THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (2024)

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Esme Mazzeo

2022-06-11T11:17:00Z

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (1)

"Dirty Dancing" was released in theaters on August 21, 1987.
The romance film became a classic and made Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze bigger stars.
Here's a look at what the cast is up to today.

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Jennifer Grey played Francis "Baby" Houseman in "Dirty Dancing."

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (2)

Jennifer Grey played Francis "Baby" Houseman in the 1987 hit "Dirty Dancing." Baby is on vacation at Kellerman's Mountain House with her family during the summer of 1963 and has plans to join the Peace Corps.

She offers to join a dance competition when instructor Johnny Castle's (Patrick Swayze) partner has to drop out. Thus begins the love story of her lifetime, much to her father's dismay.

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Grey has found success on TV.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (3)

After "Dirty Dancing," Grey went on to appear in many TV movies. In 1995, she played a character named Mindy on an episode of "Friends" called "The One with the Evil Orthodontist."

More recently, she won "Dancing with the Stars" season 11 in 2010 with her partner Derek Hough. She also played Judy Rosen on the Amazon Prime dramedy series "Red Oaks" from 2014 to 2017.

Grey had an arc on Season 15 of "Grey's Anatomy." She played Carol Dickinson, the birth grandmother of Owen's adopted son, Leo.

But Grey recently told the Chicago Tribune that she had "stopped" actingfor a very long time because her anxiety about it was so bad "it just wasn't worth it anymore."

In 2022, the dancer and actor released a memoir titled "Out of the Corner," in which she shared behind-the-scenes details of filming "Dirty Dancing," the nose job that almost ruined her career, and past engagements to actors Matthew Broderick and Johnny Depp.

Grey will also reprise her role as Baby in the recently announced "Dirty Dancing" sequel.

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Patrick Swayze played dance instructor Johnny Castle.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (4)

Swayze played Johnny Castle in the romantic hit. He's a dance instructor at Kellerman's who works multiple jobs in the summer to make ends meet. One of his jobs is threatened when his dance partner falls ill.

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Swayze had a successful movie career before his death in 2009.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (5)

After capturing our hearts as Johnny in "Dirty Dancing," Swayze went on to star in several other movies that would later be considered box office hits or classics in their own right.

He was in 1990's "Ghost" opposite Demi Moore and the 1995 cult classic "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar" with Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, and Stockard Channing.

His final roles included playing Charles Barker in A&E's "The Beast" in 2009 and the drama "Powder Blue" released that same year.

As reported by ABC, Swayze was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in 2008 and died in September 2009.

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Cynthia Rhodes played a dancer named Penny.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (6)

Cynthia Rhodes played Penny, Johnny's dance partner who needed an abortion after an accidental pregnancy. The only date she could get one was on the night of her performance with Johnny at the Sheldrake Hotel.

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Rhodes quit acting to raise a family soon after "Dirty Dancing."

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (7)

Rhodes married her longtime love, singer Richard Marx, in 1989. Per E! News, she quit acting (aside from the 1991 movie "Curse of the Crystal Eye") to raise their three sons Brandon, Lucas, and Jesse in the Chicago area. Marx and Rhodes announced their divorce in 2014.

The actor is also known for playing John Travolta's love interest Jackie in 1983's sequel to "Saturday Night Fever" called "Staying Alive."

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Jerry Orbach played Baby's dad, Dr. Jake Houseman.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (8)

Jerry Orbach played Baby's dad, Dr. Jake Houseman. He cared for Penny after her abortion, done off-screen on a kitchen table with a rusty knife, made her sick.

Dr. Houseman is dedicated to his daughters and patients, but he didn't trust Johnny Castle and he made his feelings known.

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Orbach, who died in 2004, was known for his roles on "Law & Order" and in "Beauty and the Beast."

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (9)

Orbach voiced Lumiere, everyone's favorite candelabra in Disney's 1991 classic "Beauty and the Beast."

On TV, he played Detective Lennie Briscoe on "Law & Order" from 1991 to 2004. Orbach died of prostate cancer in 2004 at the age of 69, People reported.

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Neal Jones played Johnny's cousin Billy.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (10)

Neal Jones played Johnny's cousin Billy Kostecki in the romantic hit. He got Johnny the job at Kellerman's and is loyal to the people his cousin cares about. He took Penny to get her abortion but said afterward he couldn't get in the room to save her from unsafe conditions.

Sidekick isn't an easy role, but Billy was a worthy one.

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Jones continued acting in the years since "Dirty Dancing."

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (11)

Neal Jones has had a robust career in Hollywood since Billy and Baby carried watermelon to the secret dance floor in "Dirty Dancing" in 1987.

He's been in movies like 1997's "G.I. Jane" and had a role on a 1999 episode of the original "Sex and the City." Jones also had a part in another HBO hit, "The Sopranos" in 2001.

He also has had several roles in "Law & Order" between 1991 and 2009. His last credit on IMDb is from 2011. He played Pachenko in a short film called "Carbone: Breaking Point."

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Jane Brucker played Baby's sister.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (12)

Jane Brucker played Baby's sister, Lisa Houseman. She dated a Kellerman's waiter throughout much of the film.

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Brucker reunited with Grey.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (13)

Jane Brucker reunited with Grey on-screen for the 1989 film"Bloodhounds of Broadway," which also starred Madonna and Matt Dillon.

In 2005, she appeared alongside the late Luke Perry and Haylie Duff in "Dishdogz."

According to Us Weekly, she married Raul Vega in 2001 and they have two daughters named Sally and Rachel.

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Max Cantor played waiter Robbie Gould.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (14)

Max Cantor played Robbie Gould in "Dirty Dancing." He got Penny pregnant and refused to help pay for her abortion. He was also dating Baby's sister Lisa.

Cantor switched careers.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (15)

Cantor decided to leave acting behind to become a journalist soon after "Dirty Dancing" was released. He died of a drug overdose in 1991 at the age of 32.

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Kelly Bishop played Baby's mother.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (16)

Kelly Bishop played Baby and Lisa's mother Marjorie Houseman. By the end of the film, she was one of Johnny and Baby's biggest supporters.

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Bishop became a TV icon.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (17)

Bishop has arguably one of the most recognizable faces on this list. After appearing in "Dirty Dancing," she earned her place in TV and Stars Hollow history as the matriarch of the Gilmore family, Emily Gilmore, on "Gilmore Girls."

The show ran on The WB and The CW from 2000 to 2007. Bishop continued to work with creator Amy Sherman-Palladino on the ABC family show "Bunheads" in 2012. She most recently appeared on Sherman-Palladino's latest hit, Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

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Neil Kellerman lusted after Baby.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (18)

Neil had an unrequited crush on Baby. His grandfather owned the resort.

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Price shifted to directing.

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Dirty Dancing,' over 34 years later (19)

Price became a directorafter "Dirty Dancing." He has directed episodes of hit shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "2 Broke Girls."

He also directed theater, including productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" and Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd."