7th Heaven child star who played Ruthie looks unrecognizable 30 years on - see her now

At just six years old, Mackenzie landed her breakthrough role as Ruthie Camden, after previously having appeared in adverts for brands like Nike and Hormel since she was four. She scored the role after charming the series' casting agents, individually shaking each of their hands during her audition.  

Viewers saw Mackenzie grow up on screen over the series’ eleven seasons and 236 episodes. The show followed her character Ruthie’s life at home, school, as well as her relationship with boyfriend T-Bone. In 2004, Mackenzie was awarded the Young Artist Award for her performance in the series. 

At a similar age to her on-screen fictional character, just like Ruthie, Mackenzie also graduated from high school when the series ended in 2007.  

After playing Ruthie for over ten years, in a 2007 interview with TV Guide, she said: "I think it'd be neat to play different characters. I've been playing the same character for so long, and I want to do something totally different." 

Alongside her role as Ruthie on 7th Heaven, Mackenzie appeared as Molly MacLemore in the 1998 romantic tragedy Gideon, acting on screen with Christopher Lambert, Charlton Heston and Shelley Winters.   

After filming ended for 7th Heaven in 2007, Mackenzie continued to act in films, playing Bree in Proud American and Lorelei in The Tomb before returning to television in 2010 as Zoe in the teen drama, The Secret Life of the American Teenager.   

Later acting credits have seen her in horror films, including Nightcomer and Beneath in 2013; a far cry from where she began her career on the cosy family television series. In 2015, the actress played Chelsea in the short drama film, Ankh, before taking a break from acting to focus on horse riding and competitive showjumping.  

Throughout her years filming on set, the former child actress also competed at a national level in horse riding and show jumping. In 2003, at 13 years old, she featured in the Young Rider magazine with her horse, Laurelhighland Harmony. Mackenzie competed as part of a winning team at the 2006 USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship, before taking up steeplechasing.   

The former actress continues to ride; her Instagram page is filled with videos and pictures of her riding horses at her home in Maryland.  

Mackenzie regularly updates her fans via her Instagram account. The former child star posts various videos and photos of her wide array of animals and more. 

In June 2026, the 7th Heaven star delighted fans of the show as she posted a photo with her former co-stars David Gallagher and Beverley Mitchell.

Mackenzie made a brief return to acting in 2022, combining acting with horse riding to star in The Bountress. She played the role of Leila Bolt in the 12-minute modern Western.

More recently, according to her IMDb, she is playing 'Elektra' in 'Reapers Night' which according to the site, is in post production.