Ethan Cutkosky

As a charming, outgoing youngster, Illinois native Ethan Cutkosky broke into the acting game very early on. His first baby step into the world of show business came with an appearance in a major television spot for Walgreens at the age of five, but it didn't take Cutkosky long to transition into motion pictures. His first movie role (albeit uncredited) came on the goofy, Vince Vaughn-starring holiday comedy "Fred Claus," but for his next part, he pulled a complete 180, playing Barto, an extremely creepy ghost boy in the 2009 horror film "The Unborn." Despite the film's poor critical reception, Cutkosky nonetheless managed to leave a lasting impression with his nightmarish characterization. Although his next part wasn't exactly a major one, playing "Neighborhood Boy" in the 2010 bio-drama "Conviction," the film itself (starring the revered Hilary Swank) was fairly well-received. While none of these film roles really allowed Cutkosky to demonstrate his developing acting skills, all of that changed in 2011, when the elementary school-aged actor signed on to the cast of the Showtime family dysfunction dramedy "Shameless," starring veteran William H. Macy in the lead role. Playing Carl Gallagher, one of Macy's alcoholic character's six neglected children, Cutkosky has offered a surprisingly deep portrayal of a rebellious misfit, surrounded by chaos and consumed by repressed pain.