The vampire crew of the Santa Carla Lost Boys hit the silver screen in 1987 with one of the best casts around, including Alex Winter, the two Coreys, and Kiefer Sutherland. But after the loving comic book nerds defeated the evil undead, what happened to the cast?
Keep reading to find out!
Then: Jason Patric
Jason Patric was pretty new to Hollywood when he won the role of Michael Emerson in The Lost Boys. Broody and not overly thrilled that his mother moved him to a new town, Patric proved that he had the acting chops that run in his family.
But did anyone expect anything less? He is the grandson of Jackie Gleason and the son of Jason Miller, after all!
Now: Jason Patric
Jason Patric didn’t stray far from the entertainment industry after The Lost Boys wrapped up. He wound up appearing in numerous motion pictures, including Speed 2: Cruise Control, My Sister’s Keeper, and, most recently, Becoming.
But he also took his talents to the stage, performing in Broadway plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and That Championship Season.
Then: Jami Gertz
The Lost Boys, actress Jami Gertz played the role of Star, the “half-vampire” girlfriend of the bad boy vampire David. But this wasn’t her first project. After studying drama at New York University, Gertaz landed small roles here and there.
She finally got significant attention from her performance in the 1987 film Less Than Zero. It was right before she landed the role of Star!
Now: Jami Gertz
Jami Gertz has moved a long way from the silver screen, opting to take her career in a totally different direction. Married to business executive Tony Ressler since 1989, the two made a huge purchase. In 2015, they became the owners of the NBA team, the Atlanta Hawks.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gertz joked about the career shift, saying, “It’s not your everyday Hollywood actress tale.”
Then: Alex Winter
Before Alex Winter was cast as the curly-haired mullet vampire Marko, he was actually attending film school at New York University. It wasn’t until he graduated from school and moved out west to Hollywood that he found himself on the silver screen.
Interestingly, Winter didn’t think the movie was going to be a hit!
Now: Alex Winter
Alex Winter went on to appear in many other films post-The Lost Boys. But he also began dabbling in screenwriting and directing. In 2015, he was granted rights to Frank Zappa’s life, starting his journey to create a documentary about the famed guitarist.
And, of course, he made his way back to the silver screen with Keanu Reeves for another installment of Bill & Ted’s Fabulous Adventure.
Then: Billy Wirth
In The Lost Boys, former model Billy Wirth played the dark and broody Dwayne, a vampire who could rock a leather jacket better than anyone, living or dead. Even director Joel Schumacher thought so.
In an interview with Empire, Schumacher said, “I thought, ‘I’m gonna put [Wirth] in a motorcycle jacket with no shirt on, and he is gonna be a fabulous Lost Boy.'”
Now: Billy Wirth
After his time as one of The Lost Boys, Billy Wirth engrained himself in the entertainment industry. He went on to appear in various movies, such as Body Snatchers and popular television series like CSI.
Since 1999, he’s been working in the indie film industry, directing and producing movies such as MacArthur Park, which earned him numerous award nominations.
Then: Kiefer Sutherland
By the time The Lost Boys rolled around, Kiefer Sutherland had already appeared in critically acclaimed films, including Stand By Me. In the former, though, Sutherland played the role of the ringleader vampire, David.
Even though he has the least dialogue out of anyone in the film, the actor’s presence is the perfect amount of creepy rocker that he is beyond memorable.
Now: Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland continued to work as an actor long after The Lost Boys wrapped up. While he’s appeared in films such as A Few Good Men and The Three Musketeers, he is arguably best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer in the medical drama 24.
Sutherland won a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award, two Satellite Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for the drama series.
Then: Corey Haim
Even though he was only a teenager at the time, actor Corey Haim had a few movies under his belt before landing the role as Sam Emerson.
As rumor has it, though, director Joel Schumacher wasn’t set on casting Haim as the nerdy comic book-loving teenager turned vampire hunter. He changed his mind after Haim’s first reading.
RIP Corey Haim
Corey Haim made a career out of appearing in 1980s B-rated movies, including films such as License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream. And, due to his widely-publicized friendship with Corey Feldman, he became known as one of “The Two Coreys.”
Sadly, due to complications with pneumonia and an enlarged heart, Haim passed away in 2010.
Then: Brooke McCarter
Even before landing the role of Paul in The Lost Boys, Brooke McCarter had something of an affinity for cult classic films. He wound up starring alongside the likes of Tony Hawk, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and even Josh Brolin in the skateboard movie Thrashin.
That was only one year before he joined the cast of The Lost Boys.
RIP: Brooke McCarter
Brooke McCarter took a hiatus from the stardom of Hollywood, opting to go into the telecommunications industry for ten years! From there, he moved to Tampa, Florida, with his daughter, only moving back into the spotlight for the 2009 film The Uh-Oh! Show.
Sadly, McCarter passed away from a rare liver disorder in 2015.
Then: Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman was young but seasoned in Hollywood by the time he landed the role of vampire hunter Edgar Frog in The Lost Boys. The actor had already starred in some of the biggest movies of the 80s, including Stand By Me and The Goonies.
It was even under the suggestion of the latter film’s director, Richard Donner, that Feldman meets with Joel Schumaker for the role of Edgar.
Now: Corey Feldman
Unfortunately, Corey Feldman’s acting career went into a downward spiral after his time on the set of The Lost Boys. While he appeared in various films throughout his adult career, even reprising the role of Edgar Frog in various Lost Boys spin-offs, there was nothing really of note until 2020.
That year, Feldman released the documentary (My) Truth, discussing his and Corey Haim’s experiences as child actors in Hollywood.
Then: Edward Herrmann
In the biggest vampire plot twist in the history of vampire movie plot twists, it’s revealed that nerdy middle-aged max is the head vampire in The Lost Boys.
Played by Edward Herrmann, the actor had a seasoned career before landing the role in the 1987 movie, including his performance as Franklin D. Roosevelt in the mini-series Eleanor and Franklin.
RIP Edward Herrmann
Edward Herrmann stayed in the spotlight long after The Lost Boys came to an end. He’d appeared in multiple movies and television series and even wound up doing voice work for numerous programs on The History Channel and PBS specials, including Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies.
Sadly, Herrmann passed away in 2014 from brain cancer.
Then: Tim Cappello
Unlike a vast majority of The Lost Boys cast, Tim Cappello was hired for his musical skills. In the film, he was nothing more than a singer and saxophone player, playing a stellar cover of “I Still Believe” by The Call.
This was just a few years after Capello was hired by Tina Turner to be her keyboardist and saxophonist.
Now: Tim Cappello
Tim Capello has been making a whole lot of music since his time on The Lost Boys. In recent years, Capello has composed scores for various films and television shows, including the movie Radium City.
He even played the saxophone for the variety show The Break with Michelle Wolf. Most recently, though, Capello was featured in a 2021 Netflix series called Worn Stories.
Then: Chance Michael Corbitt
In his first acting role ever, Chance Michael Corbitt landed a spot in The Lost Boys cast, paying the youngest vampire of the group, Laddie.
The younger brother to Jami Gertz’s Star, Laddie, is one of the lucky vampires to turn back into a human by the end of the movie (spoiler alert).
Now: Chance Michael Corbitt
After his time as Laddie, Chance Michael Corbitt stayed pretty busy throughout the 80s and 90s, appearing in films such as The Rocketeer, Pumpkinhead, and even a reoccurring role in the series Baywatch.
But he all but disappeared for a while, making his Hollywood comeback in 2005. Otherwise, he’s seen at horror conventions with his Lost Boys co-stars.
Then: Jamison Newlander
Jamison Newlander was fairly new to Hollywood when he landed the role of Alan Frog, a teenage vampire hunter in the town of Santa Carla. Interestingly, the role of Alan wasn’t meant for a teenager.
Originally, Newlander’s part was supposed to go to an eight-year-old! Thankfully, director Joel Schumacher decided to age the character a bit.
Now: Jamison Newlander
After his time on the set of The Lost Boys, Jamison Newlander bounced around Hollywood, snagging various roles here and there. His most well-known roles being his reprisal of Alan Frog in both Lost Boys: The Tribe and Lost Boys: The Thirst.
Most recently, Newlander appeared in the Lifetime movie A Tale Of Two Corys as a police officer.
Then: Barnard Hughes
In The Lost Boys, Barnard Hughes plays the lovable and quirky grandpa who miraculously, and most likely accidentally, kills the head of the vampire horde in Santa Carla.
Crashing a car into the side of the house, splinters wind up impaling Max, bringing his reign of terror to an end.
RIP Barnard Hughes
Even though he was in the acting community long before he reached middle age, Barnard Hughes is arguably best known for playing the quirky grandfather figure.
His resume includes projects such as Mr. Merlin, Dark Shadows, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. Hughes passed away in 2006, days shy of his 91st birthday.
Then: Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest was coming off an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress win when she landed the role of Lucy Emerson in The Lost Boys. Director Joel Schumacher couldn’t have been more thrilled with her casting either since he really didn’t think the actress was going to go for a vampire film.
During The Lost Boys: A Retrospective, Schumacher said, “I couldn’t believe [it] when she said ‘Yes.’ [Wiest] is one of my favorite actresses.”
Now: Dianne Wiest
Even after The Lost Boys, Dianne Wiest made waves in the entertainment industry, appearing in numerous films, TV shows, and even on the stage.
Some of her more notable projects include Road to Avonlea, for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, The Mule, and, most recently, the films I Care a Lot and Let Them All Talk.
Then: Kelly Jo Minter
Actress Kelly Jo Minter had a few acting credits under her belt before landing the role of Maria in The Lost Boys. Minter had appeared alongside the likes of superstars Cher, Eric Stoltz, and Sam Elliott in the film Mask.
She even appeared alongside Mark Harmon in Summer School.
Now: Kelly Jo Minter
Throughout the years, Kelly Jo Minter has kind of been all over the board when it comes to her career. While she’s still acting, it’s never been in a project overly popular with the general public. In fact, she’s known as one of the forgotten scream queens.
Some of the titles she’s worked on include, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Getting the Kinks Out, and Tapped Out.
