As Gremlins 3 is confirmed where are the original stars of the cult classic horror film? From quitting showbiz to run a shop to addiction battles and health woes, the lives of the cast have taken VERY different turns

When it comes to the weird and wonderful world of 80s classics, few films have endured as well as Gremlins. 

The 1984 film famously centres around an adorable creature named Gizmo, whose owner, Billy, inadvertently breaks important rules concerning his care – including, notoriously, making the mistake of feeding the creature after midnight.

What follows is utter chaos when Gizmo transforms from a cute and cuddly companion into a horrific, mischief-loving monster. 

Billy’s small town soon has more than one Mogwai, as the creatures are known, to contend with, as he also manages to get Gizmo wet, causing the creature to multiply. 

Gremlins was a huge hit at the time of its 1984 release, grossing over $164 million worldwide, and eventually sparking a 1990 sequel, Gremlins 2. 

Now, following the news that there is to be a Gremlins 3, over three decades on from the last instalment, this is what happened to the stars of the original film… 

1. Zach Galligan  

The film’s star – if we briefly disclude Gizmo – was Zach Galligan, who was just 19 when he stepped into the role of Billy Peltzer. 

Now 61, Gremlins and its sequel remain the biggest roles of his career, with Billy admitting that pressure from his parents prompted him to go to college, even after the success of the first film, in search of a ‘more stable career’.  

The actor, who has consistently still worked in smaller roles, said he believes that his brief absence from Hollywood ultimately killed his career. 

He said: ‘Three years is a lifetime in Hollywood. If your career starts slipping in LA you can really feel it.

‘All of a sudden the people that you were beating for a part start beating you.’ 

His other notable roles include the 1988 comedy horror film Waxwork and more recently the animated film, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, where he voiced a henchman. 

2. Phoebe Cates 

Unlike Zach, the actress behind his on-screen girlfriend, Kate Beringer, Phoebe Cates, decided to completely quit acting in 1994 after reprising her role for the Gremlins sequel. 

At the time of her initial role in the 1984 film, she was already a big star and known for other classics, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Blue Lagoon. 

Having opted to focus on her family in more recent decades, Phoebe, now 62, has two children and is married to the legendary actor Kevin Kline, 78. 

Since 2005, she has operated her own clothing boutique, Blue Tree, in New York’s Upper East Side. 

3. Corey Feldman 

But one Gremlins star who went on to have huge success was, of course, Corey Feldman, who subsequently appeared in a host of 80s classics including The Goonies (1985) and Stand By Me (1986). 

However, despite being one of the biggest child stars of the decade, Corey’s subsequent struggles with alcohol and drug addiction meant that he has never reached similar heights as an adult actor. 

He has since hit out at Hollywood over its treatment of child actors, claiming that young stars, including him, were abused by adults and given drugs.

Corey told The Guardian: ‘The biggest problem in Hollywood is paedophilia.’ 

But Corey, now 54, has reached a whole new audience on reality TV and has had recent stints on the likes of The Masked Singer in 2024 and Dancing With The Stars in 2025. 

His most recent acting project was in 2024 when he lent his voice to the TV series Beyond Belief: Fact Or Fiction. 

4. Hoyt Axton 

One member of the film’s cast who is sadly no longer alive is Hoyt Axton, who was already an established singer-songwriter when he took on the role of Billy’s dad and famously purchased Gizmo as a Christmas present.

Some of the big names he worked with throughout his career included the likes of Elvis Presley and Ringo Starr. 

Hoyt was known for his dramatic private life as well as his music and was married a whopping four times and fathered five children. 

This made its way into his music and he wrote about cocaine addiction before being arrested in 1997 for possessing marijuana alongside the woman who was to be his fourth and final wife, Deborah Hawkins. 

He passed away in 1999 from a heart attack at the age of 61. 

5. Howie Mandel 

Few people realise when they are watching America’s Got Talent that judge Howie Mandel was actually the voice of Gizmo. 

Mandel, now 70, said in the film’s audio commentary: ‘[Gizmo was] cute and naive, so, you know, I got in touch with that… I couldn’t envision going any other way or do something different with it.’

Prior to the 1984 role, he was already a big star in his own right thanks to his role in the medical drama St. Elsewhere. 

Howie has gone on to have further success as a presenter and after joining the cast of America’s Got Talent in 2010, he presented NBC’s Deal or No Deal until 2019. 

6. Judge Reinhold 

Another actor who had already established themselves prior to appearing in Gremlins was Judge Reinhold, who starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High with Phoebe. 

He plays Billy’s rival and boss, Gerald Hopkins, in the film. 

Despite going on to have further acting success in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise and the Santa Clause series, Judge’s time in the limelight wasn’t to last because of his self-confessed bad behaviour. 

He once said: ‘I was spoiled and I was arrogant…I was very demanding, had an overblown image of who I was and got a reputation for being difficult. And rightfully so.’ 

The actor’s behaviour got so bad that he was actually arrested in 2016 on a disorderly conduct charge at Texas Airport, which he apologised for. 

7. Frank Welker 

Aside from Gizmo, one of the most recognisable characters in Gremlins is Stripe, the white mohawked evil Mogwai who leads much of the film’s chaos.

He is voiced by Frank Welker, now 79, who has also lent his voice-acting talents to a number of other well-known characters including Fred in Scooby Doo, Doctor Claw in Inspector Gadget and Garfield. 

Frank’s incredible contribution to the world of cinema was recognised in 2016 when he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Emmys. 

One of his more recent roles was in 2024’s Despicable Me 4, where he voiced Lucky the Honey Badger and Lenny. 

8. Glynn Turman 

Another member of the Gremlins cast who has remained a big star over the decades is Glynn Turman, now 78.

He is arguably best known for playing Mayor Royce in The Wire, but Gremlins fans will recognise him as Billy’s science teacher Roy Hanson.

Some of his more recent acting credits include Mr Burner in the Disney series Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023-2025). 

The continuation of the franchise has been slated to hit theatres on November 19, 2027, making it almost four decades since the sequel debuted on the big screen.

According to reports, Steven Spielberg is returning to executive produce the movie while Harry Potter filmmaker Chris Columbus is set to direct and produce.

David Zaslav, the CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, confirmed that Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein will co-write the screenplay.

Further details, including a plot description and cast, have yet to be revealed.

However Chris stressed that despite massive leaps in technology since the release of Gremlins 2, a third instalment will be made in a similar way to the originals. 

When asked whether the famously puppet-based creatures would be updated with more modern computer-generated technology, Columbus told Collider: ‘I would still do it the same way – I would do it as tangible puppets, not CGI.’