Corey Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Judy Haim, a data processor of Israeli descent, and Bernie Haim, a clothing sales representative. He had a sister, Carol, and a half-brother, Daniel, and was raised in a Jewish family, primarily in the Willowdale neighborhood.
Corey's early start in the entertainment industry was marked by his appearance in 26 episodes of the Canadian television series The Edison Twins, which aired in the early 1980s. He made his film debut in 1984, playing a young child caught up in a family war in the movie Firstborn. The following year, he starred in the television movie A Time to Live, for which he received a Young Artist Award, and appeared in the comedies Secret Admirer and Murphy's Romance.
In 1985, Corey took on the leading role of Marty Coslaw in the Stephen King adaptation Silver Bullet, a werewolf film. He also starred in Lucas, a drama that received praise from Roger Ebert, alongside Kerri Green and Winona Ryder.
Corey's breakthrough role came in 1987 when he played Sam Emerson in Joel Schumacher's vampire film The Lost Boys. He went on to star in a number of films, including the comedies License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream, the horror movie Watchers, and the science fiction action drama Prayer of the Rollerboys.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Corey appeared in a number of direct-to-video releases, as well as making a cameo appearance in the action film Crank: High Voltage in 2009. His final two films were The Hostage Game and Decisions, both released in the 2010s.
Tragically, Corey Haim passed away on March 10, 2010, in Burbank, California, due to complications from pneumonia.