What The Cast Of The Big Lebowski Looks Like Today
As impossible as it may seem, it's already been 20 years since the Coen Brothers' beloved surreal crime comedy The Big Lebowski first hit theaters. When the movie premiered on March 6, 1998, it wasn't a huge success at first — earning just $46 million on a $15 million budget — but The Big Lebowski has since gone on to become a cult classic. In fact, few movies have left a cultural legacy as large as The Big Lebowski.
Not only does the film have legions of dedicated fans, but there are annual Lebowski festivals around the world and even an official Big Lebowski religion called "Dudeism." Although much of the movie's success can be attributed to the writing and directing of Joel and Ethan Coen, we cannot forget the talented cast. Let's take a look at the stars that helped make The Big Lebowski into a global phenomenon and see what they look like today.
Jeff Bridges - Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski
Acclaimed actor Jeff Bridges leads the cast of The Big Lebowski as Jeffrey Lebowski — better known as "The Dude." A perpetual slacker, The Dude's peaceful life is interrupted when a case of mistaken identity leads to a couple of hired goons invading his home to demand the money he "owes" their boss. The lackeys eventually realize their mistake but not before they pee on The Dude's favorite area rug.
After playing "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski, Bridges went on to appear in dozens of other movies, including Oscar-nominated roles in The Contender (2000), True Grit (2010), and Hell or High Water (2016). Bridges won the Academy Award for Best Actor with his performance as a washed-up country singer-songwriter in the 2009 drama Crazy Heart.
In addition to his acting career, Bridges went professional with his passion for music in 2000 when he released his debut album Be Here Soon. In 2011, his self-titled second album Jeff Bridges debuted at #25 on the Billboard 200 charts. Most recently, Bridges released an ambient/spoken-word album called Sleeping Tapes in 2015 as a fundraiser for the No Kid Hungry campaign.
John Goodman - Walter Sobchak
In The Big Lebowski, John Goodman plays Walter Sobchak — a close friend of The Dude's with some strong opinions and intense anger issues. While The Dude was content to let the issue of the rug go, Walter encourages him to go meet The Big Lebowski and demand repayment for the ruined floor covering — which kicks off their adventures.
Since appearing in The Big Lebowski, Goodman's already successful acting career has continued apace — he's had roles in dozens of films and television shows since then. You probably remember him from O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Treme (2010-2011), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011), Community (2011-2012), or 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016). He's also lent his voice to several popular animated roles, including Sully in Pixar's Monsters Inc. franchise and as Pacha in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove. Most recently, Goodman returned to the role of Dan Conner for the 2018 Roseanne revival series and is slated to star in the 2018 science fiction thriller Captive State.
Steve Buscemi - Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos
Acclaimed character actor Steve Buscemi provides a memorable turn in The Big Lebowski as Donny Kerabatsos — the quieter (and smarter) friend of Walter and The Dude. Donny has some good ideas from time to time, but he rarely gets to voice them because of Walter's overbearing personality.
Following his performance in The Big Lebowski, Buscemi has continued his successful acting career with parts in dozens of movies and television shows, including his acclaimed role from 2010 to 2014 as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson in the HBO period crime drama Boardwalk Empire — for which he received multiple Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe in 2011. He has also expanded into directing and has directed episodes of several popular shows like The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie. In 2000, Buscemi joined Goodman for a voice role in Monsters Inc., playing the greedy and competitive Randall Boggs. Most recently, Buscemi provided the voice of villain Francis Francis in 2017's The Boss Baby and is slated to play God (literally) in the 2018 TV series Miracle Workers.
Julianne Moore - Maude Lebowski
Prolific actress Julianne Moore plays Maude Lebowski, the eccentric and artistic daughter of The Big Lebowski. Maude first crosses paths with The Dude after he takes a rug from her father's mansion to replace the one that was ruined. The replacement happens to be sentimental to her, so she sends her own goons to steal it back. This leads The Dude to an interesting meeting with Maude at her apartment.
A year before appearing as Maude, Julianne Moore got her first Academy Award nomination for her role in 1997's Boogie Nights. After The Big Lebowski, Moore's star continued to rise in Hollywood. Since then, she's starred in dozens of movies including Magnolia (1999), The Hours and Far From Heaven (2002), Children of Men (2006), and The Kids Are All Right (2010). She's also dabbled in television with a recurring role on comedy series 30 Rock. Most recently, Moore appeared in 2017's Kingsman: The Golden Circle and is slated for starring roles in the 2018 films Gloria, Bel Canto, and My Life on the Road.
Tara Reid - Bunny Lebowski
In The Big Lebowski, Tara Reid plays Bunny Lebowski — the young trophy wife of The Big Lebowski. Before getting married, Bunny worked as a porn star for adult film magnate and loan shark Jackie Treehorn. After Treehorn calls her loans due, Bunny arranges her own "kidnapping" with the help of some nihilist musician friends, played by Peter Stormare, Torsten Voges, and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.
After her appearance in The Big Lebowski, Tara Reid continued to act in both movies and television shows. You may remember her from 1999's American Pie and as a recurring character on the hit TV show Scrubs from 2003-2005. After a string of box-office flops and reality show appearances in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Reid experienced a resurgence of her career in 2014 when she starred in the unexpectedly popular TV movie Sharknado. She's since reprised her role in four more sequels to the campy disaster flick. Most recently, Reid appeared in the 2017 fantasy action film Dark Ascension (also known as Welcome to Purgatory) alongside Sean Young, Paul Blackthorne, Nathan Jones, Brian Blessed, and Bruce Campbell.
Sam Elliott - The Stranger
Throughout The Big Lebowski, veteran actor Sam Elliott plays a friendly cowboy-type who serves as the movie's occasional narrator, watching the story play out.
Elliott's lanky physique, bushy mustache, and deep voice have frequently landed him roles as cowboys in other films — like 1993's Tombstone or even Fox's Marvel adaptation of comic book Ghost Rider (2007).
After The Big Lebowski, Elliott went on to appear in many more films, including We Were Soldiers (2002), Thank You for Smoking (2005), The Golden Compass (2007), and Up in the Air (2009). He had a recurring role on the TV crime drama Justified and has starred as Beau Bennett on the Netflix original series The Ranch since 2016. Most recently, Elliott played an aging Western star in the 2017 dramedy The Hero, and he's slated to star in the 2018 musical remake of A Star is Born alongside Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
David Thewlis - Knox Harrington
David Thewlis plays Knox Harrington in The Big Lebowski, one of "Maudie's friends" who meets The Dude during a visit to her apartment. He trades barbs with The Dude and disturbs both him and the audience with a high-pitched giggling laugh. If Thewlis looked familiar to you, that's likely because this noted character actor has appeared in dozens of popular films throughout his career.
After The Big Lebowski, Thewlis starred in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), War Horse (2011), and many other movies. His most famous role in recent years was as Hogwarts professor and Order of the Phoenix member Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter film franchise. Most recently, Thewlis played Sir Patrick/Ares in 2017's Wonder Woman and starred in the third season of the FX black comedy crime series Fargo.
John Turturro - Jesus Quintana
In The Big Lebowski, actor/director John Turturro had a small but memorable part as Jesus Quintana, a rival bowler with some eccentric pre-roll rituals and a rumored penchant for 8-year-olds. During one confrontation with The Dude and his friends during a match, he delivers one of the film's most quotable lines: "Nobody f***s with the Jesus."
Turturro has frequently collaborated with the Coen Brothers on their films, starring in their 2000 movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? — in which Goodman had a small role — and previously heading up Barton Fink (1991). He's also appeared in a number of Adam Sandler's movies, including Mr. Deeds (2002) and You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008). You may also remember Turturro for his roles in Anger Management (2003), Secret Window (2004), and the Transformers film franchise. Most recently, Turturro appeared in 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight and will reprise his role as Jesus Quintana in the 2018 dramedy Going Places — a spinoff of The Big Lebowski which will focus on the sexually depraved bowler. In addition to starring as Quintana, Turturro also wrote and directed the new movie.
David Huddleston - Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski
In The Big Lebowski, David Huddleston plays title character Jeffrey "The Big" Lebowski, a cantankerous and wheelchair-bound millionaire. When Lebowski's young trophy wife Bunny is kidnapped, he (unwisely) enlists the help of The Dude to handle the ransom money hand-off to save her.
Character actor Huddleston got his start in Hollywood back in the '60s and was a frequent guest star on popular TV shows over the next two decades. You may also remember him for his part as Olson Johnson in Blazing Saddles. After The Big Lebowski, Huddleston continued to act,primarily in TV roles or short films. His last credited role was in the 2014 thriller Locker 13, after which Huddleston retired from acting. Sadly, he passed away in August 2016 at the age of 85.
Ben Gazzara - Jackie Treehorn
Legendary stage and screen actor Ben Gazzara makes an appearance in The Big Lebowski as Jackie Treehorn, a sleazy and rich adult film producer. After former porn star Bunny Lebowski fails to pay him back on a large loan, he sends his lackeys to intimidate her husband. Unfortunately, the goons track down the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski, threatening The Dude instead. Later, Treehorn's character drugs The Dude, leading to one of the film's most trippy scenes.
Although Gazzara's most famous roles came long before The Big Lebowski, he did continue to act regularly after his appearance as Jackie Treehorn. Some of his major film credits since then include parts in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) and Dogville (2003). Gazzara won an Emmy Award for his role in the HBO TV movie Hysterical Blindness. He continued to appear regularly in movies and TV productions until his death in 2012 at age 81.
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Brandt
The late Philip Seymour Hoffman delivered a funny and charming performance in The Big Lebowski as Brandt, the assistant to title character The Big Lebowski. Except for The Dude's close friends, Brandt is the only character who actually calls The Dude by his preferred nickname (instead of Lebowski). Although it isn't a large part, Hoffman nails Brandt's sycophantic and servile mannerisms and helps make what would otherwise be throwaway jokes into some of the movie's funniest moments.
After his appearance in The Big Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman's star continued to rise in Hollywood. He went on to appear in a number of movies over the next five years, including Magnolia (1999), Almost Famous (2000), and Red Dragon (2002). His breakout role came in 2005, when Hoffman played author Truman Capote in Capote — giving an acclaimed performance that earned him multiple accolades including the Academy Award for Best Actor. He made his directorial debut in 2010 with Jack Goes Boating, in which he also starred. His last role was as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015). Sadly, Hoffman was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on February 2, 2014, after an apparent drug overdose. He was just 46 years old.