The Lost Boys Cast: Then And Now

The poster for this teen vampire pic graced many bedrooms back in the Eighties, thanks to its sexy young cast and MTV aesthetic. Directed by Joel Schumacher and released in 1987, it starred a crop of cool up-and-coming talent – but where are they now?

Jason Patric (Michael)

Then: A dark and brooding hunk, Patric is the son of actor Jason Miller (i.e. the priest who throws himself out of the window at the end of ‘The Exorcist’). ‘Lost Boys’ was his second movie following cult naff rollerskating teen epic ‘Solarbabies’.

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Now: A talented and intense actor who’s never quite become the star he might have been, Patric’s best films include 1996’s ‘Sleepers’ and the underrated ‘Narc’. Unfortunately, he’s probably more famous for mega-flop ‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’ (not his fault) and for running away with best friend Kiefer Sutherland’s then-girlfriend Julia Roberts in the early Nineties. Having turned down the role of Jesus in ‘The Passion of the Christ’, he was recently embroiled in a landmark legal battle about the rights of sperm donors thanks to a case involving his ex-girlfriend and their son.

Kiefer Sutherland (David)

Then: With a baddie role in ‘Stand By Me’ behind him, Sutherland consolidated his position as a go-to Hollywood villain as the teenaged leader of the vampires.

Now: Some might say that Jack Bauer from ‘24’ isn’t entirely wholesome – shooting people willy-nilly as he is wont to do – which is why Sutherland’s ambiguous heroism works so well.

Corey Haim (Sam)

Then: Haim was a budding child star by the time he played Michael’s younger brother, who realises something is wrong with his new town. He had featured alongside Winona Ryder in ‘Lucas’ and on more than 20 episodes of Canadian sitcom ‘The Edison Twins’, as well as starring with Robert Downey Jr. in 1984 drama ‘Firstborn’.

Now: Stricken by substance abuse problems, Haim’s initial celebrity went downhill pretty fast and he died tragically in 2010 aged just 38 having gone to rehab 15 times. He dated Alyssa Milano and – yes, really – Victoria Beckham, but was scammed by his accountant to near-bankruptcy and claimed to have been continually sexually abused by older industry figures. He auditioned to play Robin in ‘Batman Forever’, but his film career never recovered thanks to his enormous drug intake and unreliability.

Jami Gertz (Star)

Then: Gertz had appeared in John Hughes’s ‘Sixteen Candles’ and also starred with Patric in ‘Solarbabies’ when she was cast as love interest Star in ‘Lost Boys’.

Now: She starred in the underrated Bret Easton Ellis adaptation ‘Less Than Zero’ with Robert Downey Jr. and has cropped up in movies like ‘Twister’. But Gertz has worked mostly on TV, in ‘Entourage’ and sitcom ‘The Neighbors’. Luckily for her, she doesn’t need to work to pay the rent as she’s married to a billionaire banker. Yes, that’s billionaire.

Alex Winter (Marko)

Then: Playing sidekick vamp Marko was Winter’s third proper acting gig, having nabbed a role on telly in ‘The Equalizer’ and opposite Charles Bronson in lacklustre sequel ‘Death Wish 3’.

Now: Post-‘Lost Boys’, Winter became a cinematic icon as Bill S Preston in the two ‘Bill & Ted’ movies, the third of which is currently in the works. But having basically given up acting – apart from rare screen appearances such as last year’s thriller ‘Grand Piano’ – he has become a prolific director, particularly in documentaries about the dark side of the internet.

Corey Feldman (Edgar Frog)

Then: A child actor with a terrible home life, Feldman was already a Hollywood veteran thanks to ‘Gremlins’, ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Stand By Me’.

Now: Substance abuse, broken marriages and a friendship with Michael Jackson, Feldman is the dictionary definition of a messed up child star, who now fluctuates between convention work and low-budget hackery.

Jamison Newlander (Alan Frog)

Then: The actor was almost a total newbie when he appeared as one of the youthful vampire hunter brothers. His only other credit from that time comes from 1987 too, when he starred in an after-school special about a teenager who is diagnosed with HIV.

Now: Newlander has appeared in both ‘Lost Boys’ sequels (though his scenes in second one ‘The Tribe’ were deleted) and is due to feature in horror western ‘Bone Tomahawk’ later this year alongside Kurt Russell and Matthew Fox. Now 44 and married with two kids, he has also dabbled in writing and directing with the 2003 movie ‘Rooster’.

Billy Wirth (Dwayne)

Then: You’ve got to love a guy who once played a character called Zoo Knudsen, but before ‘Lost Boys’ he featured in the same ‘Equalizer’ episode as Alex Winter – they’re lucky the casting director fancied watching a show about a British private eye that day.

Now: He’s worked non-stop in episodic television and independent movies without hitting the big time, as well as getting to the semi-final of ‘American Gladiators’ in 1989. More recently, he set up a production company and works behind the scenes as well – his newest project as executive producer is called ‘Man Down’ and stars Shia LaBeouf.

Brooke McCarter (Paul)

Then: Already a successful model and commercials actor when he bagged his role, he is also known for starring in ‘Thrashin’’ – often thought of as the first movie about skateboard culture. His co-stars included Tony Hawk and Josh Brolin.

Now: McCarter looked outside acting after ‘Lost Boys’, becoming a successful drummer and composer, as well as scoring a few indie movies. He subsequently spent 10 years out of Hollywood, in order, according to his personal website, “to pursue other business interests in the telecommunications industry.” He also managed his friend Corey Haim for several years in a bid to keep him off drugs, unfortunately without success.

Chance Michael Corbitt (Laddie)

Then: Playing the youngest of the undead was Corbitt’s debut big-screen role, although he featured in a period TV movie opposite Mark Harmon from ‘NCIS’ the same year.

Now: At the age of 38, Corbitt has done spots of telly (four episodes of ‘Baywatch’) and in 2013 appeared in low-budget horror ‘Hallows’ Eve’, but is mostly a stalwart of the convention circuit.

Photos: Rex/Warner Bros./Everett/Moviestore/PA/Rory Gilder/KeystoneUSA-ZUMA/Michael Bezjian/Wireimage/Getty/Gustavo Caballero