What The Cast Of Mrs. Doubtfire Is Doing Now
Based upon author Anne Fine's 1987 book titled "Madame Doubtfire," also known as "Alias Madame Doubtfire," the film "Mrs. Doubtfire" released on November 24, 1993, and instantly became a beloved classic. The movie grossed nearly half a billion dollars at the box office and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup. For movie fans of a certain age, the film was a VHS that was watched over and over. It really was "Mary Poppins" for '90s kids. More importantly, it's one of the few comedies of that era that feels just as funny and fresh now as it did over 25 years earlier.
There are many reasons why the movie works well, from its incredible direction from Chris Columbus to the sharp writing from Leslie Dixon and Randi Mayem Singer. Though the talent behind the camera is integral for a successful movie, you need an equally brilliant cast to bring the story to life.
Thankfully, Columbus brought together a dream team including veterans Robin Williams and Sally Field and newcomers like Mara Wilson, Lisa Jakub, and Matthew Lawrence. It's been over two decades since the hit comedy warmed our collective childhoods, and you might be wondering what the cast is up to these days.
Robin Williams died in 2017
When reflecting on her "Mrs. Doubtfire" co-star Robin Williams, Sally Field summed it up nicely in an interview with E-Online saying, "He always lit up when he was able to make people laugh, and he made them laugh his whole life long....tirelessly."
Williams first found success on the small screen with a break-out role as the loveable alien Mork in "Mork and Mindy," a spin-off of "Happy Days." The young actor quickly established his talent for hilarious line delivery, comedic timing, and physical range. Not to mention Williams had the kind of natural ease and star charisma that few possess. The actor branched out into more dramatic roles such as 1987's "Good Morning, Vietnam," for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, and 1989's "Dead Poets Society."
It was in the 1990s that Williams started to add family-friendly films to his resume including Peter Banning in "Hook" (1991) and his now-iconic turn as Genie in "Aladdin" (1992). In 1993's "Mrs. Doubtfire," Williams delivered an endearing, high-spirited, and heartwarming portrayal of a dad doing the most absurd things just to be near his children. After the success of "Mrs. Doubtfire," Williams followed a streak of fantastic films such as "Jumanji" (1995) and "Good Will Hunting" (1997), which earned the actor his only Oscar win.
Tragically, Williams died by suicide on August 11, 2017, at the age of 63 years old. At the time, many fans expressed their grief by creating a memorial outside the house "Mrs. Doubtfire" was filmed in San Francisco (via LA Times).
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
Sally Field has racked up acting awards
Before she was cast as the loving mother Miranda Hillard in "Mrs. Doubtfire," Sally Field had firmly cemented her place as a Hollywood icon. In the 1960s, Fields was a television mainstay having been on such shows as "Gidget" and famously as the titular sister in "The Flying Nun". Though these roles kept her in the spotlight, she desperately wanted to shed these campy characters, according to her memoir (via NPR). She got her wish by landing incredible roles such as Norma Rae in 1979's "Norma Rae," which lead to her first of two Oscar wins. She also won a Primetime Emmy for playing the lead in the 1977 television movie "Sybil." As Miranda in "Mrs. Doubtfire," Field brought warmth, heart, and an emotional center to the at times whacky comedy.
Since starring in "Mrs. Doubtfire," Fields has been very active in a film starring in 2012's "Lincoln" as Mary Todd Lincoln (which led to an Oscar nomination) as well as big-budget tent pole movies like "The Amazing Spiderman" and indie darlings like "Hello, My Name is Doris." She's stayed busy on television too, earning Emmys for a guest appearance on "ER" and her starring role in "Brothers and Sisters." More recently, she starred in Netflix's "Little Evil" and the television show "Dispatches from Nowhere."
Field has had a stellar career since she first arrived on the scene in the early 1960s and shows no signs of stopping. In a 2008 interview with Oprah Magazine, Field reflected on her life saying, "In my late 50s, I began to embrace myself in a way that I hadn't been able to before. I find that I'm not as worried anymore about what other people think."
Pierce Brosnan took up the mantle of James Bond
The suave Irish actor Pierce Brosnan played the new boyfriend Stu in "Mrs. Doubtfire" and, much like Robin Williams and Sally Field, he was already well established in the industry before filming. Prior to the comedy, Brosnan was best known for his role as Remington Steele in the series "Remington Steele" which ran from 1982 to 1987.
After "Mrs. Doubtfire" was a smash hit, the actor got the chance of a lifetime, playing the cool, martini-drinking superspy James Bond in 1995's "GoldenEye." He would play Bond in three more films: 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies," 1999's "The World is Not Enough" and 2002's "Die Another Day."
He has also had roles in cult favorites like Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" and even voiced a version of himself in an epic "The Simpsons" episode. Pierce showed off his range by starring in the musical movie "Mamma Mia" and its sequel, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again." Recently he starred in the Hulu original film "False Positive" as well as the hilarious Netflix movie "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga."
Brosnan doesn't appear to be considering retirement anytime soon. He currently has a whopping five films in pre-production, according to his IMDb page.
Mara Wilson is a writer and working actor
At only 5 years old during production, Mara Wilson was the youngest cast member on "Mrs. Doubtfire." Though she had no previous film or television credits to her resume, there was no denying the actor commanded every scene she was in. In a 2016 interview with NPR, Wilson explained what casting directors liked about her saying, "I think I had a good ear for dialogue from a young age — and I think that was probably because I spent a lot of time eavesdropping on my parents and my three older brothers."
She bonded right away with her fellow cast members. During a heartwarming cast reunion of "Mrs. Doubtfire" in 2018 for Today, she reflected on her fellow cast members saying, "I immediately felt like they were family."
Wilson followed up "Mrs. Doubtfire" with some incredibly memorable films such as the prominent role in the 1994 remake of "Miracle on 34th Street." Once again, her natural ease and charm helped melt hearts in a role that was originally played by Natalie Wood in 1947. In 1996 she played the title role of the precocious Matilda in "Matilda" based on the 1988 book by Roald Dahl. Wilson wrote a cheekily titled memoir, "Where Am I Now?" in 2016. To answer that question, Wilson went to college and still works in Hollywood in live-action and voice roles including "Bojack Horseman" and "Big Hero 6: The Series." Recently you can hear Wilson in the delightfully weird adult-animated series "Helluva Boss."
Reflecting on her life Wilson told NPR, "I feel good about myself, and I feel like I'm sort of in control of my own story and my own narrative."
Lisa Jakub also wrote a memoir about being a child actor
Lisa Jakub started acting at age seven in Peter Yate's "Eleni." Following that, she graced the small screen in television shows such as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Friday the 13th: The Series." Jakub found herself in some notable film roles such as the Oscar-nominated "Rambling Rose" and Joe Dante's love letter to 1950's B-cinema "Matinee." In 1993, Jakub got the role of teenager Lydia Hillard in "Mrs. Doubtfire."
In that "Mrs. Doubtfire" cast interview for Today in 2018, Jakub recounted filming a now-legendary scene saying, "The scene in which Matt [Lawrence] and I find out that Mrs. Doubtfire is actually our father was so much fun to film. We had such a great time with that." In a moment of art imitating life, she went on to explain that, during the audition process director Chris Columbus initially introduced Mrs. Doubtfire not as Robin Williams in makeup but indeed a real actress.
After "Mrs. Doubtfire," Jakub starred in another iconic 1990's film "Independence Day" and even had a great part in the award-winning short film "George Lucas in Love" in 1999. Though she hasn't acted since 2000, Jakub has been doing great work. In 2015, she wrote a memoir titled "You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up," and she also founded a wellness community called Blue Maia.
Matthew Lawrence starred in Boy Meets World
Matthew Lawrence, the middle brother of Andrew and Joey Lawrence started his screen acting career at just 4 years old. In 1984, he portrayed Danny Carrington in the television drama "Dynasty." By the time that Lawrence stepped on the set of "Mrs. Doubtfire" to play Chris Hillard, he had already appeared in numerous television shows such as "Gimmie a Break!" and films such as "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" and "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie." Hillard, like his young co-stars, brought a level of relatability and vulnerability to "Mrs. Doubtfire."
After "Mrs. Doubtfire" wrapped, Lawrence remained active in the acting business, landing a regular role on the hit television series "Boy Meets World" and even playing a younger version of his brother Joey Lawrence in "Blossom." Recently he reprised his role as Jack Hunter in "Girl Meets World," a spinoff of "Boy Meets World."
In the same Today interview with his fellow "Mrs. Doubtfire" castmates, Lawrence credits Robin Williams with helping him get the part of Chris, saying, "He grabbed and pinched me without the camera seeing him and I gave this reaction and everybody started dying with laughter." He went on to express that the late actor gave him great advice that has stuck with him to this day.
Harvey Fierstein is known for his theatre work
Harvey Fierstein played Frank, the makeup wizard that transforms Robin Williams' Daniel Hillard into the titular Mrs. Doubtfire. Though he only is featured in a few scenes, they were incredibly memorable and quotable. But what you might not know is that before the film was shot, Fierstein was a mainstay in the theatre world and an LGBTQ+ icon.
In 1983, Fierstein won not one but two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Play and Outstanding New Actor, as well as a Tony for his heart-wrenching performance in "Torch Song Trilogy." He would go on to win another Tony for writing the book for "La Cage aux Folles" in 1984. Fierstein acted opposite Matthew Broderick and Anne Bancroft in the 1988 film version of "Torch Song Trilogy." Roger Ebert praised Fierstein's moving performance saying in his original 1988 review, "I have not seen anyone quite like Fierstein in the movies, and the fact that he is a specific individual gives this material a charm and weight it might have lacked if an interchangeable actor had played the role."
After "Mrs. Doubtfire," Fierstein has continued to set the theater world on fire, winning another Tony, Drama Desk Award, and Drama League award for 2003's "Hairspray," a musical based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name. He also has starred in "Independence Day" in 1996 (alongside Lisa Jakub), and reunited with Robin Williams for the darkly satirical "Death to Smoochy." Currently, Fierstein has lent his signature raspy voice (which you might also recognize as Yao from 1998's "Mulan") to shows such as "Family Guy" and more recently Netflix's "Big Mouth."
Polly Holliday has retired from acting
Though her role was small, Polly Holliday played nosy neighbor Gloria in "Mrs. Doubtfire." Holliday had been working in Hollywood long before filming on the classic comedy began. In 1974, Holliday got the break of a lifetime, starring in the Broadway show "All Over Town" (via Playbill).
"Kiss my grits" — that was the catchphrase for the wise-cracking waitress Flo. Holliday played in the hit television series "Alice" for 90 episodes. This performance would earn her first of four Primetime Emmy nominations. Flo was such a beloved character that she got a short-lived spin-off simply titled "Flo" which ran for 29 episodes. In 1984, she played what is perhaps her best-known character outside of Flo as the wonderfully wicked Mrs. Deagle in the cult-hit "Gremlins" directed by Joe Dante and written by future "Mrs. Doubtfire" director Chris Columbus.
After starring in "Mrs. Doubtfire," the actress starred in other notable projects such as the 1990's remake of "The Parent Trap" and as a series regular on the hit sitcom "Home Improvement."
In 2000, she was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame. Currently, Holliday has retired from stage and screen after an amazing career.