Stars of cheesy 80's shows: then and now photos
Andrea Barber from 'Full House': Then
As Full House's Kimmy Gibbler, Andrea Barber (pictured in 1991) was the family's semi-annoying, stinky-footed neighbour, D.J.'s best friend, and an honorary fourth daughter in the Tanner household. "She was a great character and had tonnes of laughs and witty lines," Barber told a mummy blogger last year. "But I’m ready to bury that...Can you believe that I still get questions like, 'Do your feet really stink?' And I’m like, 1) 'The show went off the air 15 years ago,' and 2) 'No, my feet don’t stink.'" She continued, "I was once in a parade riding in a convertible, and people yelled out, ‘Kimmy, don’t take your shoes off!’"
Andrea Barber: Now
After Full House went off the air, Andrea Barber (pictured with Candace Cameron Bure in a Twitpic she posted last autumn) quit acting, leading to the rumour that she'd died. Actually, the actress, who's now 36, went to college, got her M.A. in international education and is now a stay-at-home wife (to Jeremy Rytky) and mom (to kids Tate and Felicity). "I would never go back to acting -- that was more of a childhood hobby for me; it was like my after-school sport," she said in an interview. "It was fun, and I had a great experience with it, but it’s not something I’d like to sample again as an adult. However, she did make an appearance with her Full House co-star in this Funny or Die video, "It's F*ckin' Late with Dave Coulier."
Scott Baio from 'Charles in Charge': Then
After gaining fame as The Fonz's cousin Chachi on Happy Days, Scott Baio (pictured in 1984) played Charles, the relentlessly likable college student/live-in manny to three lovably feisty kids. Since then, Baio has popped up in many TV shows and films, but his most notable recent character was Bob Loblaw, the Bluth family lawyer in Arrested Development. (You pronounce it Bob Blah Blah.) He also had a reality show, Scott Baio is 45…and Single, and its successor, Scott Baio is 46…and Pregnant. Despite these shows, Baio's still "Chachi" in the national consciousness. "If somebody's gonna call me Chachi to break my balls, then I got a problem," he told Entertainment Weekly. "Otherwise I don't care. Most people are just generous and sweet."
Scott Baio: Now
Next up for the 52-year-old actor (pictured in 2010) is the second season of his Nick at Nite sitcom, See Dad Run, in which he plays a TV actor-turned-stay-at-home dad. And yes, for those of you who think he'd be perfect for Dancing with the Stars, he has been asked. "I was offered Dancing with the Stars in the first season," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I'm a really good athlete, but I don't have a stitch of rhythm. I said, 'You know what, I can't make a complete ass of myself on television.'''
Mr. T from 'The A-Team': Then
Mr. T played the A-Team's most famous member, B.A. ("Bad Attitude") Baracus, a catchphrase-spouting commando who feared nothing (except flying). Those without a TV knew him as boxer Clubber Lang in 1982's Rocky III. (And even little kids knew him from Mr. T, the animated series, which aired from 1983 to 1985.) When The A-Team ended, Mr. T jumped right into another series, the Canadian show T. and T., which lasted three seasons. Since then, his colourful personality has manifested itself in numerous TV guest spots; a stint as a professional wrestler; a couple of rap albums for kids; a TV Land reality show, I Pity the Fool; and a mid-life conversion to Christianity, with frequent appearances on TBN, the Christian TV network. Even a bout with cancer couldn't keep this tough guy down.
Mr. T: Now
At 60, Mr. T (pictured in 2010) hosts the British video show, World's Craziest Fools and was the face behind the FlavorWave Oven Turbo (pictured) in 2010 -- check out his amazing infomercial here! He's also been immortalized in a recent comic book series through England's Eco Comics. "This is great," he wrote in the foreward. "And I am truly humbled."
Dave Coulier from 'Full House': Then
Dave Coulier's Full House character, Joey Gladstone (a stand-up comedian and longtime friend of Bob Saget's character, Danny) had a signature gag -- he was forever trying and failing to make the Full House kids laugh. Nothing worked, not even his stellar celebrity impressions. "I was the prankster on set," he told The Huffington Post. "I was always doing really silly things to get everybody to laugh. There was one [time] where I couldn't look at Saget. We never got it."
Dave Coulier: Now
Full House is long over, but this 52-year-old comedian (pictured in 2010) continues to tour nightclubs and colleges across the US with his stand-up act. While Bob Saget became known for his off colour routine, Coulier has always kept it clean. "I always tell people that Bob is my filthy Jewish sister," he told The Huffington Post. Coulier did a stint on The Surreal Life, and he's hosted TV shows like ABC's America's Funniest People, Animal Planet's Animal Kidding and NBC's America's Most Talented Kid. In the five-episode web series he created last year, Can't Get Arrested, he played himself trying to reinvigorate his career with some of his Full House costars.
Candace Cameron Bure from 'Full House': Then
As the long-suffering D.J., Candace Cameron Bure (pictured in 1987) played a good kid on Full House with the tough job of being big sister to the sarcastic Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and the shenanigan-prone Michelle (the Olsen twins). Off screen, she was Kirk Cameron's real-life kid sister. Years later, looking back on her big hair and high bangs, Bure told Seventeen: "While we were doing Full House, we were like, 'You know, in 10 years, we're going to look back on this and think this is horrible.' But everyone looked like that!"
Candace Cameron Bure: Now
Like her brother, Candace Cameron Bure, now 36, is a strong Christian who gravitates toward faith-related projects. She played the Christian character Summer in ABC Family's Make It or Break It, whose three-year run ended last May. Bure (pictured in 2012) wrote a best seller, Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness, edits an online magazine, Roo, and is raising three kids with her husband, former Russian hockey player Val Bure. Her most recent project was a TV movie, Puppy Love, on The Hallmark Channel and a Christian film, entitled To the Wall, which will land in theaters this August. "I will only do family-friendly films or television," Bure told beliefnet.com. "They don't have to necessarily be Christian films, but I want to be in things that I'm comfortable having my children and husband watch. They come first in my life, not the film industry."
Kellie Shanygne Williams from 'Family Matters': Then
Kellie Shanygne Williams was a bit of a know-it-all as the Winslow family's younger kid, Laura Lee, on Family Matters. But in that role she also got to be the dream girl of the Winslow's irritating neighbour, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). In a 1991 interview with TV Guide, she grumbled good-naturedly about playing second fiddle to White. "People always ask me, 'Is that boy really a nerd?' Even my friends do that. I ask them, 'Don't you want to know about me?' I just got off the plane from California!'" she said. "But, if I was them, I would want to know about him, too."
Kellie Shanygne Williams: Now
After graduating from UCLA, Williams (pictured in 2007) went on to find theatre work and had a part in Joan Cusack's 2001 sitcom, What About Joan?, which lasted two years. Now living in D.C., the 36-year-old has set up a program for kids in the arts. As for acting, she occasionally dips her toe back in; in 2009, she played a small role in Steppin: The Movie.
Nicole Eggert from 'Charles in Charge': Then
On Charles in Charge, the Powell family's attractive and sometimes self-involved daughter Jamie was the oldest kid in Charles' care. From being this teen princess, Nicole Eggert (pictured in 1998) went on to be a Baywatch babe, playing Summer Quinn on that show from 1992 to 1994, and starred in several Lifetime movies. Then she did the unthinkable in Hollywood: she put on weight. In 2010, she shed some of it while participating in VH-1's Celebrity Fit Club. After the death of her former boyfriend, 80's teen heart throb Corey Haim, she paid him tribute on Larry King Live.
Nicole Eggert: Now
Eggert (pictured in 2010) appeared with her former costar on Scott Baio Is 45...and Single. "I like myself," she told Baio in this clip. "Even when I do things I think are stupid or bad or something, I'm human, and I make mistakes, and I'd be boring if I didn't." Her latest project was the 2010 disaster flick, Turbulent Skies. At 40, she lives in Beverly Hills and is concentrating on parenting her toddler daughter, Keegan.
Willie Aames from 'Charles in Charge': Then
After playing Eight is Enough's Tommy Bradford from 1977 to 1981, Willie Aames went on to portray Charles' (Scott Baio) girl-crazy best friend Buddy Lembeck on this light-hearted family sitcom. And that Buddy, he was always making trouble with his silly schemes! Then the show ended. Time passed. And in a 2009 episode of VH1's Broke and Famous, viewers learned about Aames' subsequent descent into abject poverty.
Willie Aames: Now
At 52, Willie Aames (pictured in 2009) has since become a cruise ship director. And based on this recent photo of him on TMZ, the job appears to suit him. "You don't have to remain a victim of your past," he told beliefnet.com. "You don't have to let that define you. You don't have to let even the bad decisions that you've made in your life define who you are today."
Elizabeth Berkley from 'Saved by the Bell': Then
Elizabeth Berkley played Zack Morris' (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) next door neighbor, Jessie Spano, a sassy feminist who was class president and the on-again-off-again girlfriend of A.C. Slater (Mario Lopez). Post-Bell, Berkley has been best known for her high-profile role in 1995's NC-17-rated, box office bomb-turned-cult-film, Showgirls. Afterwards, she went on to carve out a respectable career in independent films and guest star spots on TV shows like CSI: Miami, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Showtime's The L Word.
Elizabeth Berkley: Now
Since 2006, the 40-year-old (pictured in 2011) has thrown herself into helping teen girls tackle self esteem issues. "When Saved By The Bell went into syndication, a whole new generation of teen girls started to approach me for pictures and autographs," she told Radar Online. "My husband noticed a natural interaction and encouraged me to first start with a column called Ask Elizabeth. That lead to the creation of the workshops, which led to the website Ask-Elizabeth and an Ask Elizabeth book." Her latest acting project was 2011's Lucky Christmas on The Hallmark Channel, but her latest role is one of a lifetime -- she became a mom on Sept. 8, to son Sky (father is husband Greg Lauren).
Lark Voorhies from 'Saved by the Bell': Then
As Bayside High's sassy gossip queen Lisa Turtle, Lark Voorhies (pictured in 1991) was the most fashionable kid on Saved by the Bell -- and the object of nerdy Screech's (Dustin Diamond) affections. "We [all the castmembers] had a great chemistry, and it registered very powerfully," she said during an interview on Yahoo's The Yo Show. Voorhies went on to soap opera success on Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful, then took time out to concentrate on motherhood.
Lark Voorhies: Now
When the 38-year-old actress (pictured in 2009) resurfaced in an online interview with Yahoo! last year (to plug her independent film), some fans found her unrecognizable. While some blamed drugs or bad cosmetic surgery, others say the culprit was simply…aging. (Among her latest acting work is a small role in an independent Christian film, Jessica's Journey.) Several months ago, she raised some eyebrows for becoming slightly incoherent during a People magazine interview. Her mother Tricia disclosed that Lark had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, though Lark herself denied it. "I have a strong spiritual sense," she explained. "You caught me in moments of pray [sic]."
Dustin Diamond from 'Saved by the Bell': Then
On Saved by the Bell, Dustin Diamond played Zack Morris' ultra-dweeby friend Screech Powers, a nerd with academic prowess but zero common sense (and even less fashion sense). Diamond kept Screech alive by returning to Bayside High as Mr. Belding's assistant in Saved By the Bell: The New Class, which aired from 1994 to 2000. Then came a self-released sex tape/porn film, a mean-spirited stint on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and a salacious, sex and drugs-packed tell-all book, 2009's Behind the Bell, about life behind the scenes of Bell.
Dustin Diamond: Now
To put it mildly, Dustin Diamond's book caused a stir, and put him on the defensive. "I didn't write this book as a stab at everyone," he told Popeater.com. "We were packaged and produced as a Saturday morning family friendly show that was squeaky clean. E! True Hollywood Story came out, and I was like, 'This is going to be great.'" He continued: "I know all of this stuff went down, and nothing was aired. So I was like, 'Enough of this. It's the 20th anniversary. We aired in 1989. It's 2009. I'm going to write this and put it out there.'" His former castmates took a different view of the sensationalized book. They reportedly didn't want Diamond (pictured in 2012) included in that year's People magazine spread commemorating the 20th anniversary of the show. The latest news on Diamond, now 35, is that he's gotten caught up in a Ponzi scheme with serious legal ramifications.
David Faustino from 'Married with Children': Then
As the Bundy family's wise-cracking, girl-crazy son Bud in Married with Children, David Faustino was also the smartest family member -- and thus a particularly annoying thorn in the side of ditzy big sis, Kelly (Christina Applegate). Bud also had an alter-ego, a rapper named Grandmaster B, who was both cool and ridiculous. (Mostly ridiculous.) "I used to have all these rappers on the set," he later told 215hiphop.com. "People on the set were like, who are these criminals this kid is hanging out with? I would have just loads of people pouring out of my dressing room at 16 years old. There would be rappers and DJs and girls. It was like a little mini-nightclub. I didn't know at the time, cause I was young and dumb, that it was pissing everyone off."
David Faustino: Now
In 2009, David Faustino (pictured in 2012) and his friend Coren Nemec created a satiric web series, Star-ving, about "teen stardom gone nowhere." "We created this thing, so we’ve given ourselves permission to throw jabs at ourselves," Faustino told Tubefilter.com. Since then, he's done work as a voice-over actor, most notably as Mako in Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra; and he's become a major player in the hip hop biz himself, managing talent. He also launched an independent record label, Old Scratch Records.
Amanda Bearse from 'Married with Children': Then
Amanda Bearse spent ten years as Marcy D'Arcy, the Bundy family's feminist next door neighbour whose sole purpose appeared to be irritating Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) on Married with Children. In its fifth season, she negotiated to be able to start directing some of the episodes. "I ended up directing in six different seasons during the run of the show," she told watermarkonline.com. "Every once in a while Marcy would get more to do, but most often it was just to come in and be humiliated by Al for a few minutes or humiliate him back. I wanted to stay with the show, but I was looking to experience something more expansive creatively and they allowed me to do that. " Bearse went on to become a sought-after sitcom director, helming shows like Veronica's Closet, Dharma and Greg, and Mad TV. The 54-year-old actress/director, who is openly gay, also directed Rosie O'Donnell's former sketch program, The Big Gay Sketch Show, on Logo from 2006 to 2010.
Amanda Bearse: Now
We haven't heard much from Bearse (pictured last year) since 2011, when she had a guest spot on Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva. The episode, which focused on a ripped-from-the-headlines issue about gay rights, also featured prominent gay guest stars Wanda Sykes, Clay Aiken and Lance Bass.
Emmanuel Lewis from 'Webster': Then
Starting at age 12, the diminutive Emmanuel Lewis played a lovable, seven-year-old, African-American kid who was adopted by a blue blooded white couple in Chicago on Webster. (He was ABC's answer to Gary Coleman, another short-statured kid who drove the success of NBC's Diff'rent Strokes.) Since finishing the show and going to college, Lewis has dabbled in reality TV, most notably in The WB's The Surreal Life in 2003 and The Surreal Life: Fame Games in 2007. He also started an entertainment company, including a record label, that's since been dissolved.
Emmanuel Lewis: Now
Sadly, it's been reported that Lewis (pictured in 2010) lost his home to foreclosure last year. He continues to use his fame to advocate for various charities, including the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation. Recently, when a Canadian talk show host asked Lewis if people still treat him like he's a little boy, Lewis replied: "It doesn't happen that often. As a professional in the industry, it's a decision that we have to make, to change that conversation."
Staci Keanan from 'My Two Dads': Then
As perky teen Nicole Bradford on My Two Dads, Staci Keanan both confounded and delighted the odd couple of guys -- played by Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan -- who were charged with raising her. "I just totally idolized Paul," Keanan said in this 2009 interview about her time on the show. "I just thought he was so funny. And I think I really wanted to sort of have an adopted dad, because I didn't really have a dad at that point." In 1991, Keanan hopped over to ABC's Step by Step to play one of the wise-cracking kids in Suzanne Somers' and Patrick Duffy's blended brood. After college at UCLA, she did some guest spots on TV shows, then dropped out of the limelight.
Staci Keanan: Now
The last time Keanan (pictured in 2007) was in the public eye was 2010, when she returned to the big screen in three strikingly different projects: In the film You Again, she made a fleeting appearance with some Step by Step costars, Duffy and Christine Lakin. She appeared alongside Fred Willard and John Schneider in the Christian comedy Holyman Undercover. And she had a role in the independent horror film Death and Cremation.
Philip Michael Thomas from 'Miami Vice': Then
As Detective Rico Tubbs on Miami Vice, Philip Michael Thomas was one half of the most famous, pastel-hued pair of vice cops on TV. The other half of that pair, of course, was Detective Sonny Crocket (Don Johnson). Thomas also recorded a couple of poorly selling pop music albums. "I’m a workaholic," Thomas told Playboy in a 1985 interivew. "I write and produce music all the time, even on the set between shots. I’ve spent more than $100,000 of my own money on my album...I took that chance because I believe in myself and because you can expect the unexpected from me." After Vice was cancelled, he appeared in a string of TV movies and eventually became a spokesperson for a telephone psychic service.
Philip Michael Thomas: Now
Forget the small screen -- Thomas (pictured in 2006) most recently jumped over to video games! His most recent project was voicing the character Lance Vance in the game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice Stories, in 2006. In this YouTube clip, Thomas is one of the voice-over actors being filmed at work on the game.
Victoria Principal from 'Dallas': Then
Victoria Principal played southern belle Pamela Barnes Ewing, Bobby Ewing's adoring wife who struggled for acceptance within the Ewing clan on Dallas. (That is, until she divorced him.) After leaving the show, Principal (pictured in 1984) launched her own production company, producing and starring in made-for-TV movies. In 1989 the busy entrepreneur launched a line of skincare products, Principal Secret, and added a line of jewellery in 2011. She's also written four books, mostly about beauty and skincare.
Victoria Principal: Now
These days, Principal (pictured in 2010) remains committed to her skincare and jewellery lines. Despite the pleading of producers, Principal has declined offers to join TNT's Dallas reboot. Asked recently what was the one lesson her Hollywood career had taught her, she replied, "Never be afraid to speak up. It is the things that you don’t say that will haunt you."
Ted Shackelford from 'Knots Landing': Then
Ted Shackelford's Knots Landing character originated on Dallas, where Shackelford played J.R. and Bobby Ewing's black sheep brother, Gary. A handsome, tortured soul, Gary was a central character on this soapie, California-based spin-off. He married, divorced, remarried, re-divorced, and eventually re-remarried his true love Valene (Joan Van Ark). Since the show ended, Shackelford (pictured in 1983) has done a string of TV guest spots and had roles on a couple of short-lived shows: 1994's British series, Space Precinct, and 1996's Aaron Spelling soap, Savannah. In 1997, he played Gary yet again in a two-part CBS miniseries, Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac.
Ted Shackelford: Now
"I've sort of accepted the inevitability of never getting away frorn Gary," said Shackelford during a 1999 interview. "Everywhere I go, it's 'Gary this' and 'Gary that.' The problem is, it's NOT MY NAME! These people haven't taken the time to read the credits!" He continued: "But really, Knots Landing's the greatest thing that ever happened to me professionally. Acting's a great job when it works out, and Knots Landing was acting working out big time, beyond anybody's wildest dreams." Since 2006, the 66-year-old actor (pictured in 2009) has had an on-again-off-again role on The Young and the Restless, playing Jeffrey Bardwell. (In true soap style, he also played Jeffrey's twin William). Producers of TNT's Dallas reboot are reportedly interested in bringing Shackelford back to reprise his role in season 2. Who would be opposed to that?
Joan Van Ark from 'Knots Landing': Then
As Gary Ewing's wife, the long-suffering Valene, Joan Van Ark was a central figure in Knots Landing for the majority of its run. She went on to a respectable stage career in both New York and L.A., did a brief stint on The Young and the Restless and has done dozens of TV guest spots throughout the years. She reunited with a few of her Knots Landing castmates on CBS's Early Show in 2009.
Joan Van Ark: Now
Joan Van Ark (pictured in 2012) left behind the overly dramatic fare, but has still kept busy in Hollywood. Last year, she appeared in an episode of Biography's Celebrity Ghost Stories. Next up, the 69-year-old actress will appear in the independent film, Watercolor Postcards. "I love [roles] for women who are past 40, and they're still hot," she said in a 2008 interview. "Now, we are redefining all of it. It doesn't mean you become Mrs. Sees on the box of candy, grandma on the porch knitting and going into the kitchen to bake cookies. You don't have to put on a warm up suit and take long walks in the woods."
Dirk Benedict from 'The A-Team': Then
Can you blame us for still swooning when we see pictures of Dirk Benedict from his heyday? The star's big break came when he played Starbuck on ABC's Battlestar Galactica. But he's best known for his role as Face -- the smooth-talking, Corvette-driving member of The A-Team whose con man cunning came in handy whenever the mercenaries needed to "borrow" supplies and equipment to carry out their services. Benedict went on to guest star in several TV shows, write a screenplay, act on stage, and write two memoirs. When the Sci-Fi Channel launched a remake of Battlestar Galactica in 2004, he took to his blog to condemn the project.
Dirk Benedict: Now
These days, 67-year-old Benedict (pictured in 2006) is the hero of a sci-fi comic book, Dirk Benedict in the 25th Century. "I'm happy to be recognized for both of those shows [The A-Team and Battlestar Galactica]," Benedict said in 2008, during a British talk show interview. "They were family shows. They were innocent. They were charming. They were fun. It was great."
Howard Hesseman from 'Head of the Class': Then
Howard Hesseman was already a TV star (for his stint as a disco-hating DJ on WKRP in Cincinnati) when he played Charlie Moore, the eye-rolling history teacher (and straight-shooting mentor) to a bunch of gifted high school kids on Head of the Class. Since leaving the show, Hesseman (pictured in 1987) has jumped from one guest spot to another on high profile TV shows, including That 70's Show, Boston Legal, House, ER, and CSI.
Howard Hesseman: Now
At 72, Hesseman is still getting plenty of TV work, which is pretty impressive! His latest guest spot was on an episode of CBS's Mike & Molly last year. In a 2007 interview with Hollywood.com, Hesseman (pictured in 2011) said he got into acting in part so he could change identities with each job. "Not that it was not knowing who I was," he said. "But that here was an opportunity to be someone different on a regular basis and perhaps explore aspects of myself to see if I could find just enough pieces or symbols to pass for sentient human being in today's world."
Pam Dawber from 'Mork & Mindy': Then
Pam Dawber played Mindy McConnell, the human sidekick to Robin Williams' sweetly eccentric alien, Mork from Ork. She later played the title character in CBS's My Sister Sam for two seasons (from 1986 to 1988). Her last acting project was the 2000 film I'll Remember April, which costarred her husband, NCIS actor Mark Harmon. Since then she's concentrated on raising her two sons.
Pam Dawber: Now
"I believe you can have it all, but you can't have it all at the same time," said Dawber during an interview for Lifetime's Intimate Portrait in 2002. "And I had a glorious career. I'm happy to have put my career way far on the left burner. The pilot light's still on, but I'm not pursuing it." Reports surfaced in 2006 that Dawber, now 60, and Williams, now 61, had discussed doing a Mork and Mindy movie, but nothing came of it. In 2012, year, she (pictured in 2010) and Harmon celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. So sweet!
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