What happened to the cast of The Goonies?

(Credit: Warner Bros.)

For a whole generation there was only one gang we all wanted to join — 'The Goonies'.

You could do the Truffle Shuffle like Chunk, make gadgets like Data or mouth off like... well, Mouth, while Mikey even managed to make being asthmatic look cool.

Now, 29 years after that first outing, director Ricahrd Donner has confirmed a sequel to the 1985 classic caper is actually happening! We knew Mikey was right: “Goonies never say die!”

[Goonies 2: Sequel on the way says Richard Donner]

So we hunted down the former cast members, like the Goonies searching for One-Eyed Willie's (no sniggering please) treasure, to see what’s happened since their incredible adventure.


Josh Brolin
It's taken a long time but Brolin can now finally lay claim to being the most successful Goonie. Turning down the lead role in the hit TV series '21 Jump Street' (the part eventually went to Johnny Depp) Brolin instead juggled stage work with so-so film roles including 'Thrashin', 'Mimic', 'The Mod Squad', 'Hollow Man' and 'Into the Blue'.

However, he had the year of his life in 2007, starring in 'No Country for Old Men', 'American Gangster' and 'W'. Brolin followed that up a year later with an Oscar-nominated performance in 'Milk'. His comic book film 'Jonah Hex' bombed miserably at the US box office, but more recent and upcoming movie roles have put him back on the radar with: ‘True Grit' and 'Men in Black 3’, ‘Gangster Squad’, the ‘Oldboy’ remake, ‘Labor Day’ and ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’.


Sean Astin
As the excitable Mikey, who rounds up the gang for one last Goonie adventure before they're forced to move home, Astin showed leading man potential. And in the 90s he was seen in teen films like 'Memphis Belle', 'California Man' and the guilty pleasure 'Toy Soldiers' (Think 'Die Hard' in a boarding school).

However, like Brolin, it was the turn of the millennium that saw Astin make something of a comeback — famously playing Frodo's loveable companion Samwise Gamgee in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. He followed that up with a series of roles — most notably in '24', '50 First Dates' and 'Click’ — and lobbied to direct the 2005 'Fantastic Four' movie, albeit unsuccessfully.


Jeff Cohen
As Chunk, Jeff Cohen gave one of the most winning child performances. More than just a shuffling belly, Cohen's character was believable, funny and warm.

Despite latching onto his screen alter-ego's fame by running as class president at school (his campaign slogan was 'Chunk for President') and the occasional Truffle Shuffle to cheer on the football team, he left the character and acting behind to study law. A now svelte Cohen is an entertainment lawyer in LA, and recently started contributing to online newspaper the Huffington Post.


Corey Feldman
Feldman gave one of his most charismatic performances as Mouth — just one of his many great roles in the 80s, which included movies like 'Stand by Me' 'The Burbs', 'The Lost Boys' and 'Gremlins'.

The 90s, however, saw Feldman's career decline steadily and he endured a public battle with drugs — as did his regular screen partner, the late Corey Haim. However, he enjoyed straight-to-DVD success with the 'Lost Boys' sequel in 2008, and a third installment is released next month. In 2012 Corey competed in ITV talent show ‘Dancing On Ice’, and even made an appearance on ‘Celebrity Juice’.


Jonathan Ke Quan
Playing two iconic 80s characters — the gadget-obsessed Richard 'Data' Wang in 'Goonies' and Indiana Jones' sidekick in 'Temple of Doom' — seemed to be enough for Ke Quan.A few Hollywood TV shows and big screen appearances aside, he turned his back on acting to focus on work behind the camera — most notably as a stunt choreographer, including work on the first 'X-Men' movie.


Kerri Green
Green became a teen pin-up thanks to roles in 'The Goonies' and 'Lucas', with the latter seeing her and young co-star Corey Haim receiving critical acclaim.

Road trip comedy 'Three for the Road' alongside Charlie Sheen flopped, however, and soon after she turned her back on acting to study art. Green set up a production company called Independent Woman Artists in the late 90s, and now spends her free time writing screenplays. She last acted in 2010 movie ‘Complacent’.


Martha Plimpton
Daughter of actors Keith Carradine and Shelly Plimpton, Martha has had an eventful career. Starting off as a Calvin Klein model, before playing Stef Steinbrenner in 'The Goonies', Plimpton's ease at playing teenage tomboy misfits saw her typecast.

Once River Phoenix's girlfriend, she starred in two films with the late heartthrob — 1986's 'The Mosquito Coast' and 'Running on Empty'. She also starred alongside River's brother Joaquin in 'Parenthood'. As a cancer patient in German film Zwei Frauen alongside 'Lost Boys' star Jami Gertz, she received critical praise, as did her performance in 1993's 'Samantha'.

Since then, Plimpton has worked hard with a long list of small films and bit-parts in TV series such as 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'The Good Wife' — and appeared in a photo spread feature entitled 'The Hardest Working Actors in Showbiz' in a 2008 Entertainment Weekly issue. She currently plays Virginia Chance in acclaimed US sitcom Raising Hope’.


John Matuszak
Disguised beyond recognition, Matuszak's performance as the lovable but forgotten Fratelli — Sloth — was one of the most memorable for many 80s teenagers. Deciding to rid himself of his harsh family and team up with the Goonies, Sloth was famed for his 'Hey you guys!' wail.

An American football player in the 70s, Matuszak began to carve a career for himself as an actor in the next decade. He appeared in a number of TV shows — including 'Miami Vice', 'Cheers' and 'The A-Team' — but it's Sloth that he's best known for.

Sadly, Matuszak died in 1989 of a heart attack — thought to have been brought on through long-term use of steroids.

Can't wait to see the return of 'The Goonies', or should the childhood classic be left alone? Let us know what you think in the comments below...