Bosom Buddies Cast: Where The Actors Are Now

"Bosom Buddies" was a short-lived sitcom about two struggling men forced into a tricky living situation. The roommates saw their apartment demolished, and with nowhere else they could afford to stay, the two concocted a plan to pose as women in order to stay in an inexpensive, women-only hotel. Hijinks ensued, as well as humorous conflicts about gender as the two clumsily kept up their female personas. You might think a show that only ran two seasons would have had a couple of scrubs leading the cast. You'd be mistaken.

The roommates acting as "bosom buddies?" None other than Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari.

One of the earliest entries in both men's filmographies, "Bosom Buddies" allowed them to exercise their humor — one of the things people enjoyed most about the series was its improv-like exchanges. In the case of Hanks, it even landed him a wife, as he met Rita Wilson on the set of the show. Alongside Hanks and Scolari, the cast also featured a few other notable actors of '80s and '90s media, as well as some who have sadly passed away. Here's where the cast of "Bosom Buddies" is now.

You know him, you love him: The formidable Tom Hanks has ascended far beyond his humble beginnings as Kip in "Bosom Buddies."

Whether you know him as the titular Forrest Gump, Woody from "Toy Story," or Chuck Noland from "Cast Away," Hanks is part of a dying breed: the classic Movie Star. "Bosom Buddies" showed off the actor's comedic timing, which he put to good use in rom-coms like "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail." But Hanks truly shines when embodying dramatic roles. His work is legendary: Outside of his two back-to-back Academy Award wins for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump," he cemented his status as one of the greats in films like "Saving Private Ryan," "The Green Mile," and "Catch Me if You Can" in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He collaborated with directors the world over, including a five-film run with Steven Spielberg. He's starred in everything from sci-fi thrillers like "Cloud Atlas" to biopics like "It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." When you look at his filmography, it makes his start in a nearly-forgotten sitcom more remarkable.

Recently, Hanks was a part of an ensemble cast for "Asteroid City," a sci-fi dramedy by Wes Anderson released in 2023. Unsurprisingly, "Asteroid City" received positive reviews. Hanks is set to return as Sheriff Woody in "Toy Story 5," slated for release in June 2026.

Like Hanks, "Bosom Buddies" was one of Peter Scolari's earliest roles. However, Scolari's career took a slightly different trajectory following the series' end. While Hanks lit up the big screen, Scolari found success on the small screen, becoming known for his role in "Newhart" as Michael Harris, Stephanie Vanderkellen's husband. When "Newhart" ended in 1990, Scolari did character acting and voice acting roles in various shows like "Batman: The Animated Series," "Animaniacs," and "Dweebs." In 1997, he found his signature role of Wayne Szalinski in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show."

Scolari made appearances in other kid-friendly media like "Pinky and the Brain," "Hey Arnold," and "Sabrina: The Teenage Witch." He also reunited with Hanks in the iconic film "The Polar Express" in 2004. In the 2010s, he came to prominence among very different audiences as Hannah Horvath's dad, Tad, in "Girls" and Commissioner Loeb in "Gotham." One of his final roles was as a recurring character in the sci-fi drama "Evil" on CBS (later moved to Paramount+).

The actor sadly passed away in 2021 from leukemia. He was 66.

Wendie Jo Sperber was the bubbly Amy Cassidy, a co-worker of Kip and Henry who was in on their secret from the start. "Bosom Buddies" was only her second role in television, but she had amassed a decent run of film roles prior to playing Amy, including Steven Spielberg's "1941." After "Bosom Buddies" ended, she starred in another sitcom, "Private Benjamin," before it was canceled after three seasons. Sperber maintained a working relationship with Hanks and Scolari, starring alongside them in the raunchy 1984 comedy "Bachelor Party."

She went on to play Marty McFly's sister Linda in the first and third "Back to the Future" movies. In the 1990s, she appeared in single episodes of various sitcoms such as "Married....With Children," "Murphy Brown," "Will and Grace," and "Home Improvement." She played many of these roles despite being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997.

Sperber died from cancer in 2005 at just 47, but not before dedicating her final years to cancer advocacy.

The beautiful Donna Dixon portrayed Sonny Lumet, Kip's love interest in the series. It was Dixon's first role, with an impressive enough performance to catch the eye of popular comedic actor Dan Aykroyd. She starred in the mobster comedy "Doctor Detroit" in 1983 alongside Aykroyd and rising star Fran Drescher. Apparently sparks flew quickly between the actress and Aykroyd, because they got married not long after the movie was released. Dixon stayed in her husband's orbit, getting top billing with him and Chevy Chase in the spy comedy "Spies Like Us" in 1985.

Afterward, Dixon's work was sporadic, making one-off appearances in film and TV shows like "Who's the Boss?" and "Wayne's World." She also reunited with Drescher in 1995 for a single episode of "The Nanny." Beyond 1995, it seems Dixon had effectively retired from acting, only appearing in two projects this millennium: A low budget Spike Lee horror film in 2014 and an episode of Jordan Peele's rebooted "The Twilight Zone" in 2020. As of 2022, she and Aykroyd have separated.

Isabelle Hammond, played by Telma Hopkins, was one of the residents at the hotel where Kip and Henry lived, and later, its hotel manager. "Bosom Buddies" was an early part in Hopkins' career, but she was definitely on the rise from there. She went on to have memorable roles in popular sitcoms in three different decades. First was "Gimme a Break!" as Dr. Addy Wilson, a childhood friend of protagonist Nell Harper (Nell Carter). She was originally a recurring character, but her witty chemistry with Carter got her bumped up to regular in Season 4 until the show's end in 1987.

A couple years later in 1989, she landed her most famous role as Rachel Crawford in "Family Matters." She was the sweet, widowed younger sister to spicy Harriet Winslow. Hammond was a main cast member until 1993, when she left the series to star in her own sitcom "Getting By." Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after two seasons.

In the early 2000s, she landed yet another regular sitcom role as Phyllis Thorne in "Half & Half." After that series ended in 2006, Hopkins kept busy with recurring roles in adult and children's series like "Dead to Me," "The Casagrandes," and "The Young and the Restless." She recently starred in the Amazon Prime series "Clean Slate" with Laverne Cox in 2025, but the series was cancelled after one season.

Ruth Dunbar was Henry and Kip's boss at the advertising agency they worked, played by the incomparable Holland Taylor. With a career spanning half a century, "Bosom Buddies" is a footnote in her acting career.

Before the series, she mostly worked on Broadway, featuring in productions like "The Devils," "Butley," and "We Interrupt This Program..." Once "Bosom Buddies" was cancelled, she began a surprisingly lengthy career as a television movie actress — she starred in more than a dozen between 1982 and 2001. Yet, she still made appearances in well-known silver screen classics like "Romancing the Stone," "Legally Blonde," and "The Truman Show." Millennials might remember her brief appearances as Grandma Avellan in "Spy Kids 2" and "Spy Kids 3: Game Over," which also featured a young Glen Powell.

Mostly though, Taylor is known for her long-tenured television roles. She was Jill Ollinger in "All My Children" from 1981 to 1983. In the modern era, Taylor was Judge Roberta Kittleson in "The Practice" in the early 2000s, a performance for which she won an Emmy. The show ran for four years until 2003. Immediately afterward, she landed her longest-running role as Evelyn Harper in "Two and a Half Men."

Nowadays, even in her early 80s, Taylor keeps steady work. She has a recurring character in "The Morning Show" as Cybil Richards. She's currently set to star opposite Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey in the upcoming Apple TV comedy "Brothers." On a personal note, Taylor has been in a relationship with "American Horror Story" actress Sarah Paulson since 2015.

Lucille Benson only appeared in Season 1 of "Bosom Buddies," playing the role of hotel manager Lilly Sinclair. In her early years, she moonlighted as a stage actress, featured in Broadway productions in New York as well as a Tennessee Williams play in Miami. In the 1970s, Benson broke into Hollywood as a character actress, playing small parts in very notable films and TV shows. She seemed to gravitate toward American classic media such as "Tom Sawyer," "Huckleberry Finn," "Little House on the Prairie," "The Dukes of Hazzard" (the TV show), and "The Love Boat."

"Bosom Buddies" was actually one of her final roles before her passing in 1984 at age 69. Fans of the "Halloween" franchise may remember her brief appearance at the beginning of "Halloween II" as Mrs. Elrod. Her final roles were as Grace and Lucille from 1982 to 1983 in the sitcom "Alice," a TV series was based on Martin Scorsese's 1974 movie "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."