Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Where are the child stars of Mrs Doubtfire now?

Remember Nattie, Lydia and Chris?

mrs doutbfire kids
mara wilson mrs doubtfire© Photo: Custom

It's been over 25 years since Mrs Doubtfire set her chest alight while cooking over a hob, air-guitared with a broom and inspired others with her homemade 'fresh cream' face-mask.

MORE: How to watch the best films from this year's BAFTAs

The 90s film - which featured the amazing Robin Williams as the lead role, and Sally Field as his estranged wife - was an instant hit with adults and children alike, thanks to its positive message about family values and relationships. It was also very, very funny.

The three children in the film will be part of our own childhood memories forever, thanks to strong performances from the three young actors: Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence and Mara Wilson. But whatever happened to the kids of Mrs Doubtfire? Let's find out...

Mara Wilson then

Mara Wilson was a teeny-weeny Hollywood star during the 90s, with hits under her belt including Matilda, Miracle on 43th Street and, of course, Matilda.

MORE: Turning Red: viewers saying the same thing about new Pixar film

She played the youngest child, Natalie 'Nattie' Hillard, and appeared in some seriously sweet father-daughter scenes alongside Robin Williams. She was just six years old when the film was released. 

mara wilson grown up© Photo: Getty Images

Mara Wilson now

The 31-year-old has stepped out of the acting limelight and is now a writer and author. Speaking to Lorraine while promoting her book Where Am I Now? in 2016, Mara reflected on her Hollywood upbringing, saying: "I never meant to become famous.

"I grew up in Los Angeles and as a child was acting, it was almost like a hobby." Mara has also opened up about her struggles with anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In 2015, she teamed up with Project UROK, a nonprofit organisation whose mission is to aid teens with mental illness. 

matthew mrs doubtfire© Photo: Rex

Matthew Lawrence then

Matthew Lawrence was 13 years old when he played cheeky but troubled son Chris Hillard in Mrs Doubtfire. However, it wasn't his first time in front of the screen - he made his debut on the infamous soap Dynasty during the 80s. After Mrs Doubtfire, he continued acting small parts in films, and later fell into singing and musicals.

matthew lawrence© Photo: Getty Images

Matthew Lawrence now

Matthew formed a band with his brothers in 2017 called Still Three. He has been dating professional dancer Cheryl Burke since February 2017 and they announced their engagement on 3 May the following year.

Speaking about Robin's tragic death in 2014, Matthew told Page 6: "Robin I think had this way, he is just so special that it was hard not to be completely affected by him and his work. As a person too, because he really, really cared about everybody."

lydia hillard© Photo: Rex

Lisa Jakub then

Lisa Jakub played the headstrong, protective eldest child in Mrs Doubtfire,  Lydia Hillard. Lisa was 15 years old when the film was released and she told Today that her school expelled her for such bad attendance during that time.

In fact, she previously revealed to the news channel: "I was upset and Robin asked me about it. The next day he showed up at my trailer with a letter he'd written to the principal asking him to reconsider and let me come back to high school."

How adorable is that? She added: "The school framed the letter, hung it in the main office and did not ask me to come back." 

lisa jakub now

Lisa Jakub now

Lisa continued to act onscreen for a few more years until age 22, appearing in films such as Independence Day and the TV series Jack & Jill.

In 2018, she succinctly explained what she's been up to ever since, tweeting: "Acted for 8 more years, retired from acting, moved across the country, worked for non profits, married my best friend, went to college, wrote and published two books, became a yoga teacher and public speaker, raised four amazing dogs, and now I'm about to make a burrito."

mrs doubtfire children pierce brosnan

Mrs Doubtfire kids reunion

All three actors  reunited with Pierce Brosnan in 2019, who played their step-father figure Stu Dunmeyer in the film. The gang all posed for a photograph together, which Pierce shared along with the caption at the time: "Guess who? Today, after 25 years, I gathered around a table in the company of three beautiful young people, to talk story about a film that has touched the hearts of so many.

"Sally is on tour with her new book. Robin is in heaven making the angels laugh and was spoken of with the fondest of love and sweet memories."

Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

More TV and Film

See more