Falkor's advice to "never give up and good luck will find you" was well-proven by child star Barret Oliver who found fame in '80s classic The NeverEnding Story as Bastian Bux. But fame isn't so consistent and, like many child actors, Barret chose to step away from the limelight following his early stardom.
Find out what he's been up to since, look back at his key roles and what comes after a neverending story.
© United Archives via Getty ImagesBarret Oliver was a beloved child actor in the mid '80s
Who is Barret Oliver?
Barret Oliver was born on 24 August 1973 to parents Kent and Kathy Oliver, their second son after brother Kyle born three years prior.
The Saturn Award-winning actor is best known for playing Bastian Balthazar Bux in the 1984 adaptation of Michael Ende's The Neverending Story.
© Picture Alliance via Getty ImagesBarret started acting in the early '80s on shows like 'The Incredible Hulk' and 'Knight Rider'
Childhood stardom
Before he got his starring role in The NeverEnding Story, Barret Oliver appeared in several '80s TV series like The Incredible Hulk as Jimmy the Kid, The Circle Family and two episodes of Knight Rider.
In 1983, he acted in an episode of Love, Sidney and in action thriller Uncommon Valor, which starred Patrick Swayze and Gene Hackman. But it was 1984 that would bring his most memorable role...
© Picture Alliance via Getty ImagesBastian experienced the kind of dragon-filled escapist adventure most kids dream of, so it's no surprise Ende's novel was brought to the screen
The NeverEnding Story
Barret's best-loved role cast him as Bastian, a young boy who is regularly bullied and escapes into an old bookstore, where he is introduced to an ancient storybook and gets drawn into the mystical land of Fantasia.
The NeverEnding Story (1984) and the book it's based on are both still classics to this day. After all, who doesn't want to ride a luckdragon?
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesBarret kept acting until 1989, his last role coming in the last year of the decade
Later roles
After finding fame, Barret continued acting with roles throughout the rest of the decade. His later projects included roles in 'Highway to Heaven', Tim Burton's Frankenweenie and Cocoon.
His final roles came, appropriately enough, at the end of the decade in 1988's Cocoon: The Return and the 1989 satire Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyBarret left movie stardom behind for a more academic interest in photographic technology
Where is he now?
Since leaving acting behind, Barret has been involved behind the camera – but not in the way you might think. The former child star now works as a photographer and printmaker, with a particular interest in older technologies.
He is the author of A History of the Woodburytype, which looks at the 1864 invention of mechanically reproducing photographs.
