‘Halloween’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

John Carpenter’s 1978 indie slasher film, Halloween, had a budget of just $300K but went on to make a whopping $70 million when it first came out. With its spine-tingling score and freakishly scary direction by Carpenter, Halloween spawned 12 films, a comic book series and a video game.

In honor of Halloween, check out where the original cast of Halloween has been since the advent of Michael Myers:

Donald Pleasence (Dr. Sam Loomis)

When Myers murdered his older sister at the age of six, Dr. Sam Loomis became his appointed psychiatrist. The more Dr. Loomis observed Myers over the years, the more he realized that the young man was pure evil. Portraying Dr. Loomis in five of the Halloween installments, English actor Donald Pleasence is best known for being Myers’ archenemy. Before Pleasence became primarily known for his Halloween role, he starred in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967), in which he played criminal mastermind Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and the psychological thriller Wake in Fright (1971). After Halloween, he starred in the dystopian sci-fi thriller Escape from New York (1981) and the Prince of Darkness (1987) — the last two of which were directed by Carpenter. Pleasance died from heart complications in 1995.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode)

There aren’t too many iconic screams as good as Jamie Lee Curtis’ in Halloween, but one could say she had a genetic predisposition to great lungs and vocal cords — just ask her mother, Janet Leigh, who produced one of the most celebrated screams in Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). (Curtis’ father was actor Tony Curtis.) Halloween was Curtis’ film debut and ever since then, the designated “Scream Queen” has gone on to have a successful and award-winning career in Hollywood. Post-Halloween, Curtis has been celebrated for her comedic roles, namely in films like Trading Places (1983), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), True Lies (1994), Freaky Friday (2003) and Knives Out (2019). On TV, Curtis starred in Fox’s horror-comedy Scream Queens. She appeared in 2018’s Halloween and starred in and executive produced 2021’s Halloween Kills.

Nick Castle (Michael Myers)

Nick Castle took on Michael Myers’ silent murderous ways, unkempt hair and sharp chef’s knife. Castle did such a fine job at personifying the creepy character that director Carpenter teamed up with him again, but this time, serving as Carpenter’s co-writer for the dystopian film Escape from New York (1981), which starred fellow Halloween cast member Pleasence. The actor-writer also evolved into a director after Halloween, making such films as The Boy Who Could Fly (1986), Dennis the Menace (1993), and Major Payne (1995). He reprised his role as Myers in 2018 and 2021.

Tony Moran (Michael Myers)

Castle’s face didn’t do the trick for Myers’ maskless unveiling. So in came actor Tony Moran. A struggling actor when he got the role, Moran was paid $250 to play the part. After Halloween, the actor generally lost interest in Hollywood and aside from appearing on television shows like CHiPs and TheWaltons, Moran abandoned acting for the next three decades. Later on, he returned to film and decided to play Myers one more time in a 2017 Halloween fan film. Moran’s famous sister is Erin Moran from Happy Days.

P. J. Soles (Lynda Van Der Klok)

Actress P.J. Soles played lusty, valley girl Lynda Van Der Klok, who was buddies with Laurie Strode (Curtis). After her boyfriend got impaled by Myers in the middle of the night, Lynda met her grisly end when Myers choked her with a telephone cord. Post-Halloween, Soles found joy in a string of comedic films, such as Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), Private Benjamin (1980) and Stripes (1981). In 2005 she returned to horror in the cult classic The Devil’s Rejects.

Nancy Kyes (Annie Brackett)

Sarcastic and braless teen Annie Brackett was best friends with Laurie and Lynda. Unfortunately, Annie would end up being one of the first to die by Myers’ knife, with her lifeless body being laid out near the tombstone of Judith Myers (Myers’ teen sister whom he murdered when he was six.) Nancy Kyes played the doomed Annie in both Halloween and its sequel and continued working with Carpenter in films like Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) and The Fog (1980). She retired from acting in the early 1990s.

Charles Cyphers (Sheriff Leigh Brackett)

Sheriff Leigh Brackett didn’t take Dr. Loomis’ warnings about Myers that seriously at first, but when his daughter Annie was found slashed to death by the masked monster, the sheriff changed his tune. Playing Sheriff Brackett was the pinnacle of Charles Cyphers’ acting career, and he reprised his role for the sequel as wells as Halloween Kills. However, Cyphers was not through with Carpenter; he appeared in more of the director’s films and acted alongside some of his Halloween co-stars in films like Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Fog (1980) and Escape from New York (1981). In more recent years, Cyphers has taken roles in smaller film projects and has appeared on TV shows like ER, JAG and Seinfeld.

Kyle Richards (Lindsey Wallace)

Child actress Kyle Richards (of Little House on the Prairie fame) starred as Lindsey Wallace, the little girl babysat by Annie. After Annie decided she wanted to fool around with her boyfriend, she left Lindsey in the care of Laurie, who was also babysitting Tommy Doyle. After Laurie was being pursued by Myers, Lindsey and Tommy were forced to find a way to escape. Luckily for actress Richards, her star status didn’t just end there. Besides playing Lindsey again in Halloween II, Richards reinvented herself as a reality TV starlet on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She is also known for being one of the famous Richards sisters (the other two being child star Kim Richards and socialite Kathy Hilton). She reprised her role in the 2021 film Halloween Kills.

Brian Andrews (Tommy Doyle)

Eight-year-old Tommy Doyle wondered if the Boogeyman was real and had hoped Laurie would comfort him and tell him he had no reason to fear. If only he knew that Michael Myers once followed him home. Still, Tommy would soon find out that monsters were real (and had kinky hair) after he saw Myers through a window. Post-Halloween, actor Brian Andrews appeared in a few movies: the drama The Great Santini (1979), the TV-movie The Long Days of Summer (1980) and the black comedy Three O’Clock High (1987).