Dakota Fanning Through the Years: Photos of the Star From Her Child Actor Days to Now

Dakota Fanning has been impressing Hollywood since she was a kid. See photos of the star from her childhood acting days up to now in our gallery.

Let’s talk about Dakota Fanning, the Georgia-born actress who has been captivating audiences since she was a child. Acting professionally before she was even a teenager, Dakota quickly became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars — and over the years, she has seamlessly transitioned into complex, adult roles.

She made her early television appearances on E.R., The Practice, Spin City, Ally McBeal and The Ellen Show, but it was her breakthrough performance opposite Sean Penn in I Am Sam (2001) that launched her career. At just 7 years old, she became the youngest nominee in Screen Actors Guild Award history — a milestone that signaled the arrival of a major talent.

From there, Dakota’s career took off like a rocket, and she starred in a string of hit films including Uptown Girls (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte’s Web (2006), and Coraline (2009). She even got her rocker on as Cherie Currie in The Runaways (2010) and as Jane in The Twilight Saga (2009–2012). This girl can do it all!

Dakota’s talent has only grown with time, and she’s taken on more mature roles as she’s gotten older. Who could forget her sass as Squeaky Fromme in Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood? She also led TNT’s period crime drama The Alienist as Sara Howard, earning praise for anchoring the series across two seasons. More recently, Dakota has expanded her résumé with high-profile streaming projects, including Netflix’s 2024 mystery The Perfect Couple and the psychological thriller series Ripley. In 2025, she starred in Peacock’s limited series All Her Fault and led the horror film Vicious. With additional film projects and producing credits on the horizon, Dakota continues to prove she’s far more than a former child star.

If you want to see Dakota’s journey from pint-sized prodigy to the stunning starlet, scroll through the gallery here. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!