What happened to the child stars in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? Inside the lives of Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall

One of the biggest family films of the 1960s was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which starred the likes of Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall.

The film was based on Ian Fleming’s children’s book of the same name and follows eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts and his two children, Jemima and Jeremy, as well as sweets company heiress Truly Scrumptious.

Caractacus and his children buy a champion racecar, named Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Caractacus invents a story of the car being able to fly and sail on the seas, using it to rescue the children of the kingdom of Vulgaria.

But 57 years on from the iconic film, what happened to its main child stars, Heather and Adrian? Here’s what you need to know…

What Heather Ripley did after Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Heather was just seven when she landed the role of Jemima in the classic film, securing the part after talent scouts noticed her when she replaced a girl in a play named Roar Like a Dove after one of the other actresses fell ill.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2002 about the audition process, she recalled: “They thought I was perfect for the part, apart from the accent. But they said that wasn’t a problem as they’d get rid of it. I thought that sounded a bit ominous. What did they mean? Brain surgery?“

The breakout success of the film wasn’t easy for Heather, who told the publication that photographers were “hanging out in the playground trying to get pictures of me”.

The star didn’t act again, although she did audition for several roles, and after living in London, she returned to her native Dundee where she joined her family’s opticians business.

Heather would later become a keen environmental campaigner after growing shocked when watching videos of logging. It was something that her children also joined in with. Heather confessed to The Guardian: “They were out cutting fences at night and generally making as much of a nuisance of themselves as they could. It was great.”

Adrian Hall’s life after Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

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Adrian was eight when he played Jeremy Potts in the family classic, and he had a few additional acting credits following the film, appearing in The Man Who Had Power Over Women, Jason King and BBC Play of the Month.

However, like Heather, he also left the acting world, although he stayed adjacent, becoming a drama teacher and eventually the principal of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.

Speaking to Ink Pellet, a publication for English and drama teachers, he said: “I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t done Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I went to Saturday stage school and that’s how I got the part of Jeremy. My mum was happy for me to do it because it was a big adventure. There was no way I was going to want anything else after that.

“I want kids to understand that the razzmatazz is such a small part of the lifestyle. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang set me up but I was lucky because my parents said that if I wanted to be an actor, I’d have to study as I couldn’t just rely on something that happened six years ago.”