Quantum Leap stars now – co-star romance, famous kids, new careers and gone too soon

If Quantum Leap time traveller Sam Beckett had jumped into the future to 2022 he’d have found the TV show was being rebooted.

The cult sci-fi series will be back on screens imminently as the new cast aim to achieve “remake history”.

It comes 33 after the original series became an instant hit when it was launched in 1989.

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Created by Donald Bellisario, it starred Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell alongside countless guests over five seasons.

Bakula, who played Sam Beckett, would leap back in time to fix historic wrongs and make them right.

The show, which ended in 1993, has continued to have a cult following over the years.

Ahead of the reboot, we’ve taken a look at what happened to the original cast after the show finished for good.

Scott Bakula

Even to those who’ve never seen Quantum Leap, Scott Bakula is synonymous with the show.

For five seasons he would become a new person, solving problems and righting wrongs to alter history for the better before leaping out and doing it all over again.

He received four Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award just for the show alone.

While the role saw him have great success he has since spoken about how he was “hardly ever home for four and a half seasons,” and regretted missing his daughter Chelsy’s “formative years.”

He eventually vowed to prioritise his family and a clause was written into his contract stating that filming had to be done by 6pm on Wednesdays so he could have dinner with his family.

Bakula shares two kids with his ex-wife Krista Neumann and has been married to actress Chelsea Field since 2009 after a relationship of 15 years. The couple also have two kids.

He has continued to act over the years and can be seen in shows such as Enterprise, NCIS: New Orleans, Desperate Housewives, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and more.

Dean Stockwell

A big fan favourite, Dean Stockwell played Sam Beckett’s hologram companion Rear Admiral Albert “Al” Calavicci, who offers the time traveller advice as the experiments unfold.

Following his roles on Quantum Leap and Battlestar Galactica, he was a regular at sci-fi conventions.

In 1990, he won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in recognition of his role in TV series Married to the Mob.

He continued to act but eventually retired in 2015 following health issues, focusing instead on art.

Dean Stockwell, who was married twice and had two children, sadly died on November 7, 2021, aged 85. He died peacefully at home.

Paying tribute, Bakula wrote: “I met Dean at his audition for Quantum Leap in 1988. He had agreed to ‘read’ for the Network, I was already cast. We connected immediately and my career and my life were changed that day in Brandon Tartikoff’s office.

“How lucky were we to get him? A few months later he would be nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Married to the Mob, but he was stuck with us. Serendipity? All I know is, he never tried to get out or complain, he loved the role and the show and the rest was history.”

He added: “I loved him dearly and was honoured to know him. He made me a better human being.”

Willie Garson

Willie Garson was one of the show’s many guest stars and took on the roles of Seymour in the first season and Lee Harvey Oswald in another – both very different parts.

Many people will know him for his subsequent roles as Carrie Bradshaw’s gay best friend Stanford Blatch in Sex and the City and its spin off And Just Like That, or Mozzie in White Collar.

Garson, who adopted his son Nathan when he was seven years old in 2009, died in September 2021 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was just 57.

His son confirmed the news in an emotional tribute stating: “I love you so much papa.

“Rest in peace and I’m so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I’m so proud of you.”

Tyra Ferrell

In one memorable episode of Quantum Leap, Sam leaps back in time to become Leonard Dancey, a defence attorney representing a young black woman accused of murder.

That woman, Delilah “Lila” Berry, was played by Tyra Ferrell. Her character has to convince a jury that she is not guilty of murdering a prominent white man’s son.

Since appearing in the show, the 60-year-old has had a successful career as an actor with recurring roles in Square One Television, The Bronx Zoo, and Thirtysomething.

She has also appeared in films and shows such as Full House, Chicago PD, The Bobby DeBarge Story and more.

She is married to American civil rights activist Diop Kamau who investigates and works to resolve instances of police misconduct, neglect, or abuse.

Donald Bellisario

Without Donald Bellisario there would be no Quantum Leap.

He was inspired to write the sci-fi show in 1988 after reading a novel about time travel.

After the show finished in 1993, he continued to work on other shows including Magnum P.I., JAG and he is also the creator of NCIS

Bellasario, 87, has seven children including Pretty Little Liars and NCIS actor, Troian, and Michael who had a recurring role on Midshipman and played Charles Stirling on NCIS. His stepson Sean Murray is also an actor who also appeared on NCIS.

Deborah Pratt

If you watched the show you may remember Ziggy, the computer that runs the Quantum Leap project.

It was voiced by Deborah Pratt, who was also a writer, executive producer and narrator on the show which was created by her then husband, Bellisario.

The pair have two kids together Troian and Nicholas who are also both actors.

Pratt has continued to work on other shows such as Magnum, P.I., Happy Days, The New Odd Couple, and Airwolf, and more, and she has also published books.

Kimberly Cullum

Former child actress Kimberly Cullum had many film and television roles during the 1990s such as The Revenge of Al Capone, The Rapture , and Quantum Leap.

In Quantum Leap, she took on the role of young Abigail Fuller during a three-episode arc.

She won a Young Artist Award for her role on the show. She was also nominated for another Young Artist Award for her appearance in Nothing’s Sacred in 1998 and has not acted since.

Cullum is believed to have a completely different career behind the scenes and has worked as an assistant to director Michael Katleman and Matt Zolmach.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk