Who was the child actress in Adam-12? Cast explored

Adam-12 was one of the best police procedural dramas ever produced. Created by Jack Webb and Robert A. Cinader, the TV series ran across seven seasons from September 21, 1968, to May 20, 1975. The epic crime TV series was about two Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers.

Named Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, the cops patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their official cruiser that had a call sign "1-Adam-12".

While Martin Milner played Malloy, Kent McCord portrayed the character of Reed. Over the years, several actors were cast in recurring roles, such as William Boyett and Gary Crosby.

But did you know it also starred an actress as an eight-year-old and who went on to become a two-time Academy Award winner?

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Jodie Foster's role in Adam-12

It’s Jodie Foster who won the Oscars for The Accused (1988) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). She also got nominated for two other performances, that in Taxi Driver (1976), and Nell (1994).

For Taxi Driver, she was given the nod under the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category, while for Nell, Jodie Foster was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Apart from the twin Academy Award wins, the actress is also adorned with three BAFTA, three Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild trophies.

As for her appearance in Adam-12, this was one of Foster’s earlier roles as a child actress. She appeared in the episode titled Log 55 Missing Girl, which was aired on NBC in 1970. The episode was the sixth one of season 3 of the show and was broadcast on October 31, 1970.

Lasting 25 minutes, the episode featured Foster as an eight-year-old named Mary Bennett, who was the playmate of a missing child. The synopsis of the episode, according to IMDb, reads:

“Malloy and Reed rescue a cat and birds from an elderly woman's good intentions, a man from being robbed by his nephew, get help investigating a missing girl with a Band-Aid on her right leg from the little girl who lives down the lane, and respond to an auto robbery turned homicide where Malloy convinces a Hispanic family that the US law will protect them.”

Foster appeared only in Log 55 Missing Girl of Adam-12. As a child actress, the talented star also featured as a recurring character in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969–1971) and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1973), among others.

Adam-12 also starred other children who played various characters over its long run. Actors like Barry Williams, David Cassidy, Kristen McCord, Butch Patrick, Willie Aames, and Johnny Whitaker, among others, took part in the NBC series.

Williams appeared in a 1969 episode titled Log 152: A Dead Cop Can't Help Anyone as Johnny Grant. Meanwhile, Cassidy played the rebellious teenager Tim Richmond in Log 24: A Rare Occasion, an episode broadcast on February 14, 1970.

Apart from Patrick, Aames, and Whitaker, Jon Walmsley, Angela Cartwright, and Kristen McCord, among others, were the other children who acted in Adam-12.

Interestingly, McCord was the daughter of Kent and acted in Operation Action. The episode, numbered 170th, had her as Debra, busy playing hopscotch when her father’s character pulls up behind Malloy's abandoned car.

All episodes of Adam-12 are available to stream on Amazon Freevee.