The Goonies was Sean Astin's film debut. At just 13, he won the central role of Mikey Walsh, a glass-half-full kind of kid who sets out to save his home from greedy developers. Astin went on to star in some equally big and influential movies, including Rudy and The Lord of the Rings films.
He starred in the second season of Stranger Things, which includes some Goonies references. Astin is married with three children.
- Age: 53
- Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA
The 50+ Best Sean Astin MoviesSee all
- 1The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King74 Votes
- 2The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers60 Votes
- 3The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring67 Votes
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The gadget-inclined Data was only Ke Huy Quan's second movie character. He had previously starred in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, for which he won a Young Artist Award. Quan had a few more roles in the years following The Goonies, including the movie Encino Man and the television series Head of the Class. As an adult, he has mostly worked behind the scenes as a stunt coordinator and stunt rigger.
In 2022, Quan made a triumphant return to the big screen, co-starring alongside Michelle Kwan in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The long-absent actor's performance was widely praised by critics and audiences alike.
- Age: 53
- Birthplace: Saigon, Vietnam
Corey Feldman was one of the most successful child stars of the 1980s. In The Goonies, he portrays Mikey's friend Mouth, so named because of his nonstop motormouth. Feldman went on to become a teen idol and starred in several more successful films, including Stand By Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, and The 'Burbs. His star is no longer what it once was but he continues to perform, mostly as a singer and songwriter.
Feldman, who is married with one child, has alleged that Hollywood is rampant with pedophilia and has launched a fundraising campaign to produce a film documenting this behavior and the abuse he he suffered as a child actor. He recently started naming his abusers.
- Age: 53
- Birthplace: Chatsworth, California, USA
As Chunk, the clumsy and rotund member of the group, Jeff Cohen is a standout in The Goonies. He only stayed in the business for a few years after the movie, mostly taking guest roles in a handful of television shows. In 2000, Cohen received his Juris Doctorate degree from the UCLA School of Law; yes, Chunk is an attorney now.
He currently serves as an entertainment lawyer at his own firm, Cohen Gardner, LLP. Cohen is also a contributing political writer for several websites and publications.
- Age: 50
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
One of the most iconic '80s movie images is Josh Brolin as Brand Walsh (Mikey's brother) in a red headband with a quintessentially '80s piece of stretchy exercise equipment. Even today, Brolin has a sense of humor about his most famous wardrobe selection. Since The Goonies, he has become a household name, starring in a variety of blockbuster films like No Country for Old Men, W., True Grit, and Inherent Vice.
Of course, Brolin is now perhaps best known for his turn as Thanos in the Avengers films.
- Age: 57
- Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, USA
Every Josh Brolin Movie, Ranked By FansSee all- 1No Country for Old Men112 Votes
- 2Avengers: Infinity War90 Votes
- 3The Goonies79 Votes
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Kerri Green was in three of the most memorable movies from the 1980s. In addition to her role as cheerleader Andy in The Goonies, she's a part of the love triangle in classic film Lucas. She also plays John Candy's daughter in Summer Rental. Green has had supporting roles in low-budget movies and a few different television shows in the years since, but she has largely disappeared from public life.
She appears in the 2012 indie drama Complacent in a role that was written specifically for her.
- Age: 58
- Birthplace: Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA
Just as it did for Astin and Brolin, The Goonies served as a springboard for Martha Plimpton's successful career. She won hearts as The Goonies' sassy Stef, who's mostly known for those amazing earrings. Plimpton has maintained an impressive body of work both on stage and on screen. She has won an Emmy and been nominated for three Tony Awards.
Equally at home on Broadway, in big budget features, or in situational comedies, Plimpton is also a prochoice activist who sits on the board of the abortion rights nonprofit A Is For.
- Age: 54
- Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
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The late and great Anne Ramsey had been a working character actress for many years when The Goonies made her especially famous. After winning the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work as criminal Mama Fratelli, Ramsey went on to play the title role in Throw Momma from the Train. For this performance, she was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe and she won another Saturn Award. Sadly, Ramsey died the following year of cancer at age 59. "I've always prayed to be recognized," she once said, reflecting on the fame she achieved amidst a cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy. "But I never would have guessed that it would come at a time in my life like this."
- Age: Dec. at 59 (1929-1988)
- Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Joe Pantoliano plays Francis Fratelli, one of Mama's evil henchmen sons. Pantoliano has a long and varied career in film and television, including his Emmy Award-winning performance on The Sopranos. The married father of six has also spoken publicly about his struggles with depression. He founded a nonprofit, No Kidding? Me Too!, that raises awareness about mental health issues and he wrote a book about his life, career, and depression, entitled Asylum: Hollywood Tales from My Great Depression: Brain Dis-Ease, Recovery, and Being My Mother's Son.
Pantoliano also appears in Sense8.
- Age: 73
- Birthplace: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Robert Davi had a few guest-starring roles on TV before he was cast as Mama's other evil son in The Goonies. He's gone on to become a recognizable actor in a number of films and television shows, as well as an accomplished director and singer. Davi, who is married with five children, is extremely conservative and an ardent Donald Trump supporter.
He even writes a column for Breitbart and pops up on Fox News from time to time. He's added the title a talk show host to his list of on accomplishments.
- Age: 71
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York, Astoria
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Another talent gone too soon, John Matuszak plays the unforgettable Sloth, the youngest Fratelli brother who had long been abused by his family. Before becoming an actor, Matuszak was a professional football player. His other film credits include North Dallas Forty and One Crazy Summer. On television, he appears on Cheers, M*A*S*H, Miami Vice, and many other shows.
He died at the age of 38 after accidentally overdosing on the painkiller Darvocet. He is buried in his home state of Wisconsin.
- Age: Dec. at 38 (1950-1989)
- Birthplace: Oak Creek, Wisconsin, USA
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Mary Ellen Trainor was in dozens of movies and television shows between the early 1980s and her death in 2015. She's mother to Mikey and Brand in The Goonies and plays Dr. Stephanie Woods in the Lethal Weapon movies. It is probably these roles for which she is best remembered. Trainor was married to director Robert Zemeckis for 20 years before their 2000 divorce. They had a son together.
She died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 62.
- Age: 74
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
Rosalita, the maid in The Goonies, is the one who finds the marble bag that gives the movie its happily-ever-after. Rosalita is portrayed by veteran character actress Lupe Ontiveros, who once estimated that she'd played a maid 150 times in her career. She appears in such movies as Selena, As Good As It Gets, and Real Women Have Curves.
Ontiveros was married and had three sons. She died in 2012 of liver cancer and is buried in Whittier, California.
- Age: Dec. at 69 (1942-2012)
- Birthplace: El Paso, Texas, USA
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