Wayne Newton, Michael Jackson and others who started their careers as kids

Ten-year-old entertainer Ethan Bortnick at the Las Vegas Hilton on July 21, 2011.

Thursday, July 21, 2011 | 2 a.m.

Ethan Bortnick may be the youngest person to headline a Las Vegas show, but he’s certainly not the only child to do so.

Several big stars got their start as youngsters in Las Vegas. Even more found fame here in their early 20s.

Other young performers may not have been headliners, but certainly have been part of the entertainment landscape. Young Simbas and Nalas sing in “The Lion King” and child acrobats perform with Cirque du Soleil.

Here are some of the most notable young headliners:

/Las Vegas New Bureau
Wayne Newton

The iconic Las Vegas superstar was a teenager when he began performing in downtown Las Vegas. In 1958, when Newton was a junior in high school, a Las Vegas booking agent saw him perform on TV with his brother. After an audition, the agent landed them a two-week gig at the Fremont Hotel. They turned out to be a much bigger hit than anyone expected and ended up performing six shows a day for five years.

Newton went on to become one of the Strip’s most successful entertainers, eventually earning the nickname “Mr. Las Vegas.” He has performed more than 30,000 shows here.
/Las Vegas Sun file photo
Donny and Marie Osmond

Donny Osmond first performed in Las Vegas at the Sahara, opening with his brothers for Shirley Bassey. He was 7 years old. His first performance with his sister, Marie, took place in 1973 at Caesars Palace. He was 16; she was 14. Members of the Osmond family played at practically every hotel in Las Vegas throughout the ’70s. Donny has joked that he has “been working Vegas pretty much since I was an embryo.”

The brother-sister dancing-and-singing duo now perform at the Flamingo.
Photo by Amy Beth Bennett/Las Vegas Sun
Michael Jackson

The King of Pop was 15 when played a series of shows at the MGM Grand in 1974 with his brothers as the Jackson 5. The group’s first tour in April 1974 was so successful — it broke attendance records — that it spawned two returns later that year.

Jackson continued to visit Las Vegas throughout his career and, shortly before his death, he contemplated buying a 10-acre estate here. Instead, he will be memorialized here: Cirque du Soleil is creating a show dedicated to Jackson that is scheduled to open at Mandalay Bay in 2013. It follows on the heels of a Jackson world tour show that opens this fall.
/Promotional Photo
Ann-Margret

The singing beauty headed to Northwestern University after graduating high school in 1959 but dropped out after her freshman year to move west to perform in cabarets in Las Vegas, Reno and Southern California. Ann-Margret got her big break while performing in the lounge of the Dunes Hotel when she was asked to audition for Hollywood veteran George Burns. Burns invited her to perform a 10-night engagement at the Sahara, where she earned rave reviews.

A succession of offers followed, including an RCA record contract and a seven-year film contract from 20th Century Fox.
Photo by R. Marsh Starks
LD Miller

When he was 12, Larry Don Miller, Jr. landed a gig in 2006 playing harmonica in the “Buck Wild” show at the Sahara. He started playing music at the tender age of 5 and earned his first endorsement deal at 7. Miller shared a headlining bill with a handful of other country performers for a year.

A short time later, LD and his brother appeared on the first season of “America’s Got Talent.” LD blew away the judges with his harmonica skills, and he and his brother finished second in the competition. Miller continues to play concerts today.