The Goonies ranks pretty high among the childhood movies beloved by this generation. It's a fairly straightforward adventure film, combined with a dash of the "scrappy bunch of misfits" trope, as a group of youngsters stumbles across a treasure map that gives them a last-ditch chance to save their neighborhood from developers. It helps that Steven Spielberg came up with the concept, and the story and characters easily remain memorable several years later.
So what happened to the kids of the Goon Docks? Well, it turns out quite a few of them stayed in acting, with several of them easily recognizable today.
Sean Astin (Mikey Walsh)
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Sean Astin, now 48, was just a few years into a lengthy acting career when The Goonies came out. Mikey may be considered his breakout role, but he also earned plaudits for playing the title character in 1993's football biopic Rudy as well as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Recently he has voiced Raphael in the more recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and Chester in Bunnicula, and played Bob Newby in the second season of Stranger Things.
Josh Brolin (Brandon "Brand" Walsh)
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Mikey's older brother, Brand was somewhat annoyed by the Goonies and their antics, although he was just as outraged by the local country club's efforts to destroy his neighborhood. He reluctantly joins the group on their adventure after first trying to keep them out of trouble. Brand was also shown to have a softer side, comforting Mikey when he got distressed over the impending loss of their home and being a little more nervous around Andy due to his attraction to her.
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The Goonies launched the acting career of Josh Brolin, who has since had a rather prolific career. After focusing primarily on TV early on, including as Wild Bill Hickok in the Western series Young Riders, he began to appear more frequently in film roles. Some of his more notable credits include No Country For Old Men, W., and Milk. Now 51, he's most recently been known for playing the supervillain Thanos in the Avengers franchise.
Jeff Cohen (Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen)
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An overweight and excitable member of the Goonies, Chunk is prone to clumsy mishaps, exaggeration, and making up stories. In his confession to the Fratellis, Chunk admits that he has a fondness for pranks (although he feels guilty about the results of some of them). Though he lacks courage at first, he overcomes his fear of Sloth to befriend him and come to his friends' rescue. Chunk is also known for the "Truffle Shuffle," an embarrassing dance his friends sometimes force him to do.
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Jeff Cohen had a few small roles before The Goonies, including roles on Webster and The Facts of Life, and appeared in a number of TV shows and movies before his acting career ended in 1991. Cohen lost a good deal of weight after hitting puberty and taking up football, though he said his improved health also helped terminate his acting career since he could no longer go after "fat kid" roles. He attended business school at the University of California at Berkeley and earned a law degree from UCLA. Now 45, Cohen is working as an entertainment lawyer at a Beverly Hills law firm he co-founded in 2002.
Corey Feldman (Clarke "Mouth" Devereaux)
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Mouth earns his nickname from being, well, a little mouthy. He is fond of lobbing jokes and insults, many of them aimed at Chunk. His nickname may also have refer at least in part to the fact that he was fluent in Spanish (misusing his bilingual abilities to terrify the Walshes' maid) or the fact that he tends to prattle on. Despite projecting a sense of bravery, Mouth is often spooked or terrified by the things the Goonies encounter along their journey.
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Corey Feldman had been a child actor for a few years prior to The Goonies, landing parts on the TV series The Bad News Bears and the film Gremlins. One year after The Goonies, he played Teddy Duchamp in Stand By Me. He has continued to act into adulthood, though in less prominent roles. Feldman, now 48, has been outspoken on the issue of child sexual abuse, saying he was molested during his early career in Hollywood.
Kerri Green (Andrea "Andy" Carmichael)
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Though she lives in the wealthier Hillside section of town, Andy doesn't look down on those in the Goon Docks. In fact, she has a close friendship with Stef, is attracted in Brand, and elbows fellow Hillside resident Troy in the mouth after he runs Brand off the road. Andy's decision to join the Goonies on their adventure seems to be motivated partly by Mikey's speech and partly by a desire to get close to Brand. Her piano skills also prove useful for disabling one booby trap.
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Although she appeared in a few movies in the mid-80s, including Summer Rental and Lucas, Kerri Green took a break from acting to attend Vassar College. Her acting career briefly resumed in the early 90s but soon became fairly sporadic. She wrote and directed the 1999 film Bellyfruit, and her last credited role was in the 2012 film Complacent. Now 52, she has kept a fairly low profile, though she reportedly lives in Los Angeles with her family and dabbles in screenwriting and other behind the scenes work.
Martha Plimpton (Stef Steinbrenner)
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A friend of Andy, Stef isn't too happy to find herself on the Goonies' expedition and frequently expresses her displeasure. She is particularly annoyed by Mouth and trades barbs with him at several points, although the two develop a grudging respect for each other by the end of the film.
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Martha Plimpton, now 48, continued her acting career with a number of bit parts on TV and in film. More recently, she played the regular character of Virginia Chance in the series Raising Hope and has also appeared in several theatrical productions.
Jonathan Ke Huy Quan (Data Wang)
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An extremely inventive kid, Data carries around several of his devices at any given time. His intelligence and ingenuity come in handy at a few different points during the adventure - including successfully confronting the Fratellis at several points. Data is of Chinese ancestry, speaking heavily accented English; his family is preparing to move to Detroit due to the pending demolition of the Goon Docks, and he is dismayed by the possibility that he'll have to leave his friends behind.
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Coming to the United States with his family after the fall of Saigon, Jonathan Ke Huy Quan started his film career with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where he played Indy's sidekick Short Round McFly. Quan's acting career petered out in the early 90s, although his last credited role was in the 2002 film Second Time Around. Although he has kept a low profile online, Quan has worked as a stunt choreographer and can often be seen at sci-fi conventions.
John Matuszak (Sloth Fratelli)
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The deformed youngest brother of the Fratellis, Sloth has been ostracized and kept chained up by the family. He has limited speech, and his appearance and mannerisms terrify Chunk when the two are locked up together. However, Sloth is shown to be good-hearted and he happily helps out the Goonies after Chunk bonds with him. He's perhaps best remembered for the catchphrase "Hey you guuuuyyys!!"
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John Matuszak was a professional football player, but dabbled in acting as well with his first credited role in 1979's North Dallas Forty. Although Sloth was arguably his most memorable role, he made guest appearances on shows such as Cheers, M*A*S*H, and The Dukes of Hazzard. Matsuszak spent most of his football career on the Oakland Raiders, but retired due to persistent back pain after the team won the 1981 Super Bowl. Unfortunately, he also struggled with substance abuse and died in 1989 at the age of 38 after an accidental overdose of the prescription drug propoxyphene.
Anne Ramsey (Mama Fratelli)
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The matriarch of the Fratelli family, Mama Fratelli is the ruthless leader of their small criminal enterprise. She has a rather pronounced violent streak, likely being responsible for the death of at least one FBI agent to come to the Fratelli hideout; among other things, she also tries to shove Chunk's hand into a blender and forces Andy to walk the plank of One-Eyed Willie's ship. Her one display of empathy comes when she tries to calm Sloth down with a lullaby, though he quickly realizes that it's a means to an end.
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Anne Ramsey was active in theater before starting a film career in the 1970s. The Goonies helped win her several roles as gruff, intimidating women, most notably as Momma in 1987's Throw Mama From the Train, which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Unfortunately, Ramsey also suffered from throat cancer and ultimately succumbed to the disease in 1988 at the age of 59.
Robert Davi (Jake Fratelli)
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Jake Fratelli is serving a prison sentence early in the film when he is freed by his family. He is prone to outbursts of Italian singing, as well as arguments with his brother Francis. Jake exhibits some cruelty, such as taunting Sloth, though he also takes a liking to Chunk after he rattles off a list of the worst things he's ever done.
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Jake's propensity for singing hints at Robert Davi's own talents. He actually intended to pursue a career in singing but wound up stumbling into a prolific film career after Frank Sinatra chose him to play Mickey Sinardos in the NBC movie Contract on Cherry Street. Davi, now 68, has been acting ever since with roles in films such as Die Hard, Licence to Kill, and Showgirls. He's also been able to realize his dream of a singing career, frequently giving live performances and releasing a popular album entitled Davi Sings Sinatra.
Joe Pantoliano (Francis Fratelli)
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His appearance might sometimes suggest a gentler personality, but Francis is just as hardened a criminal as his brother and mother. He assists with all of the family's misdeeds, including the interrogation of Chunk and disposing of the body of a dead FBI agent. According to Jake, Francis is Mama Fratelli's favorite child and this leads to frequent squabbles between the brothers.
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Joe Pantoliano has racked up quite a few movie credits over the years, with roles such as Cosmo Renfro in The Fugitive, Cypher in The Matrix, Teddy in Memento, and Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos. Pantoliano, now 68, has also been outspoken on mental health issues after being diagnosed with clinical depression; among other things, he's founded a nonprofit organization called No Kidding, Me Too! to help fight stigmas associated with brain disease.
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