The Goonies was a rollicking, roller-coaster adventure of a bunch of preteens that made us sigh and question where was all the fun and mystery in our own lives. Now more than 30 years later, we wonder if the now-grown-up kids of the film are still having as much fun in their real lives. Has Mikey found his real-life Andy? Is Data still obsessed with gadgets? Do you ever just wonder?
Where are the Goonies now?
Sean Astin (Michael “Mikey” Walsh)
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After making his film debut in The Goonies, Astin continued acting in movies, TV shows and made quite a name for himself as a voice-over artist. Astin’s notable film roles include Like Father Like Son, White Water Summer, The War of the Roses, Toy Soldiers, Encino Man, Rudy, the three installments of The Lord of the Rings, Courage Under Fire, Bulworth, and 50 First Dates. For his role as Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Astin won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Astin has directed and co-produced a short film, Kangaroo Court, which was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at the Oscars. He has acted in popular TV shows like 24, Law & Order, Monk, Las Vegas, My Name is Earl and The Strain. So there is definitely a reason that face seems so familiar!
Sean Astin has also been seen in the political arena. He was the opening speaker in Senator John Kerry’s campaign rally in Portland, Oregon during the 2004 presidential election. During the 2008 election, he made several campaign appearances on behalf of Senator Hilary Clinton. He was the campaign manager for Democrat Dan Adler during California’s 36th Congressional district special election in 2011. No matter what political party, he has our vote for one of the best child stars done good!
Corey Feldman (Clark “Mouth” Devereaux)
After The Goonies, Feldman acted in films like Stand By Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, The ‘Burbs, Lost Boys: The Tribe, and Tales From The Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood. He has acted in TV shows like Dweebs, Sliders, and The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. With his friend Corey Haim, Feldman produced a reality TV series, The Two Coreys.
Feldman debuted on stage in the play Fatal Attraction, a Greek Tragedy, a spoof on the film Fatal Attraction that starred Michael Douglas. Feldman enacted the role played by Douglas and earned rave reviews for it.
Feldman has also carved a fairly successful musical career for himself and has released several albums with his band, Truth Movement.
Feldman is a staunch advocate of animal rights and welfare. He has awarded the Paws of Fame Award by the Wildlife Way Station for his work.
Jonathan Ke Quan (Richard “Data” Wang)
Jonathan Ke Quan weaved magic in The Goonies but failed to recreate it in his subsequent film roles. He acted in a Japanese movie Passengers, Encino Man, Temple of Doom, Breathing Fire, and a Chinese movie Second Time Around. He also played small roles in the TV shows Together We Stand and Head of the Class.
He then gave up acting and tried making music with a punk rock band.
He is now a stunt coordinator and has worked on films like X-Men and The One with Corey Yuen, a well-known fight choreographer. When last contacted, he was working on an action project that he eventually wants to direct.
Josh Brolin (Brandon “Brand” Walsh)
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After making his debut in The Goonies, Josh Brolin went on to build a successful movie career. His most notable films are Bed of Roses, Mimic, Hollow Man, Into the Blue, the Academy Award-winning No Country for Old Men, American Gangster, W. where he portrayed President George W. Bush, Milk, Gangster Squad, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Men in Black 3, and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Brolin received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Milk.
Brolin has also written and directed a short film X, which was the opening film at the Union City International Film in New Jersey.
Jeff Cohen (Lawrence “Chunk” Cohen)
Jeff Cohen was adorable as Chunk in The Goonies, but he chose to make a career in law instead.
After playing small parts in the Disney movie Perfect Harmony and the TV series Family Ties, Cohen gave up acting. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1996 from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and later from the UCLA School of Law in 2000. In 2002, he co-founded Cohen Gardner, LLP, a boutique law firm in Beverly Hills that specializes in transactions related to intellectual property rights, licensing, entertainment, technology, and media.
Kerri Green (Andrea “Andy” Carmichael)
Although Kerri Green was praised for her roles in The Goonies and later on in Lucas, her movie career did not take off the way she had hoped. After trying hard to make it big in tinsel town with roles in films like Summer Rental, Three for the Road, and Blue Flame and TV shows like In the Heat of the Night, Mad About You, Café Americain, ER, Law & Order, she took a break from acting. She studied art at Vassar College.
She co-founded a movie production company, Independent Women Artists. In 1999, she co-wrote and directed Bellyfruit, a gripping movie about the trials and tribulations of teenage pregnancy,
Martha Plimpton (Stephanie “Stef” Steinbrenner)
Martha Plimpton showed promise in The Goonies, and she has not disappointed since then. Apart from her roles in films like The Mosquito Coast, Running on Empty, Parenthood, Stanley & Iris, A Woman at War, I Shot Andy Warhol, Samantha, and Small Town Murder Songs, Martha has an enviable body of work as a stage actress. Her prominent and critically-acclaimed roles on the Broadway include productions like The Coast of Utopia, Pal Joey, Top Girls, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Glass Menagerie, Shining City, The Playboy of the Western World, and A Delicate Balance.
Martha’s television career is no less decorated. She has received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role in the sitcom Raising Hope and Tony Award nominations for The Coast of Utopia, Top Girls, and Pal Joey. She won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for The Good Wife.
When she is not acting, Martha Plimpton speaks about abortion rights in rallies and campus across the country. She serves on the board of directors of “A Is For …” and is a vocal supporter of Planned Parenthood.
The acting adventures the Goonies shared while filming The Goonies seems to have inspired most of them to keep on acting. Many of them have fulfilled the promise they showed as child actors. Jeff Cohen does not act anymore, but he still remains close to the entertainment and movie industry. It looks like the Goonies got hooked to the magic of movies while they were chasing and running away from the baddies in the Goonies.
