Rob Reiner’s enduring classic helped launch the careers of River Phoenix, Kiefer Sutherland, and more.

What happened to the cast of* Stand By Me*? See the stars 40 years later

Rob Reiner's enduring classic helped launch the careers of River Phoenix, Kiefer Sutherland, and more.

By Sezin Devi Koehler

on May 19, 2026 1:11 p.m. ET

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A nostalgic snapshot: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell in 'Stand by Me'. Credit:

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection

*Stand by Me** *might be a period piece, but its themes of friendship, loss, and mortality are timeless.

Rob Reiner’s 1986 adaptation of Stephen King’s novella *The Body *was an instant coming-of-age classic, and continues to reach new generations each year.

The film follows four best friends in the summer of 1959, when they search for the dead body of a peer rumored to have been hit by a train. Gordie LaChance (Wil Wheaton), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), and Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell) initially embark on an adventure, but they don’t realize it’s something of a race to find Ray Brower’s corpse first. The local toughs, led by the sadistic Ace Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland), are headed the same way, albeit for different reasons.

The result is a harrowing, hilarious — blueberry pie, anyone? — and poignant tale of the big and small moments that lead us into adulthood.

In 2026, Wheaton, Feldman, and O'Connell celebrated the film's 40th anniversary with a national tour. "We're three guys who share something. Each of us, there's two people in this world we can talk to about some things, and it's the three of us right here," Wheaton told EW of their bond.

We may have lost the comb, and we never found Vern’s pennies, but we *can *discover what the *Stand by Me *cast* *has been up to over the last four decades.

Wil Wheaton (Gordie Lachance)

Wil Wheaton as Gordie; Wheaton at the 2023 premiere of 'Star Trek: Picard'.

Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection; Araya Doheny/Getty

As the young protagonist, Wil Wheaton channeled his own abusive childhood into his role as the younger boy in a family grieving the loss of beloved elder son Denny (John Cusack). Gordie is invisible to his mother and a whipping boy to his father. That makes it relatively easy for him to sneak out of the house unnoticed for a weekend with his friends.

Wheaton has opened up about how he was bullied into his acting career by his overly demanding mother and physically aggressive father.

“I didn't want to be an actor when I was a kid. My parents forced me to do it,” he said in 2021, adding that this reality “put me in the exact place to play Gordie. Because Gordie's experience very much reflected my experience.”

Just a year later, he began his long-running work as Wesley Crusher on *Star Trek: The Next Generation** *(1987–1994), after which he stepped back from the limelight.

Wheaton later returned to TV as a version of himself, playing Sheldon Cooper’s occasional nemesis on *The Big Bang Theory* (2009–2019). He has also done regular voice work, booking gigs on everything from *Teen Titans** *(2003–2005) to *Star Trek: Prodigy *(2024).

In 2026, he sought to tap into the performance of his late costar, River Phoenix, while narrating a new audiobook recording of *The Body*.

The former child star is an avid gamer, writer, and game show host who openly discusses his mental health struggles. He has been married to Anne Prince since 1999. They have two sons.

River Phoenix (Chris Chambers)

River Phoenix as Chris; Phoenix at the Palladium in New York City in 1989.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

As Castle Rock’s misunderstood bad boy with a heart of gold, River Phoenix, older brother of Joaquin, imbued Chris with an uncommon depth.

The film opens with an adult Gordie reading about the premature death of his childhood friend. That fact strikes an extra nerve, given that Phoenix himself died far too young, due to an overdose at age 23.

In his short tenure, he left an indelible mark on film acting, from playing Harrison Ford’s son in *The Mosquito Coast *(1986) to his younger self in *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade *(1989). His work in Gus Van Sant’s *My Own Private Idaho* remains as powerful now as it was when it blazed a trail for queer cinema in 1991.

Phoenix was also one of the youngest people ever nominated for an Academy Award, earning the nod at age 18 for playing the piano prodigy son of fugitive political activists in *Running on Empty *(1988).

Corey Feldman (Teddy Duchamp)

Corey Feldman as Teddy; Feldman at a 2025 Grammy Viewing Party in Los Angeles.

Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett; Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Wisecracking, cackling mini-maniac Teddy was the daredevil of the group. Corey Feldman played the character with an all-in intensity that echoed his troubled life in the years to come.

Feldman had broken through a year earlier in *The Goonies* (1985), and subsequently became known as one of the Two Coreys — the other being young heartthrob Corey Haim. They starred together in a trio of films in the late ’80s, including *The Lost Boys *(1987).

The young star’s life quickly and publicly began spiraling out of control in the wake of early success. He struggled with addiction and eventually became infamous over his friendship with Michael Jackson, particularly as child abuse allegations against the pop singer came to light. Feldman maintains that Jackson did not abuse him, though he details other instances of alleged sexual assault he suffered in his 2020 documentary *(My) Truth: The Rape of Two Coreys*.

In 2007, the actor partnered with Haim for the reality show *The Two Coreys*, and in 2013, published *Coreyography*, a memoir detailing the myriad abuses he survived in Hollywood. Feldman continues to work as a musician and actor, mostly in voice roles. He competed on season 11 of *The Masked Singer* and season 34 of Dancing With the Stars, and in 2025 was the subject of a documentary, *Corey Feldman vs. the World**. *

Feldman has one son with his ex-wife, Susie Sprague.

Jerry O’Connell (Vern Tessio)

Jerry O'Connell as Vern; O'Connell at the 2025 Oscars.

Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

As the baby of the group, lovable doofus Vern came to life through 11-year-old Jerry O’Connell’s sweet performance.

*Stand by Me *was O’Connell’s first movie role. While he’s had more than his share of big-screen encores since — *Scream 2 *(1997)*, Jerry Maguire *(1996), and *Piranha 3D *(2010) among them — he’s been a steady hand on the small screen for decades. That includes lead roles on sci-fi series like *My Secret Identity* and *Sliders*, and major recurring roles on *Crossing Jordan* and *Billions*. He recently voiced Commander Jack Ransom on *Star Trek: Lower Decks*.

In 2007, O’Connell married model and actress Rebecca Romijn. They have twin daughters.

Kiefer Sutherland (Ace Merrill)

Kiefer Sutherland as Ace; Sutherland at a Royal Philharmonic concert in Saudia Arabia in 2025.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection; Darren Arthur/Getty

As ice-cold local bully Ace, Kiefer Sutherland brings a chilling cruelty to his performance, embodying every bit the devil-may-care malevolence you’d expect from a King bully. (He denied being a real-life bully on set when reuniting with O'Connell in 2024.)

The Canadian actor told *The Tonight Show* that he may have inadvertently inspired the film’s title while teaching costar River Phoenix how to play guitar and practicing Ben E. King’s 1961 hit “Stand by Me.”

“[River] said, ‘Oh, I love the melody of that song,’ and he hadn’t heard it before,” Sutherland said. “So I was teaching it to him, and Rob Reiner walked by and said, ‘Oh, I haven’t heard that song for a long time. I love it.’ And then that was the end of that discussion.”

Hailing from Hollywood royalty as the son of late legend Donald Sutherland, Kiefer's role on *Stand by Me* led to prominent parts in *The Lost Boys, Young Guns *(1988), and *Flatliners *(1990). Bouncing between heroes and villains, he put together a resume that includes *A Few Good Men *(1992), *The Three Musketeers *(1993), *A Time to Kill *(1996), and *Dark City *(1998).

Then came the adrenaline blast of *24** *(2001–2010). Jack Bauer became his signature role, earning him two Emmys and a Golden Globe. Since then, he’s appeared in films like *Melancholia *(2011) and *Juror #2 *(2024) while headlining small-screen dramas *Designated Survivor* and *Rabbit Hole*.

Sutherland has been engaged to actress Cindy Vela since 2017.

Richard Dreyfuss (Older Gordie)

Richard Dreyfuss as the older Gordie; Dreyfuss at an 'American Graffiti' screening in 2023.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection; Presley Ann/Getty

Richard Dreyfuss opens *Stand by Me *as a grown-up Gordie learning of his old best friend Chris’ death. He begins writing about the summer of ’59, and their search for that dead body.

By the time he shot that cameo, Dreyfuss was already a decorated star, with classics like *American Graffiti *(1973), *Jaws *(1975), and *Close Encounters of the Third Kind *(1977) under his belt, along with an Oscar win for *The Goodbye Girl *(1977).

The actor headlined *Stakeout *(1987), faced off against Bill Murray in *What About Bob? *(1991), reunited with Reiner for *The American President *(1995), and landed another Oscar nomination for *Mr. Holland’s Opus *(1995). More recently, he portrayed Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone’s *W. *(2008) and appeared in the golden-years rom-com *Book Club *(2018).

The Brooklyn native has been married to Svetlana Erokhin since 2006. He has three children from a previous marriage to Jeramie Rain.

John Cusack (Denny Lachance)

John Cusack as Denny; Cusack at the Royal George Theater in Chicago in 2019.

Columbia Pictures. Courtesy: Everett Collection; Paul Natkin/Getty

We only meet Denny briefly through Gordie’s recollections, but John Cusack’s performance conveys how much Denny meant to everyone — and what a huge hole he left.

Like many of his costars, Cusack’s career took off in the ’80s. A string of teen touchstones culminated in *Say Anything** *(1989), which established his leading-man chops. He has since starred in *The Grifters *(1990), *Bullets Over Broadway *(1994), *Grosse Pointe Blank *(1997), *Being John Malkovich *(1999), and *High Fidelity *(2001).

The actor returned to King’s universe through *1408 *(2007) and *Cell *(2016), starring alongside Samuel L. Jackson for both projects. His recent work also includes the acclaimed Brian Wilson biopic *Love & Mercy *(2014), David Cronenberg’s *Maps to the Stars *(2014), and Spike Lee’s *Chi-Raq *(2015).

The Chicago native comes from an acting family and has regularly collaborated with his Oscar-nominated sister, Joan Cusack, over their decades-long careers.

Marshall Bell (Mr. Lachance)

Veteran character actor Marshall Bell played Gordie's cruel father, Mr. Lachance.

Gregory Pace/BEI/Shutterstock

Marshall Bell brings a quiet fury to his role as Gordie’s father, who’s in mourning for the son he actually loved.

Bell has been a supporting actor staple for over four decades. He’s appeared in such popular hits as *A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge *(1985), *Twins *(1988), *Total Recall *(1990), *Starship Troopers *(1997), and *Capote *(2005).

Odds are you’ve seen him on TV as well. He’s booked guest spots on *The X-Files**, Deadwood, House*, *Reservation Dogs*, and dozens more. Most recently, he was seen in *Dreams* (2025) with Jessica Chastain.

Bell has been married to legendary costume designer Milena Canonero — who has four Oscars to her name — since 1980.

Casey Siemaszko (Billy Tessio)

Casey Siemaszko as Billy; Siemaszko at the 'Damages' premiere in 2007.

Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock; Ray Tamarra/Getty

Billy, Vern’s older brother, sets the whole tale in motion when he and Charlie Hogan steal a car, only to find Ray Brower’s body by the train tracks. Played by a sniveling Casey Siemaszko, Billy is spineless and spiteful.

Siemaszko was a regular bit player in the ’80s and ’90s, appearing in *Back to the Future** *(1985) before taking lead roles in *Three O’Clock High *(1987) and *Breaking In *(1989).

While his big-screen career has tapered off since an appearance in Michael Mann’s *Public Enemies *(2009), he has still popped up routinely on TV over the years. The Chicago native has landed roles on *Damages*, *The Blacklist*, and *Billions*.

Gary Riley (Charlie Hogan)

Gary Riley as Charlie Hogan; Riley at the Chiller Theatre Expo in 2016.

Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock; Bobby Bank/WireImage

Gary Riley’s most recognizable film role is Charlie Hogan, Billy’s hapless accomplice in *Stand by Me.*

Elsewhere, he scored small roles in *Ruthless People *(1987) and John Hughes’ *Planes, Trains & Automobiles *(1987) before leaving Hollywood behind.

Bradley Gregg (Richard “Eyeball” Chambers)

Bradley Gregg as 'Eyeball'; Gergg at the 'Death of a Nation' premiere in L.A. in 2018.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection; Greg Doherty/Getty

Chris Chambers’ older brother Eyeball, one of Ace’s sycophantic followers, was played by Bradley Gregg.

Gregg previously appeared alongside Phoenix in *Explorers *(1985), then memorably chased Phoenix down in the opening prologue of *Last Crusade. *The actor also had small roles in Terry Gilliam’s *The Fisher King** *(1991) and the alien abduction film *Fire in the Sky *(1993).

His most recent movie credits are *Redemption Day *(2021) and *The Man From Nowhere *(2021).

Kent W. Luttrell (The Body)

The body of Ray Brower, played by Kent W. Luttrell, now a long-time Hollywood stunt specialist.

Columbia Pictures

As the body of a young man knocked out of his Keds by a train, Kent W. Luttrell was the 20-year-old stuntman who played Ray Brower.

Luttrell continues to have a thriving stunt career, having doubled for A-listers like Danny DeVito, one of his regulars. He has worked his way up to stunt coordinator for dozens of movies and TV shows. The long list includes *Green Room *(2015), *Portlandia*, *The OA*, *Hunters*, *Strange Darling *(2023), and, most recently, *Twinless *(2025) and *Night Always Comes* (2025).

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”