and comprehensive filmography listings.
Additional links: early commercials, Los Angeles upbringing, Truth Movement band, associations with peers, accounts of interventions, performing career overview.