What The Cast Of Caddyshack Is Doing Today
In 1980, National Lampoon co-founder Douglas Kenney, former "SCTV" head writer Harold Ramis, and "Saturday Night Live" cast member Brian Doyle-Murray got together and wrote "Caddyshack," one of the funniest films of the 20th century. Taking place at the fictional Bushwood Country Club in Illinois, "Caddyshack" traces the intersecting lives of five men who are all as dysfunctional as they are hilarious.
In the decades since its release, ESPN has ranked "Caddyshack" as the funniest sports movie ever made, while the American Film Institute included it in their "100 Years ... 100 Laughs" list. The characters of Ty Webb, Judge Smails, and Carl Spackler remain titans of the comedy landscape, and "Caddyshack" would launch some careers while marking a triumphant finale for others. The film made Chevy Chase a star and vaulted Rodney Dangerfield into a new level of acting fame.
Kenney died just a month after the premiere of "Caddyshack," but his legacy was cemented forever in the 1980 classic that continues to find new audiences on streaming services. Ramis would continue to write, direct, and star in blockbuster comedies until his death in 2014, while Doyle-Murray has carried a consistent career well into the 2010s. Some of the cast members are no longer with us, but a good majority are still acting and taking on new roles. Here's a look into what the stars of "Caddyshack" are up to today.
Michael O'Keefe
Michael O'Keefe was already a semi-household name by the time he arrived on-screen in "Caddyshack" as caddy Danny Noonan. The golf comedy classic was only his third-ever film, but one year prior, he played Ben Meechum in Lewis John Carlino's war drama "The Great Santini" and earned himself an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Where actors like Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Cindy Morgan actually play supporting roles in the plot of "Caddyshack," O'Keefe and Ted Knight are, in a lot of ways, the main protagonists. Danny is a teenage caddy at Bushwood who comes from a poor upbringing, hoping to raise enough money to go to college once he graduates high school. There are moments in "Caddyshack" when O'Keefe does act like an Oscar nominee amongst a battalion of "SNL" alumni and National Lampoon iconoclasts. His line deliveries are often mature and display his wide breadth of charisma.
Since "Caddyshack," O'Keefe's movie career hasn't been as prosperous as his early work might have foreshadowed. He had turns in films like "The Hot Chick," "Michael Clayton," and "Finders Keepers," while playing recurring character Fred on the sitcom "Roseanne." O'Keefe hasn't acted much since 2019, with his last role being Paul Backus in NBC's drama series "The Enemy Within."
Chevy Chase
Though Chevy Chase received top billing upon the release of "Caddyshack," it's safe to say he's since been surpassed in fame by one of his co-stars. That being said, when Chase signed on to star in "Caddyshack," he was one of America's hottest rising film stars, after co-starring with Goldie Hawn in "Foul Play" two years before.
In 1975, New York Magazine called him "the funniest man in America," and he became the original face of "Saturday Night Live" as the show's first-ever Weekend Update correspondent. He garnered two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe during his "SNL" tenure, further cementing him as a Hollywood heavyweight waiting in the wings. Though his turn in "Foul Play" was a great display of his acting chops, "Caddyshack" is where Chase truly debuted his big-screen comedic power.
As Ty Webb, a millionaire lumber mill owner who also happens to be the son of a Bushwood founder, Chase spends most of his scenes with caddy Danny Noonan, and he and Michael O'Keefe have a tremendous chemistry that steals the show. Since "Caddyshack," Chase's career peaked with his portrayal of Clark, the Griswold patriarch in the "Vacation" franchise, but he found a late-career renaissance with "Community" beginning in 2009, and has had small roles in films like "Hot Tub Time Machine," "Lovesick," and "The Last Movie Star." In 2023, he'll be seen in an adaptation of R.L. Stine's "Zombie Town."
Bill Murray
Though he played second-fiddle to Chevy Chase in "Caddyshack" — coincidentally after being his replacement on "SNL" three years earlier – Bill Murray has enjoyed the most-successful career out of the entire cast. Logging classics like "Meatballs," "Stripes," "Tootsie," "Ghostbusters," and "Groundhog Day" in a 14-year span, Murray quickly ascended into the comedy king of Hollywood.
As Carl Spackler, the bumbling and mumbling greenskeeper at Bushwood, Murray spends the majority of "Caddyshack" threatening caddies with a pitchfork, carrying the golf clubs of a pastor who gets struck by lightning, and eliminating a pesky gopher. It's not one of his greatest comedic performances, but it remains one of the most iconic entries in his long filmography.
After "Caddyshack," Murray would enjoy roles in "What About Bob?," "Kingpin," and "Osmosis Jones" before earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Sofia Coppola's isolation masterpiece "Lost in Translation." After roles in most of Wes Anderson's catalog, as well as parts in "St. Vincent," "Zombieland," and "On the Rocks," Murray's career has tapered off in recent years. He was set to play a large role in Aziz Ansari's directorial debut "Being Mortal," but production was suspended after an official complaint was registered against him for inappropriate behavior on set (per Entertainment Weekly).
Sarah Holcomb
Sarah Holcomb was only active as a screen actor for two years, racking up a total of five credits. She made her feature film debut in 1978 in "National Lampoon's Animal House" as Clorette DePasto, the teenage daughter of the university town's mayor. Between that and "Caddyshack," she played in "Walk Proud," "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video," and "Happy Birthday, Gemini."
"Caddyshack" remains Holcomb's most popular role, as she plays Maggie O'Hooligan, Danny Noonan's girlfriend who works as a server at Bushwood. Before the film, she was slated to appear in "Jaws 2," but her role was cut when production axed numerous teens from the script after rewrites (via Media Mikes).
Holcomb's acting career would end after "Caddyshack" because of a diagnosis of acute schizophrenia stemming from a cocaine addiction (per The Washington Independent). "Animal House" co-writer Chris Miller attributed her addiction to being a result of the lifestyle she got caught up in on sets, as "Caddyshack," in particular, was a mecca of drug use and partying (via Decider).
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Scott Colomby
Scott Colomby plays Tony D'Annunzio, the only human antagonist in "Caddyshack," whose rivalry with Danny Noonan fuels the caddy subplot in the film. D'Annunzio is a slick, tank top and leather glove-wearing showboat whose perception of his own charisma bloats his ego. By the movie's end, he makes amends with Danny and supports his caddy counterpart in defeating Judge Smails (Ted Knight) and Dr. Beeper (Dan Resin) in the golf face-off.
Since "Caddyshack," Colomby hasn't built an extensive filmography, only logging 13 total films in a few decades. Immediately after his turn as D'Annunzio, Colomby found some footing in "Porky's," "Porky's II: The Next Day," and "Porky's Revenge!" between 1982 and 1985 as the character Brian Schwartz. Colomby would compile a nice string of supporting roles in the 1990s, but his career slowed once the 2010s arrived. His last credited role was in the 2019 short film "All of It Happened On a Thursday," in which he played a character named Alligator Swanson.
Cindy Morgan
Before playing Judge Smail's niece Lacey Underall in "Caddyshack," Cindy Morgan found acclaim with a supporting part in Paul Schrader's "American Gigolo," which starred Richard Gere in his first prominent role. As Lacey, however, Morgan took the spotlight as the love interest of both Danny Noonan and Ty Webb. She became the most chaotic character in a film brimming with chaos both on-screen and off — a true testament to Morgan's charisma and energy. Her career peaked with the golf comedy, and she appeared in few theatrical movies going forward.
Immediately after "Caddyshack," Morgan starred alongside Jeff Bridges in Steven Lisberger's 1982 sci-fi cult classic "TRON," which was one of the first films to ever use CGI. Beyond that, however, Morgan found herself taking supporting roles in made-for-television movies and guest appearances on primetime television shows like "The Love Boat," "CHiPs," and "Falcon Crest." Her last live-action acting credit came in 2011, when she was in the short film "Empty Sky."
Brian Doyle-Murray
Known primarily as the older brother of comedic titan Bill Murray, Brian Doyle-Murray is a Hollywood heavyweight in his own right, having written and acted in some of the most famous comedies of the last 50 years. Before he co-wrote "Caddyshack" with Harold Ramis and Doug Kenney, Doyle-Murray earned three consecutive Emmy nominations for his writing work between 1978 and 1980 on "Saturday Night Live," where he was also a featured player in the cast.
In "Caddyshack," Doyle-Murray made his feature acting debut as Lou Loomis, the boss of Bushwood's caddy shack. Though he spent more time working behind the camera, every scene he's in is an abundance of perfectly delivered monotone ribs at Danny Noonan and the rest of the caddies he's in charge of.
After "Caddyshack," Doyle-Murray would co-star with Chevy Chase again in "Modern Problems" and "National Lampoon's Vacation," before having solid supporting roles in "Sixteen Candles," "Ghostbusters II," "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," and "JFK." Doyle-Murray hasn't acted in a major theatrical production since 2012, when he played Monsignor Ratliffe in "The Three Stooges," but the actor has enjoyed a recurring voice role as the Flying Dutchman on "SpongeBob SquarePants" since 1999.
Ted Knight
The foil to Michael O'Keefe's Danny Noonan, actor Ted Knight played the dysfunctional, angry Judge Smails in "Caddyshack" and stole the show. Before he rose to comedic fame a decade earlier for his role as Ted Baxter on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Knight had credited and uncredited performances in films like "Psycho," "The Candidate," and "M*A*S*H." Despite having a great 30-year career in television, making appearances on some of the greatest shows ever, like "The Twilight Zone," "Gunsmoke," and "Bonanza," Knight's true claim to fame remains "Caddyshack."
Aside from O'Keefe, Knight is likely the only actor whose most memorable role came in "Caddyshack." It's his only credited leading feature role, though he did not receive top billing for his performance. The character of Judge Smails is a loose cannon fixated on simply enjoying his golfing experience at Bushwood. Of course, he's antagonized by Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) and his posse of socialites attracted to his new money. Sadly, "Caddyshack" would be Knight's last feature film role, as he died of colon cancer in 1986 at the age of 62.
Rodney Dangerfield
Before "Caddyshack," Rodney Dangerfield had never done much film acting. He had an uncredited role as "Onlooker" in Stanley Kubrick's 1956 noir film "The Killing," which he'd follow-up 14 years later with his first credited performance in Harry Hurwitz's "The Projectionist." Dangerfield had built a career out of one-liner comedy, which helped him become a late-night talk show regular during the counterculture era. Most know him for his catchphrase, "I don't get no respect," but his headlining shows in Las Vegas helped vault him into the mainstream as a stand-up performer and comedic persona.
As rich real estate developer Al Czervik, Dangerfield provides much of the outrageous energy that defines "Caddyshack." As opposed to the ambling chaos brought by Bill Murray's bumbling Carl Spackler, Dangerfield's comedy in the film is calculated and poised, much akin to his own on-stage delivery. He was easily the most acclaimed comedic presence in the cast, despite his lack of acting credits, and his performance shines as he never misses a beat.
After "Caddyshack," Dangerfield would enjoy more acting roles, starring in "Easy Money," "Back to School," and "Natural Born Killers." He'd make appearances on television shows, as well, including "The Simpsons," "Home Improvement," and "Suddenly Susan," while maintaining his legacy as a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." Dangerfield died in 2004 at the age of 82 after complications during heart surgery.
Hamilton Mitchell
Playing Danny Noonan's friend and fellow caddy Motormouth, longtime character actor Hamilton Mitchell got his career off to a great start. After "Caddyshack," his first ever role, he did a lot of single-episode work on various television series in the 1990s, including "The Jamie Foxx Show," "ER," and "The West Wing." He was a part of the supporting cast in feature films "Beyond the Universe," "Going Ape!," and "Slumber Party Massacre II," but his most famous role came in 2005, when he was a recurring character in the central cast of "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide."
Mitchell's portrayal of Vice Principal Crubbs helped make "Ned's Declassified" one of Nickelodeon's best teen shows of the era, and it launched the actor into a great next chapter in his career. He would find success again in episodes of primetime television series like "My Name Is Earl," "Parks and Recreation," "Modern Family," and "Superstore," while also doing guest spots on teen shows like "Big Time Rush" and "The Suite Life on Deck." At the end of his career, Mitchell was a series regular on The CW's "Worst Birthday Ever." He died in January 2021.
Ann Ryerson
Before she was Pvt. Carol Winter or Nan Funkhouser, Ann Ryerson played Grace, a girl who caddied with Danny Noonan and Tony D'Annunzio at Bushwood. Ryerson's character is only in a few scenes, namely the montages at the caddy shack and when Danny is about to sink the winning putt at the movie's end. Prior to "Caddyshack," Ryerson had done four small films, along with one episode of "Lou Grant."
Ryerson has enjoyed a long career in television, doing guest spots on "Grey's Anatomy," "Mad Men," "The West Wing," and "Kroll Show" while holding main or recurring roles on "Private Benjamin" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." She's also been in popular movies, namely "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives," "Minority Report,"," and "The Go-Getter." Her most recent acting credit came in a 2022 episode of Freeform's "Good Trouble."