15 Biggest Actors From The Original It Cast: Where Are They Now?
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It is a novel by Stephen King that was published in 1986. It has scared the life out of children and adults over the past few decades. "We all float down here" became one of the most iconic phrases in film for a number of years. The 2017 adaptation of the novel has once again given the horror genre the popularity it deserves. In the film, Pennywise the clown is reborn after 27 years in hiding to once again stalk the town of Derry.
It is interesting that the original It miniseries was released back in 1990, and Stephen King has ensured that the adaptation has been released 27 years after that. It almost seems as though the book is working in its own version of reality.
As previously mentioned, 27 years have passed since It was first adapted as a miniseries. Now, an entirely different cast has taken the place of the stars from almost three decades ago, and a new star steps into the shoes of cinema's most iconic clown.
Over the past two and a half decades, the original cast members of the show have gone on to do much bigger and better things in Hollywood and on the small screen following the release of the original horror story all those years ago.
The following list looks at the main cast members of the original mini-series and what their fortunes have been like over the past few years, whether they have continued to work at their careers as actors, or whether their lives have taken a different turn.
Dennis Christopher (Older Eddie Kaspbrak)
Dennis Christopher is American actor that rose to fame after being cast in Breaking Away in 1979. This performance won him a BAFTA, A Youth In Film Award, and a Golden Globe nomination before he moved on to appear in a number of hit films throughout the 1980's, including Fade To Black, The Falling, A Sinful Life and the hugely successful Chariots Of Fire.
Dennis obviously then appeared as Eddie Kaspbrak in the mini-series inspired by Stephen King's famous novel. Eddie is the small asthmatic hypochondriac who is always seen carrying an inhaler. Following this film role as one of the main six boys in the cast, Dennis went on to appear in a number of other films, including Django Unchained back in 2012. He was most recently seen as part of the Breaking Away cast reunion back in 2015.
Harry Anderson (Older Richie Tozier)
Harry Anderson was cast in the role of the older Richie Tozier when he was 38 years old. Richie is one of the main cast members, and is pivotal in the "Losers' Club" that spends much of their time surrounding Beverly.
Before he was cast in the It miniseries, Harry was already well-known after appearing on numerous episodes of Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He also toured as a magician for a number of years before securing the main role in Stephen King's horror adaptation. Anderson has remained in the acting business following his starring role and has been seen in Hexing The Hurricane, A Matter of Faith, and even 30 Rock over the past few years, whilst also adding screenwriter and director to his resume. Harry is perhaps best known for his recurring role on the hit show Cheers, but he has seemingly slowed down on his acting career in recent years after making a name for himself in the 80's and 90's.
Tim Reid (Older Mike Hanlon)
Tim Reid played the older version of Mike Hanlon in the It miniseries back in 1990. Mike is bullied throughout the film and is the last one to join the group, when the others save him from his relentless bullies. Mike is also the one to fight off Henry Bowers when the group are in Pennywise's lair for the first time in the new adaptation of the book.
Tim Reid has been in the acting business since 1974 after appearing on an episode of That's My Mama. His acting career then began to pick up in the late 1980's, when he scored roles in Dead Bang and Snoops, before being cast in It. Tim has since remained on the acting scene, but mostly on TV shows including That's So Raven, Trade, and Room Mates. Reid's last known TV role was in Limitless back in 2016, but he is now the founder and president of Legacy Media Institute, which seems to be keeping him away from his acting career.
Annette O'Toole (Older Beverley Marsh)
Annette O'Toole played the female lead, Beverley Marsh. She is the one who keeps the group of boys together, despite the fact that they seem as though they are going to fall apart a number of times. Beverley is from the poor part of Derry, and even though it isn't actually stated in the series, there are hints that she is being abused by her father.
Annette rose to fame in the 1970's because of her work in films such as Smile, One on One, and King of the Gypsies. She later was cast as Lana Lang in Spiderman III in 1983, before being cast as the adult version of Beverley Marsh in the original adaptation in 1990. Annette has since become much more popular and well-known as the mother of Clark Kent in the highly successful series Smallville. Last year, she starred in a film called Women Who Kill alongside Deborah Rush.
Jonathan Brandis (Young Bill Denbrough)
Jonathan Brandis was a promising child actor who broke into the business back in 1980 when he began appearing in TV commercials at the age of four. His first real role was in the soap opera One Life To Live, before a number of guest roles in shows such as Murder She Wrote, Full House, and Kate & Allie.
Jonathan was cast in It at the age of 14, and was seen as the main character of the series. He played Bill Denbrough, who has an obvious crush on Beverley. Bill struggles with a stutter that is difficult to overcome. Jonathan received positive reviews for his role in the film, which later led to many other film roles. It was said that Brandis' career began to decline in the early 2000's, and this led to depression for the former child star. Brandis hanged himself in 2003. He produced and directed a short film called The Slainesville Boys, which was his final piece of work before his death at 27 years old.
Brendon Crane (Young Ben Hanscom)
Brendon Crane is the grandson of well-known actor Fred Crane, who is remembered for his role in Gone With The Wind. Like many other child actors, Brendon got his start in the business when he was just four years old acting in commercials. He later landed guest roles in Otherworld and Magnum PI.
Brendon was cast in It when he was just 14 years old, and he played 12-year-old Ben Hanscom. Ben is the overweight member of the group who is often bullied by Henry Bowers, until he joins the Losers' Club. Ben also has a crush on Beverley. Following his role in the successful 1990 miniseries, Brandon went on to appear in The Wonder Years, Step by Step, Backfield in Motion and Coverage. Brendon also went on to marry back in 2005, and he now has a son.
Emily Perkins (Young Beverly Marsh)
Beverley Marsh is the main female character in Stephen King's horror novel, and she is the one who holds the group of boys together throughout the book. Emily Perkins portrays the younger version of Beverley, who is later portrayed by Annette O'Toole.
Perkins had only appeared in minor acting roles before It, but has since appeared in a number of high-profile movies, including She's the Man, Juno, and Another Cinderella Story. She later had a small role on Supernatural. Emily later moved on to a role in Repeaters back in 2011, before her final known role as Nancy in Extraterrestrial back in 2014.
Chelan Simmons (Laurie Anne Winterbarger)
Laurie Anne Winterbarger is the first known victim of It, and is an eight-year-old girl living in the small town of Derry. She was killed in 1985, and her death begins a chain of events that the novel is based upon.
Chelan was cast as Laurie when she was just eight years old, and she has since gone on to become quite well-known. She appeared in Stephen King's Carrie in 2002, followed by roles in The Long Weekend and Final Destination 3. She later appeared in John Tucker Must Die and Wind Chill back in 2007. She then appeared alongside WWE superstar Kane in See No Evil 2 in 2014, followed by a guest-starring role in popular tv series Mistresses the following year. Chelan has mostly appeared in direct-to-TV movies over the past few years.
Olivia Hussey (Audra Denbrough)
Audra Denbrough is Bill Denbrough's wife when he first comes back to Derry in 1985. Olivia Hussey was cast as Audra for the 1990 mini series, but she actually began her acting career back in 1965, when she was cast in The Battle of the Villa Fiorita. However, it was her role in Romeo and Juliet in 1968 that earned Olivia a Golden Globe for her performance. Olivia has appeared in a number of TV shows and films over the past two decades, including Headspace and Social Suicide, which was released back in 2015. Olivia is the mother of India Eisley, who is known for her main role as Ashley in The Secret Life Of The American Teenager.
John Ritter (Older Ben Hanscom)
John Ritter played the older version of Ben Hanscom from King's novel. He later sheds the weight and becomes an architect as he gets older, and is one of the main reasons that "The Losers" are able to defeat It.
John Ritter started his acting career back in 1971 as Roger in the Disney film The Barefoot Exclusive. He later became a household name in 1976, when he began playing Jack Tripper in Three's Company. Ritter continued his successful career following his role in It, and he became well known as Paul Hennessy in 8 Simple Rules from 2002 to 2003. Ritter fell ill whilst filming 8 Simple Rules back in 2003 and had a severe heart attack. His condition worsened and, sadly, Ritter later passed away during surgery when it was discovered that he was struggling with an aortic dissection.
Sheila Moore (Sonia Kaspbrak)
Sonia Kaspbrak is the overweight health-conscious mother of Eddie Kaspbrak. Sheila Moore stepped into the shoes of Sonia for the 1990 miniseries, and she had already had quite a successful career throughout the 1980's, appearing in 21 Jump Street, Bye Bye Blues, and The Reflecting Skin. Following her role in It, Sheila went on to star in A Mother's Justice, Miles From Nowhere, and she even had a small role on Smallville, alongside fellow It cast member Annette O'Toole. At almost 80-years-old, it seems that Sheila is now slowing down her acting career and spending more time with her family. Her last known appearance was back in 2008 in a short film entitled Reverse.
Richard Masur (Stanley Uris)
Stanley Uris is the most skeptical member of Losers' Club. Richard Masur stepped into the shoes of the smartest member of the group back in 1990 for the miniseries, after already spending 15 years acting in a number of different movies. Following his portrayal of Stan Uris, Richard went on to appear in films like My Girl 2 in 1994, Forget Paris, and Play It To The Bone. More recently, Richard has turned to appearing in TV series, and he has played major roles in The Good Wife and Netflix's original series Orange Is The New Black over the past few years. Richard's most recent role was in Transparent last year.
Richard Thomas (Bill Denbrough)
Bill Denbrough is the main character and the leader of The Losers' Club. Richard Thomas played the older version of Bill. Richard Thomas was already well-known when he joined the cast of the show, thanks to his years playing John-Boy Walton in The Waltons. Thomas has since been active on the acting scene, and he has continued to appear in a number of TV shows and films, including The Good Wife, Chicago PD, Billions and Elementary in recent years. Richard has been married three times, and has six children. He has somehow managed to juggle his personal life along with his professional life over the past few decades.
Seth Green (Young Richie Tozier)
Richie Tozier is the light-hearted member of the group who is always making funny comments and cracking jokes. Seth Green had only been acting for six years when he was cast in the role. He clearly has done the role justice, since he has risen to fame over the past few years. He is known for a number of movies, including Without A Paddle, Scooby Doo, and even Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Green appeared in both Austin Powers films, as well as a number of chick-flicks, including Can't Hardly Wait and S*x Drive. Green recently lent his voice to The Lego Batman Movie, and he has a number of upcoming projects, including Changeland. He has also been working as a producer for Camp WWE, which is a series on the WWE Network.
Tim Curry (Pennywise)
Pennywise is the clown that has been the subject of many children's nightmares over the past few decades, but the man that first brought him to life was Tim Curry. The directors knew that they needed Pennywise to be as close to Stephen King had imagined him, and it seems that Tim Curry was a perfect choice.
Curry started his acting career on the stage as part of the cast of Hair in 1968, before moving on to films. He was cast in the main role for The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975. Curry has since gone on to become one of the most loved actors in children's films, including Beauty and The Beast, Scooby Doo, and Garfield. Curry has won a number of awards for his voice acting over the past few years. Sadly, he suffered a stroke back in 2012, and he is now forced to use a wheelchair. Curry's last film appearance was earlier this year as the voice of Monster Head in The Long Drive Home.
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