Everyone remembers the curls. In 1991, Alisan Porter was the most famous kid in the country, playing a street-smart orphan alongside Jim Belushi in the John Hughes classic Curly Sue. She had that raspy voice and a face that could manipulate you into buying a bridge. Then, she basically vanished from the big screen.
If you’re looking for a massive list of Alisan Porter movies and tv shows from the last decade, you won't find many blockbusters. But that’s actually the most interesting part of her story. She didn't "fail" at being a movie star; she just stopped wanting to be one.
From Star Search to Curly Sue
Alisan was a powerhouse before she could even do long division. At age five, she became the youngest winner in Star Search history. You can still find the clips on YouTube—this tiny human in a sequins-heavy outfit belting out "Over the Rainbow" like she’s already lived through three divorces.
Her early career was a whirlwind of 80s and 90s staples. Honestly, it’s a bit of a "Who’s Who" of nostalgia:
- Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987): She played Li’l Punkin in the second season.
- Family Ties (1987): A quick guest spot during the peak of the Mallory and Alex P. Keaton era.
- Parenthood (1989): She played Taylor Buckman in the Ron Howard film. It’s easy to forget she was in this because the cast was so stacked, but she held her own.
- Stella (1990): She played the younger version of Bette Midler’s daughter.
- The Golden Girls (1991): In the episode "Beauty and the Beast," she played a bratty kid named Melissa. She was so good at being annoying that she actually snagged a Young Artist Award nomination for it.
Then came Curly Sue. It was huge. It was the kind of role that defines a career, but for Alisan, it became a shadow she spent twenty years trying to outrun.
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The "Missing" Years and the Broadway Pivot
After the early 90s, the Alisan Porter movies and tv shows credits get a little sparse. She did a few things, like the TV movie When You Remember Me and an episode of Perfect Strangers, but then the credits just... stop.
Why? Well, she moved to Connecticut, went to high school, and tried to be a "normal" person. It didn't stick. By eighteen, she was in New York City. She wasn't looking for film roles anymore; she wanted the stage.
She landed a role in the musical Footloose on Broadway. Later, she moved to Los Angeles and starred in The Ten Commandments: The Musical alongside a then-unknown Adam Lambert. In 2006, she made a major Broadway return in the revival of A Chorus Line as Bebe. If you listen to the cast recording, that's her voice.
Why she walked away from acting
Porter has been incredibly open about her struggles during this time. In various interviews, including a very raw segment on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, she talked about her battle with addiction. She got sober in 2007, and that changed everything. She realized the Hollywood machine wasn't where her heart was. She wanted music.
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The Voice and the Big Reset
In 2016, something weird happened. People turned on their TVs to see a 34-year-old woman auditioning for The Voice. Her blind audition of "Blue Bayou" was a four-chair turn.
Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and Pharrell Williams were all losing their minds. When she told them she was the girl from Curly Sue, the internet basically imploded. She wasn't just a "child star" anymore; she was a vocalist with a ridiculous range.
She won Season 10. She made history as the first artist to win with a female coach (Team Christina). After the win, she famously told reporters, "I have retired Curly Sue, she is dead! I am now the girl who won The Voice."
It was a bold move. Most people would lean into the nostalgia to sell records. Alisan wanted to burn the bridge to make sure she didn't walk back across it.
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What is Alisan Porter doing in 2026?
If you check out her recent work, you'll see she's leaned fully into the "indie artist" life. She isn't chasing Marvel cameos.
Recently, she’s been focused on her label, Vybe House Music. It’s a boutique artist development hub she launched to help new singers navigate the industry without losing their souls. It’s sort of a full-circle moment—the kid who was chewed up by the child-star machine is now protecting the next generation.
Her 2024 EP The Ride and her late 2025 single "California" show a side of her that's way more folk-rock than "pop star." She’s also a mom of three now. She’s married to her childhood friend Justin de Vera, and honestly, her Instagram looks more like a backyard farm than a celebrity PR feed.
Summary of Key Roles
- The Breakout: Curly Sue (1991) – The definitive role.
- The Cult Classic: Parenthood (1989) – Small but memorable.
- The TV Peak: The Voice (2016) – The career relaunch.
- The Stage Gem: A Chorus Line (2006) – The Broadway revival.
How to Follow Her Career Now
If you want to see what she's up to beyond the old movies, stop looking at IMDb. It’s not updated often because she’s not doing the "audition circuit." Instead, look for her on streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music under her own name.
- Listen to "Pink Cloud": This 2019 album is probably her most cohesive work post-The Voice.
- Check out Vybe House: If you're an aspiring singer, her coaching and development label is where she spends most of her professional energy these days.
- Watch the Broadway Cast Recording: Search for the 2006 A Chorus Line footage. It shows the bridge between her acting past and her musical future.
Alisan Porter's filmography might seem like a "short story," but her actual career is a novel about surviving fame and finding a voice that actually belongs to you.
To see her most recent musical evolution, you should check out her 2025 single "California" on any major streaming platform; it’s the best representation of where she is artistically right now.