E.T was released in 1982, and instantly became a hit with audiences worldwide.
The movie was such a rip-roaring success, it surpassed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time – a record it held for eleven years until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg-directed film, beat it in 1993.
Back then, the main stars of the movie were unknown youngsters who were cutting their teeth in the entertainment industry and went onto bag awards and appear in other box office classics over the decades.
38 years later.. here’s what they’ve been up to on the small and big screen.
Henry Thomas – Elliott
Henry Thomas played the lead role in the 1982 movie (Image: Universal Pictures)
Henry Thomas was propelled into stardom when he played youngster Elliott in his first breakout role in the Steven Spielberg flick.
Since then, the Texas-native has enjoyed a steady career, cropping up in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, and has a recurring role playing the young version of Hugh Crain on Netflix’s Haunting of Hill House.
The actor recently reprised his role as Elliott in a Sky Christmas advert (Image: FilmMagic)
In November 2019, the actor reprised his role as Elliott for a SKY UK advert, in which E.T. returns to visit a now-adult Elliot and his family for the festive period.
Drew Barrymore – Gertie
Drew Barrymore played a young Gertie in the film (Image: REUTERS)
Drew Barrymore portrayed Elliott’s younger sister in the movie, and quickly rose to international superstardom.
For a period during her childhood years, Drew became wrapped up in the darker side of Hollywood. She started going to nightclubs with her mother at the age of nine, following her parent’s divorce. Drew began taking cocaine and socialising with older men.
Drew became emancipated and legally separated from her parents, seeing her move into her own flat at the age of 14.
She previously told the Guardian that the experiences she went through as a child made her determined to be a more “traditional” mum to daughters Olive, three, and Frankie, one.
Drew, whose cocaine use and partying days are long behind her, shared: “I would never have had children unless I was incredibly stable, and willing to put them first.”
Despite her troublesome childhood, the American star has enjoyed an illustrious career in the film industry, appearing in well-loved flicks such as Charlie’s Angels, Scream, Whip It, and Donnie Darko.
In 2004, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and five years later Drew bagged a SAG Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in Grey Gardens.
The actress appeared in Netflix’s Santa Clarita Diet until it was axed last year (Image: Getty Images)
From 2017 to 2019, Barrymore starred in the Netflix television series Santa Clarita Diet, portraying a real estate agent who, after experiencing a physical transformation into a zombie, starts craving human flesh. Netflix decided to pull the series after three seasons.
Robert MacNaughton – Michael
Robert MacNaughton bagged an award for his performance in E.T (Image: Universal Pictures)
Robert MacNaughton played Elliott’s older brother Michael, for which he won a 1982 Young Artist Award as Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.
The US actor has stayed relatively under the radar, appearing in several television shows in the eighties including Amen, Newhart, and Vietnam War Story.
The star retired from acting and switched careers (Image: WireImage)
He decided to retired from acting in 2002, and instead worked as a mail carrier in Phoenix, Arizona, and Jersey City, New Jersey.
In 2013, the star returned to acting, performing in two films, Kamal Ahmed’s Laugh Killer Laugh (co-starring his wife, Bianca Hunter) and Damien Leone’s Frankenstein vs. The Mummy.
Dee Wallace – Mary
Dee Wallace played Elliott’s mum Mary (Image: Universal Pictures)
Dee Wallace starred at Mary, Elliott’s mum, in the cult-classic film.
The actress carved out a niche for herself, starring in several horror films including The Hills Have Eyes, The Howling, Cujo, and Critters, which earned her the title of “scream queen”.
The actress has appeared in numerous scary films throughout her career (Image: Getty Images)
The 71-year-old has racked up guest appearances on TV shows such as NCIS, You’re the Worst, and Without a Trace, among others.
Wallace is still acting, recently appearing in Rob Zombie’s 2019 film 3 From Hell, and playing the grandma in American live-action family television series, which recently aired its third series.
Peter Coyote – Keys
Peter Coyote went onto appear in many films following his role in E.T (Image: Universal Pictures)
In the film, Keys worked for the government and began to chase Elliott, his family and friends after tracking ET through the neighbourhood. However, despite being seen as the villain, he helps E.T. by trying to save him from dying.
The actor has enjoyed a fruitful acting career throughout the decades and has starred in such films as Patch Adams, Erin Brockovich, and A Walk to Remember.
The star has narrated many films, TV shows, and audiobook during his career (Image: WireImage)
Aside from acting, Peter is a screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audiobooks. He was also known as the “Voice of Oscar” for the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony – the first Oscars announcer to be seen on-camera.
He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator in 2015 for his work on The Roosevelts.
C. Thomas Howell – Tyler
Tyler mocked Elliott’s alien friend in the film (Image: Universal Pictures)
Tyler, friend of Michael, teased Elliott in the film about his new “goblin” mate.
C. Thomas Howell portrayed the angsty teenager in E.T and shortly afterward, at 15, he was cast as the lead role Ponyboy Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, which earned him a Young Artist Award.
C. Thomas Howell has starred in a selection of films and TV series throughout the decades (Image: FilmMagic)
He has racked up healthy film credits, featuring in The Amazing Spider-Man, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.
Starting in 2015, Howell has had a recurring role as Dr. Daniel Stinger in the Freeform show Stitchers. In 2017, he had a recurring role as Ash Spenser, a retired Navy SEAL, in the CBS show SEAL Team.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
