What The Cast Of This Is Spinal Tap Looks Like Today

In 1984, a group of comedy performers who also happened to be musicians got together with a burgeoning director to make a fake documentary about the World's Loudest Heavy Metal Band. What followed was a largely improvisational odyssey through impossible-to-find stage doors, controversial album covers, songs about big bottoms, and a Stonehenge monument that was built entirely too small.

This Is Spinal Tap was an instant comedy classic, and helped pave the way for mockumentary filmmaking for years to come. It was also a star-packed ensemble piece featuring performers who were already stars, performers who were just becoming stars, and performers who were about to be stars. People who had even the smallest of parts in the film have since gone on to massive success, whether through TV sitcoms or talk show bandleading or lengthy careers as distinguished character actors. In celebration of the film's 35th anniversary, here's what the cast of This Is Spinal Tap looks like today.

As Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap's lead guitarist, Christopher Guest has become the band's most famous member thanks in part to having the most quotable lines. He also happens to star in the film's most famous scene: the moment in which Nigel shows off his guitar collection and reveals his amplifiers with numbers that go to 11. This is particularly amusing in light of the film's depiction of Nigel as a dim-witted man who somehow also possesses the lion's share of creative talent in the band, as evidenced by what happens when he leaves and David and Derek have to try a "Jazz Odyssey" show because almost all of their original songs were written by Nigel.

Guest has spent much of his time since This Is Spinal Tap continuing to work in the improvisational mockumentary style of the film, writing, directing, and starring in some of the most acclaimed comedies of the 1990s and 2000s, including Best In Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration. He has also continued to reunite with his Spinal Tap bandmates for various comedy projects, including the Spinal Tap: Back from the Dead video in 2009. His most recent project as writer and director was the 2016 film Mascots.

This Is Spinal Tap is, of course, best known for its relentless parody of rock stars in all their absurdity, from elaborate stage props gone horribly wrong to the times the characters say something so stupid that it loops back around to almost sounding wise. The film is also a parody of documentary filmmakers, though, and as director Marty Di Bergi, Rob Reiner absolutely sells that aspect. With his enthusiasm for his subject, military baseball cap, and constant pursuit of the truth of the band, he brings another layer of comedy to an already packed comedic experience.

The son of legendary comedian Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was born into showbusiness, but his big break as a screen star came when he played Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the classic sitcom All in the Family from 1971 to 1978. In the 1980s he turned to directing, and made his feature directorial debut with Spinal Tap. Between 1984 and 1995 he had one of the most successful directorial runs ever, following up This Is Spinal Tap with classics including Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, Misery, and A Few Good Men. His most recent film as director was 2017's Shock and Awe, and his most recent acting work came as Bob Day on the sitcom New Girl.

One of the great joys of This Is Spinal Tap is watching characters who basically only have one scene milk that scene for all its worth, creating comedy that endures in the minds of fans even beyond the main cast members. As limo driver Tommy Pischedda, Bruno Kirby managed to do that by simply trying to join the band's conversation with a story about the Rat Pack, only to turn on them and complain about their entitlement as soon as they shut him out. It's a brilliant moment of character acting that stands out even among the more outrageous scenes.

Kirby's screen acting career began in the 1970s with TV series like The Super and Room 222, and in the '80s he became one of the most recognizable character actors in film thanks to roles in Spinal Tap as well as Good Morning, Vietnam and When Harry Met Sally. He was also a key part of gangster movie history, thanks to important roles in The Godfather Part II and Donnie Brasco, among other films. He died in 2006 at the age of 57, from complications related to leukemia.

As record executive Bobbi Flekman, Fran Drescher isn't in This Is Spinal Tap very long, but what she lacks in screen time she makes up for by being a key part of one of the funniest running gags in the film: the controversy over Spinal Tap's new album, Smell the Glove. Her ability to discuss the ridiculous cover image (which is never shown, only described) in detail in such an emphatic way without ever breaking is a testament to her comedic talent, and makes her one of the film's most memorable supporting players.

Drescher's screen acting debut was in Saturday Night Fever, nearly a decade before This Is Spinal Tap, and it proved to be an auspicious starting point for her career. In the '90s, she created and starred in the sitcom for which she's now most famous, The Nanny, and she's remained a TV powerhouse ever since. Drescher also created the series Happily Divorced in 2011, and continues to act regularly. She also remains active in charity work through her organization Cancer Schmancer, which she formed after her own cancer diagnosis and recovery.