Where are They Now? The Cast of The Goonies

A group of comically daring kids, pirates, treasure, a sunken galleon, and an adventure of a lifetime became a staple of ‘80s cinema. It’s hard to imagine what the landscape of film would look like without the 1985 classic, The Goonies. Dreamt up by legendary auteur Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard Donner, the all-American slice of life movie is a pop-culture classic, blending the nostalgia of the action-adventure genre with a heartwarming story about genuine friendship and saving your town from corporate greed.

The band of misfits that call themselves “the Goonies” is filled with a colorful cast of unforgettable personalities that inspired our imaginations growing up. With the 40th anniversary of the film returning to theatres nationwide this January, we grabbed our old pirate maps and set out on an adventure to discover where these actors are now.

Mikey Walsh | Sean Astin

“Goonies never say die!”

After donning braces and an inhaler as the beloved Mikey Walsh, Sean Astin went on to play some of Hollywood’s most iconic underdog roles. In the ‘90s he starred in hit films Encino Man (1992) — alongside Brendan Fraser — and Rudy (1993). These roles cemented his dynamic acting range and led to arguably his most iconic role as Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

In 2017, Astin appeared in the wildly popular television series Stranger Things (heavily inspired by The Goonies) as Bob Newby. Most recently he voiced Dog in Michael Hines’ Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps (2024) and will be making his Broadway Debut in Elf: The Musical.

Brandon Walsh | Josh Brolin

“I’m going to hit you so hard that when you wake up your clothes will be out of style.”

From Brandon “Brand” Walsh to Thanos, Josh Brolin’s career after The Goonies has been filled with iconic roles across multiple genres. However, even after the sweeping success of the film, Brolin wouldn’t find his stride until the 2007 Coen Brothers’ masterpiece, No Country for Old Men — portraying the deuteragonist and former U.S. army sniper, Llewelyn Moss. The next year he received an Oscar® nomination for his supporting role in Milk (2008) and continued that success with a string of memorable performances in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), True Grit (2010), Sin City: A Dame to Kill for (2014), and Inherent Vice (2014).

These roles led to his appearance in the MCU as Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: End Game (2019). He also stars in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One (2021), Dune: Part Two (2024), and Sicario (2015).

Chunk | Jeff Cohen

“I’m not all alone in the dark. I like the dark. I love the dark… But I hate nature! I HATE nature!”

It’s hard not to fall in love with the chubby cheeks and famous Truffle Shuffle of Chunk. Played by Jeff Cohen, who, after his memorable performance in The Goonies, threw in the acting towel and became an entertainment lawyer in Beverly Hills, CA — with his last credited film being Perfect Harmony in 1991.

Cohen graduated from UCLA School of Law in 2010 and has negotiated hundreds of contracts for Hollywood’s biggest stars, which came full circle when his co-star Ke Huy Quan asked him to negotiate his contract for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).

It just goes to show that Goonies stick together for life.

Mouth | Corey Feldman

“Yeah, and I bet it was even more amazing than the time you ate your weight in Godfather’s pizza, right?”

By 1985, Corey Feldman was already a star in Hollywood, acting in two Friday the 13^th films and Gremlins before taking on the iconic role as Mouth in The Goonies. After, Feldman continued to be a staple of ‘80s cinema, playing characters in Stand by Me (1986), the cult-Vampire classic film The Lost Boys (1987), License to Drive (1988), The ‘Burbs (1989), and Dream a Little Dream (1989).

Recently, he voiced Slash in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, became the lead singer of Truth Movement, and released a single in 2022 called Without U. Feldman, like most of The Goonies cast, has fond memories of the set. During a reunion in 2013, he stated that “it was like we had the coolest set on the lot,” with celebrities such as Pee-wee Herman, Dan Aykroyd, Harrison Ford, and Michael Jackson visiting during production [1].

Data | Ke Huy Quan

“THATS WHAT I SAID! BOOBY TRAPS! Be quiet. SHHH! God. These Guys!”

While Ke Huy Quan has become a Hollywood staple, his acting career didn’t get off the ground after playing Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Data in The Goonies. These performances may have won over the hearts of moviegoers in the ‘80s, but Quan didn’t receive any major roles until 2022. Between then, he spent a few decades behind the camera as a stunt choreographer.

After being out of the spotlight, the actor landed the role of the lifetime: Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), which won him an Oscar® for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Since his win, he starred in American Born Chinese (2023) alongside Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu, starred as Ouroboros in Loki season 2 alongside Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson, and will star in the newest production Fairytale in New York.

Stephanie Steinbrenner | Martha Plimpton

“Brand, God put that rock there for a purpose… and, um… I’m not so sure you should, um… move it…”

Like a lot of her costars, Martha Plimpton’s role as the cool earring-wearing Goonie, Stephanie “Stef” Steinbrenner catapulted her into the spotlight. Following The Goonies, she starred alongside Steve Martin in Ron Howard’s Parenthood (1989), voiced Yelena in Frozen II (2019), co-starred in Fran Kranz’s Mass (2021), and starred in the hit television series Raising Hope.

She also went on to win an Emmy® for her guest role in The Good Wife and has a few projects slated for 2025.

Andy Carmichael | Kerri Green

“I can’t tell… if it’s an “A sharp” or if it’s a “B flat”!”

Kerrie Green portrayed the high school cheerleader Andy Carmichael and Brand’s love interest in The Goonies. The film was arguably the biggest role of her career, and after she co-wrote and directed the 1999 classic film Bellyfruit, and appeared in multiple episodes of ER (2000) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2001). Today, Green has stepped away from the spotlight and is enjoying being a mother of two.

Sloth | John Matuszak

“Heyyyy, you guyyyys!”

The former two-time Super Bowl-winning lineman with the Raiders, starred as everyone’s favorite Baby Ruth eating hero, Sloth. First introduced to us when Chunk is caught by the Fratelli family and locked away in the same room as Sloth, the character became a vital part of the Goonies gang and was the perfect role for John Matuszak to play. After the film, he had a role in One Crazy Summer (1986) before unfortunately passing away in 1989 due to medical complications.

From portraying the most loyal friend in literature to a hot-shot entertainment lawyer, the Goonies have made their mark on entertainment. Even the villainous brothers of the Fratelli family played by Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi have gone on to have successful careers, starring in iconic television shows such as The Sopranos and as Big Johnson in Die Hard (1988).