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By Mike VaughnUpdated: Dec. 26, 2021 5:23 pm EST
Based upon author Anne Fine’s 1987 book titled “Madame Doubtfire,” also known as “Alias Madame Doubtfire,” the film “Mrs. Doubtfire” released on November 24, 1993, and instantly became a beloved classic. The movie grossed nearly half a billion dollars at the box office and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. For movie fans of a certain age, the film was a VHS that was watched over and over. It really was “Mary Poppins” for ’90s kids. More importantly, it’s one of the few comedies of that era that feels just as funny and fresh now as it did over 25 years earlier.
There are many reasons why the movie works well, from its incredible direction from Chris Columbus to the sharp writing from Leslie Dixon and Randi Mayem Singer. Though the talent behind the camera is integral for a successful movie, you need an equally brilliant cast to bring the story to life.
Thankfully, Columbus brought together a dream team including veterans Robin Williams and Sally Field and newcomers like Mara Wilson, Lisa Jakub, and Matthew Lawrence. It’s been over two decades since the hit comedy warmed our collective childhoods, and you might be wondering what the cast is up to these days.
Robin Williams died in 2017
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When reflecting on her “Mrs. Doubtfire” co-star Robin Williams, Sally Field summed it up nicely in an interview with E-Online saying, “He always lit up when he was able to make people laugh, and he made them laugh his whole life long….tirelessly.”
Williams first found success on the small screen with a break-out role as the loveable alien Mork in “Mork and Mindy,” a spin-off of “Happy Days.” The young actor quickly established his talent for hilarious line delivery, comedic timing, and physical range. Not to mention Williams had the kind of natural ease and star charisma that few possess. The actor branched out into more dramatic roles such as 1987’s “Good Morning, Vietnam,” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and 1989’s “Dead Poets Society.”
It was in the 1990s that Williams started to add family-friendly films to his resume including Peter Banning in “Hook” (1991) and his now-iconic turn as Genie in “Aladdin” (1992). In 1993’s “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Williams delivered an endearing, high-spirited, and heartwarming portrayal of a dad doing the most absurd things just to be near his children. After the success of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Williams followed a streak of fantastic films such as “Jumanji” (1995) and “Good Will Hunting” (1997), which earned the actor his only Oscar win.
Tragically, Williams died by suicide on August 11, 2017, at the age of 63 years old. At the time, many fans expressed their grief by creating a memorial outside the house “Mrs. Doubtfire” was filmed in San Francisco (via LA Times).
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Sally Field has racked up acting awards
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Before she was cast as the loving mother Miranda Hillard in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Sally Field had firmly cemented her place as a Hollywood icon. In the 1960s, Fields was a television mainstay having been on such shows as “Gidget” and famously as the titular sister in “The Flying Nun”. Though these roles kept her in the spotlight, she desperately wanted to shed these campy characters, according to her memoir (via NPR). She got her wish by landing incredible roles such as Norma Rae in 1979’s “Norma Rae,” which lead to her first of two Oscar wins. She also won a Primetime Emmy for playing the lead in the 1977 television movie “Sybil.” As Miranda in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Field brought warmth, heart, and an emotional center to the at times whacky comedy.
Since starring in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Fields has been very active in a film starring in 2012’s “Lincoln” as Mary Todd Lincoln (which led to an Oscar nomination) as well as big-budget tent pole movies like “The Amazing Spiderman” and indie darlings like “Hello, My Name is Doris.” She’s stayed busy on television too, earning Emmys for a guest appearance on “ER” and her starring role in “Brothers and Sisters.” More recently, she starred in Netflix’s “Little Evil” and the television show “Dispatches from Nowhere.”
Field has had a stellar career since she first arrived on the scene in the early 1960s and shows no signs of stopping. In a 2008 interview with Oprah Magazine, Field reflected on her life saying, “In my late 50s, I began to embrace myself in a way that I hadn’t been able to before. I find that I’m not as worried anymore about what other people think.”
Pierce Brosnan took up the mantle of James Bond
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The suave Irish actor Pierce Brosnan played the new boyfriend Stu in “Mrs. Doubtfire” and, much like Robin Williams and Sally Field, he was already well established in the industry before filming. Prior to the comedy, Brosnan was best known for his role as Remington Steele in the series “Remington Steele” which ran from 1982 to 1987.
After “Mrs. Doubtfire” was a smash hit, the actor got the chance of a lifetime, playing the cool, martini-drinking superspy James Bond in 1995’s “GoldenEye.” He would play Bond in three more films: 1997’s “Tomorrow Never Dies,” 1999’s “The World is Not Enough” and 2002’s “Die Another Day.”
He has also had roles in cult favorites like Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!” and even voiced a version of himself in an epic “The Simpsons” episode. Pierce showed off his range by starring in the musical movie “Mamma Mia” and its sequel, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Recently he starred in the Hulu original film “False Positive” as well as the hilarious Netflix movie “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.”
Brosnan doesn’t appear to be considering retirement anytime soon. He currently has a whopping five films in pre-production, according to his IMDb page.
Mara Wilson is a writer and working actor
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At only 5 years old during production, Mara Wilson was the youngest cast member on “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Though she had no previous film or television credits to her resume, there was no denying the actor commanded every scene she was in. In a 2016 interview with NPR, Wilson explained what casting directors liked about her saying, “I think I had a good ear for dialogue from a young age — and I think that was probably because I spent a lot of time eavesdropping on my parents and my three older brothers.”
She bonded right away with her fellow cast members. During a heartwarming cast reunion of “Mrs. Doubtfire” in 2018 for Today, she reflected on her fellow cast members saying, “I immediately felt like they were family.”
Wilson followed up “Mrs. Doubtfire” with some incredibly memorable films such as the prominent role in the 1994 remake of “Miracle on 34th Street.” Once again, her natural ease and charm helped melt hearts in a role that was originally played by Natalie Wood in 1947. In 1996 she played the title role of the precocious Matilda in “Matilda” based on the 1988 book by Roald Dahl. Wilson wrote a cheekily titled memoir, “Where Am I Now?” in 2016. To answer that question, Wilson went to college and still works in Hollywood in live-action and voice roles including “Bojack Horseman” and “Big Hero 6: The Series.” Recently you can hear Wilson in the delightfully weird adult-animated series “Helluva Boss.”
Reflecting on her life Wilson told NPR, “I feel good about myself, and I feel like I’m sort of in control of my own story and my own narrative.”
Lisa Jakub also wrote a memoir about being a child actor
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Lisa Jakub started acting at age seven in Peter Yate’s “Eleni.” Following that, she graced the small screen in television shows such as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “Friday the 13th: The Series.” Jakub found herself in some notable film roles such as the Oscar-nominated “Rambling Rose” and Joe Dante’s love letter to 1950’s B-cinema “Matinee.” In 1993, Jakub got the role of teenager Lydia Hillard in “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
In that “Mrs. Doubtfire” cast interview for Today in 2018, Jakub recounted filming a now-legendary scene saying, “The scene in which Matt [Lawrence] and I find out that Mrs. Doubtfire is actually our father was so much fun to film. We had such a great time with that.” In a moment of art imitating life, she went on to explain that, during the audition process director Chris Columbus initially introduced Mrs. Doubtfire not as Robin Williams in makeup but indeed a real actress.
After “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Jakub starred in another iconic 1990’s film “Independence Day” and even had a great part in the award-winning short film “George Lucas in Love” in 1999. Though she hasn’t acted since 2000, Jakub has been doing great work. In 2015, she wrote a memoir titled “You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up,” and she also founded a wellness community called Blue Maia.
Matthew Lawrence starred in Boy Meets World
Matthew Lawrence, the middle brother of Andrew and Joey Lawrence started his screen acting career at just 4 years old. In 1984, he portrayed Danny Carrington in the television drama “Dynasty.” By the time that Lawrence stepped on the set of “Mrs. Doubtfire” to play Chris Hillard, he had already appeared in numerous television shows such as “Gimmie a Break!” and films such as “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” and “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.” Hillard, like his young co-stars, brought a level of relatability and vulnerability to “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
After “Mrs. Doubtfire” wrapped, Lawrence remained active in the acting business, landing a regular role on the hit television series “Boy Meets World” and even playing a younger version of his brother Joey Lawrence in “Blossom.” Recently he reprised his role as Jack Hunter in “Girl Meets World,” a spinoff of “Boy Meets World.”
In the same Today interview with his fellow “Mrs. Doubtfire” castmates, Lawrence credits Robin Williams with helping him get the part of Chris, saying, “He grabbed and pinched me without the camera seeing him and I gave this reaction and everybody started dying with laughter.” He went on to express that the late actor gave him great advice that has stuck with him to this day.
Harvey Fierstein is known for his theatre work
Harvey Fierstein played Frank, the makeup wizard that transforms Robin Williams’ Daniel Hillard into the titular Mrs. Doubtfire. Though he only is featured in a few scenes, they were incredibly memorable and quotable. But what you might not know is that before the film was shot, Fierstein was a mainstay in the theatre world and an LGBTQ+ icon.
In 1983, Fierstein won not one but two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Play and Outstanding New Actor, as well as a Tony for his heart-wrenching performance in “Torch Song Trilogy.” He would go on to win another Tony for writing the book for “La Cage aux Folles” in 1984. Fierstein acted opposite Matthew Broderick and Anne Bancroft in the 1988 film version of “Torch Song Trilogy.” Roger Ebert praised Fierstein’s moving performance saying in his original 1988 review, “I have not seen anyone quite like Fierstein in the movies, and the fact that he is a specific individual gives this material a charm and weight it might have lacked if an interchangeable actor had played the role.”
After “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Fierstein has continued to set the theater world on fire, winning another Tony, Drama Desk Award, and Drama League award for 2003’s “Hairspray,” a musical based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name. He also has starred in “Independence Day” in 1996 (alongside Lisa Jakub), and reunited with Robin Williams for the darkly satirical “Death to Smoochy.” Currently, Fierstein has lent his signature raspy voice (which you might also recognize as Yao from 1998’s “Mulan”) to shows such as “Family Guy” and more recently Netflix’s “Big Mouth.”
Polly Holliday has retired from acting
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Though her role was small, Polly Holliday played nosy neighbor Gloria in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Holliday had been working in Hollywood long before filming on the classic comedy began. In 1974, Holliday got the break of a lifetime, starring in the Broadway show “All Over Town” (via Playbill).
“Kiss my grits” — that was the catchphrase for the wise-cracking waitress Flo. Holliday played in the hit television series “Alice” for 90 episodes. This performance would earn her first of four Primetime Emmy nominations. Flo was such a beloved character that she got a short-lived spin-off simply titled “Flo” which ran for 29 episodes. In 1984, she played what is perhaps her best-known character outside of Flo as the wonderfully wicked Mrs. Deagle in the cult-hit “Gremlins” directed by Joe Dante and written by future “Mrs. Doubtfire” director Chris Columbus.
After starring in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the actress starred in other notable projects such as the 1990’s remake of “The Parent Trap” and as a series regular on the hit sitcom “Home Improvement.”
In 2000, she was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame. Currently, Holliday has retired from stage and screen after an amazing career.
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What The Karate Kid Cast Looks Like Today
Underdog stories are one of the cornerstones of cinema, and few are more celebrated than The Karate Kid. Director John G. Avildsen (who also helmed Rocky, arguably the ultimate underdog movie) assembled a talented ensemble cast to tell the story of a boy named Daniel (Ralph Macchio) learning karate to ward off local bullies courtesy of his wise mentor, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) — who taught him that karate is about much, much more than fighting.
The Karate Kid remains one of the most beloved films of the 1980s — so much so that it’s now inspired the YouTube series Cobra Kai — thanks to its mix of action and humor, its inspirational message, and of course, its instantly memorable characters. Whether they were Cobra Kai bullies or Daniel’s inner circle, each member of the Karate Kid cast gave something to the production that helped make it a classic. Here’s a look at what the stars of the film have been up to over the years, and what they look like today.
Ralph Macchio – Daniel LaRusso
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Ralph Macchio got steady work as a young actor before The Karate Kid, including a prominent recurring role on Eight Is Enough, but 1983 and 1984 brought a powerful one-two punch that would cement him as an icon of 1980s pop culture. In ’83 he joined the fraternity of young actors — nearly all of them stars already or future stars — in The Outsiders, and then in ’84 he was cast as Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid. The massive success of the film led to three sequels, two of them starring Macchio as Daniel.
Macchio continued to pick up regular acting work in the 1990s and 2000s, including roles in My Cousin Vinny and The Secret of NIMH 2, before landing another prominent TV gig in 2008 with a recurring role on Ugly Betty. Before Cobra Kai brought the Karate Kid franchise back into his life, he also appeared on Psych, Happily Divorced, and Kevin Can Wait. He’s also made time to poke fun at himself, playing versions of “Ralph Macchio” on everything from Entourage to How I Met Your Mother.
William Zabka – Johnny Lawrence
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William Zabka‘s first major screen acting work was an episode of The Greatest American Hero in 1983. His second was the role of Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid, a role which cemented him as one of the best (and perhaps most misunderstood) villains of 1980s cinema. The Karate Kid led to more roles in major ’80s films for Zabka — including National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Just One of the Guys, and Back to School — as well as a role in the 1985 TV series The Equalizer. He also returned briefly as Johnny for The Karate Kid Part II.
Zabka continued to work regularly throughout the 1990s and 2000s, particularly in action films like Shootfighter: Fight to the Death and Descent Into Darkness, and co-wrote and produced the Oscar-nominated short film “Most” in 2003. In 2013 he re-entered pop culture mythology in a major way by playing a version of himself in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and in 2018 he returned as a down-on-his-luck Johnny Lawrence for the YouTube original series Cobra Kai, which reframes the entire narrative of the Karate Kid saga.
Elisabeth Shue – Ali Mills
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Of all the young actors in The Karate Kid, Elisabeth Shue is the one who arguably came away from the film with the highest-profile career. With only a handful of credits to her name when the film was made, its success granted her numerous opportunities in each subsequent decade.
Unlike the other leads in the franchise, Shue did not return for any of The Karate Kid sequels, but she did go on to other major roles in 1980s classics including Adventures in Babysitting, Cocktail, and the recast role of Jennifer in Back to the Future Part II and Part III. In the 1990s she gained acclaim as a major dramatic talent, earning an Oscar nomination for Leaving Las Vegas and co-starring in Deconstructing Harry, The Saint, and Hollow Man.
These days, Shue continues to work regularly, most prominently in television. In 2012 she became one of the stars of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and helped close out that show’s massive 15-season run on CBS, and she’ll next be seen in Amazon’s original superhero series The Boys.
Randee Heller – Lucille LaRusso
Randee Heller had nearly a decade of steady work in television to her name — with roles on Husbands, Wives, & Lovers and Soap, among others — when she landed the role of Daniel’s mother Lucille in The Karate Kid, and became one of pop culture’s most beloved and supportive movie moms. She returned as Lucille LaRusso for The Karate Part II and Part III, and in between she filled the 1980s with major roles in the TV series Mama Malone, Better Days, and Boys Will Be Boys.
Since The Karate Kid, Heller has continued an essentially unbroken streak of roles of major TV series, sometimes as a one-off guest star and sometimes recurring. Her many credits include Murder, She Wrote, Family Matters, Coach, Chicago Hope, Judging Amy, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy, In Plain Sight, Desperate Housewives, Modern Family, Wilfred, and Major Crimes. In 2018, she reprised her role as Lucille LaRusso on Cobra Kai.
Martin Kove – John Kreese
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Martin Kove had already been screen acting for more than a decade by the time The Karate Kid came along, and his career went well enough that he’d already become a part of cult cinema history along the way. One of Kove’s most important breakout roles came in 1975, when he was cast as Nero the Hero in Roger Corman’s Death Race 2000, which he followed with a role in White Line Fever and TV series including Code R and We’ve Got Each Other. In The Karate Kid, he was flawless as the ruthless sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo, John Kreese.
After The Karate Kid, Kove returned as Kreese for both Part II and Part III, and continued to act regularly in film and television. He has dozens of credits to his name ranging from action films to TV guest appearances, including a long-running recurring role as Victor Isbecki on Cagney & Lacey, the series Hard Time on Planet Earth, and a role as Captain Newman in Diagnosis Murder. More recently, he appeared as “Master John” on a Karate Kid tribute episode of the ’80s-set sitcom The Goldbergs, and reprised his role as John Kreese in Cobra Kai.
Ron Thomas – Bobby
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One of the things that makes The Karate Kid such an enduring classic is the film’s willingness to add color to supporting characters, particularly Johnny’s friends at Cobra Kai. They’re never just one-dimensional goons, and that’s particularly true in the case of Ron Thomas as Bobby. Though he went along with what Johnny and Kreese asked him, there was an always an element of reluctance to Bobby’s role in bullying Daniel.
Thomas’ acting career is relatively sparse, though it does include The Karate Kid Part II in 1986 and a role in The Extendables in 2014. Outside of the acting world, Thomas continued to pour his passion into martial arts, and today is a champion martial artist, martial arts instructor, author, and motivational speaker, who continues to offer seminars and coaching. He holds a sixth-degree black belt, is a two-time World Champion, and is a National Rank Examiner for the United States Judo Association, among many other accolades. He’s also a ten-year veteran of Universal Studios Hollywood stunt shows, including the Conan Sword and Sorcery Spectacular and the Miami Vice Action Spectacular.
Chad McQueen – Dutch
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The son of legendary action star Steve McQueen and his wife Neile Adams, Chad McQueen is Hollywood royalty. As Dutch in The Karate Kid, he’s easily the most brutal of the Cobra Kai students, who seems to take pleasure not just in winning, but in pain. It adds yet another dimension to the ensemble.
McQueen returned for The Karate Kid Part II and continued to act throughout the 1990s in films including Firepower and The Other Man. Like his father before him, his passions ultimately turned to racing, and he raced competitively in the Grand America Road Race Series until a mechanical failure caused his car to a hit a wall during a practice run in 2006. He suffered severe injuries and faced significant recovery time, and so decided to pour his passion and expertise into other aspects of the racing and custom car world.
Today McQueen runs McQueen Racing, a company devoted to carrying on his father’s legacy through custom cars and motorcycles.
Rob Garrison – Tommy
Rob Garrison had already been appearing in films and television for nearly a decade by the time The Karate Kid came around, which put him in perfect position to play Tommy, the mouthy Cobra Kai member whose cry of “Put him a in a body bag, Johnny!” remains among the film’s most quotable lines.
After The Karate Kid, Garrison continued acting regularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He appeared in The Karate Kid Part II as well as episodes of MacGyver, Columbo, Coach and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Though he no longer seems to be acting full time, he still does take on new roles (most recently in the film The Pledge), and continues to communicate with fans via Twitter. Though he hasn’t yet appeared on Cobra Kai, Garrison has noted that he’s a fan of the series, and that he would love to make an appearance as one of the original Cobras if the show gets a third season.
Pat Morita – Mr. Miyagi
By the time The Karate Kid arrived in 1984, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita had already been screen acting for nearly two decades. After working as a nightclub comedian, Morita transitioned into life as an actor and started appearing regularly on television, with roles on MASH, Sanford and Son, Mr. T and Tina, and of course Happy Days, in which he played Arnold. The role of the wise handyman-turned-karate instructor Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid brought him a new level of success, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Morita played Miyagi in two more Karate Kid films alongside Macchio, then returned to do live-action introductions for The Karate Kid animated TV series in 1989, and again played Miyagi with a new student in 1994’s The Next Karate Kid. He continued to work regularly outside the franchise as well, landing the title role in the 1987 TV series Ohara, playing the Toymaster in the 1986 version of Babes In Toyland, Grandpa Woo in The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and voicing the Emperor in Disney’s Mulan franchise among many other roles. He died in 2005 at the age of 73.
