The Cast of ET Then and Now

1. Then: Henry Thomas

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Henry Thomas became an overnight sensation when he was cast in the cult 80s classic. After nailing his audition as Elliot (he cried and everything!) the child star’s career went from strength to strength. Henry Thomas was just eleven years old at the time of filming, and described the public’s interactions with him after the film as “weird and fanatic”.

2. Now: Henry Thomas

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After his days as a child star, Henry almost decided to quit acting. But he eventually went on star in movies such as Gangs of New York and Dear John. After living away from home for so long, Henry returned to his hometown of Texas, where he lives with his current wife Annalee. The 51-year-old also has three kids called Hazel, Henry and Evelyn from his three marriages.

3. Then: Drew Barrymore

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Drew Barrymore was one of the most notable child stars in Hollywood history. She was just six years old when she was given the part of Gertie in ET, but had already starred in four major films including Suddenly, Love, Bogie and Altered States. Apparently, the starlet regularly boasted to Henry about how many films she’d done while they were on the set of ET!

4. Now: Drew Barrymore

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Nowadays, Drew is taking life a bit more slowly. While she’s still acting and hosts her own talk show, she’s spoken openly about her battle with drugs and alcohol over the years. She became an addict when she was just eleven years old as she struggled to cope with fame, and she’s fallen off the wagon numerous times since then. But she's through the other side, and she’s looking happier than ever.

5. Then: Robert MacNaughton

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Robert MacNaughton was a bit of a teen heartthrob back in the day – and his role in ET won him tons of adoring fans. He played Elliot’s older brother Michael, and was so impressive that he earnt himself the prestigious Young Acting Award in 1982 as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Not too shabby! Robert was just sixteen years old at the time.

6. Now: Robert MacNaughton

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Robert MacNaughton became a huge star after his time in ET, and went on to star in multiple theatre shows around the world. However, it seemed that he eventually grew tired of his fame and fortune, and decided to give up acting for good in 2002. He now lives a relatively quiet life as a mail carrier in Arizona with his wife Bianca Hunter and son Noah, along with his stepsons.

7. Then: Peter Coyote

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Peter Cayote played the mysterious scientist and government agent Keys in the 1982 classic. His character had been wanting to meet an alien since he was a little boy, which was a nice contrast to the character of Elliot. While Keys was much more keen for ET to stay on Earth, Elliott knew that the best thing for ET would be for him to go home to his family.

8. Now: Peter Coyote

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During his impressive career, Peter Coyote has gained a fair few accolades; he’s been an actor, screenwriter, director, author and narrator, and has lent his voice to television and audiobooks. He is now a Buddhist priest and specializes in American Zen Buddhism (he’s been practising for over 34 years) and gets involved in tons of political and social causes.

9. Then: Dee Wallace

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Dee Wallace played the role of single mom Mary perfectly – and it’s her best-known role even today. The actress was 33 years old at the time of filming, and she won herself an army of new fans in the process. Her strong, lovable character is one of the most memorable in the film, but despite this, Dee still thought the film ‘would tank’. How wrong she was!

10. Now: Dee Wallace

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Dee has enjoyed a great reputation over the years. She became a household name in the 70s and 80s thanks to her uncanny ability to choose cult movies, and is something of a legend in the horror genre. She starred in everything from The Howling in 1981, to Cujo in 1983, and went on to appear in Halloween in 2007. These days, she’s a self-help author and a motivational speaker.

11. Then: C. Thomas Howell

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Like a fair few of his cast mates, C. Thomas Howell’s role in ET: The Extra Terrestrial gave him his big break in Hollywood. Playing the role of Tyler, Elliot’s friend, C. Thomas Howell also became something of a teen heartthrob. Despite teasing ET and calling him a ‘goblin’ throughout the film, he eventually decides to help Elliot hide the alien from the government authorities, who are keen to take ET away.

12. Now: C. Thomas Howell

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Thomas Howell’s acting career went through the roof after ET. He went on to star in movies like The Outsiders and Gettysburg, as well as cult shows like Criminal Minds and the Walking Dead. He’s also made his way into the Marvel universe; he starred in The Amazing Spiderman and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. And when he’s not starring in Hollywood flicks, he’s hanging out with his three children Dashiell, Isabelle and Liam.

13. Then: K.C Martel

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K.C Martel played Greg, and was fairly well known before he joined the cast of ET. He had a few TV acting credits under his belt, including The Munster’s Revenge. He stuck with the horror genre and also picked up a role in The Amityville Horror, which was released three years before E.T. However, it was his family-friendly role in ET: The Extra Terrestrial that helped him become a household name.

14. Now: K.C Martel

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After ET smashed all box office records, K.C Martel decided to return to the small screen. He starred in 80s shows like Silver Spoons, Highway to Heaven and White Water Summer, but his most well-known show was actually his last. He appeared in Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992, and then retired from acting. He now works in wealth management and has a wife and two kids.

15. Then: Erika Eleniak

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Erika Eleniak’s character wasn’t even given a proper name in ET: The Extra Terrestrial. She was simply cast as the ‘Pretty Girl’ who gives Elliott a little smooch during the movie. While she’s not in the film all that much, her role in ET as a child star put her on the radar of tons of bigwig directors and producers, so it single-handedly launched her career.

16. Now: Erika Eleniak

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Erika Eleniak’s best-known role is Baywatch, where she played the gorgeous Shauni McClain. She also had a guest appearance in an episode of Full House. She’s also starred in films like The Opponent, The Librarians and Betrayal. These days, the actress tends to stay out of the spotlight, but will show off her full-sleeve tattoos on Instagram now and again.

17. Then: Matthew De Meritt

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Matthew De Meritt was one of the actors who actually spent time in the E.T costume that was used in the film. While an animatronic was used for a lot of the scenes, E.T occasionally needed to move around, and Matthew was on hand to make the beloved character as life-like as possible. The actor, who was born without any legs, was just eleven years old at the time.

18. Now: Matthew De Meritt

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While Matthew has generally spent his years out of the limelight, the now fifty-two-year-old made a rare appearance on the red carpet for the film’s 40th

anniversary in 2022. He got together with the rest of the cast at LA's The Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Festival, where he hung out with Steven Spielberg, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton and K.C Martel.

19. Then: Pat Welsh

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Pat Walsh was the voice of E.T, and took over from actress Debra Winger, who had provided some of the original voice work for the character in Steven Spielberg’s rough cut of the movie. While animal sound effects were occasionally used for E.T, it was Pat that brought the character to life. She was renowned for her love of cigarettes; she smoked two packets a day, so had a distinctive, raspy voice.

20. Until 1995: Pat Welsh

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Pat Walsh didn’t have tons of acting roles, but the ones she did pick up were some of the biggest blockbusters of the time. She starred in Waterloo Bridge, as well as The Return of the Jedi in 1983. Here, she lent her voice to the character of Boushh. As Pat turned 80 years old, tragedy struck when she got pneumonia, and she unfortunately passed away.

21. Then: Tamara de Treaux

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scenes which would involve the title character falling over, Tamara was pulled in to do extra scenes when Matthew started to struggle. He had never acted before, and Tamara was on hand to help. She had dwarfism, and was quite used to performing in unconventional roles.

22. Until 1990: Tamara de Treaux

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Tamara de Treaux, who was actually called Tamara Detro, had a hugely successful career during her lifetime. She starred in tons of movies including Rockula, Ghoulies, The Linguini Incident, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Ted & Venus. In 1990, she sadly passed away at the North Hollywood Medical Center due to multiple heart and respiratory problems.

23. Then: 'Little Pat' Bilon

 

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‘Little Pat’ Billon was the third and final actor who played ET. He shared duties with both Matthew and Tamara, and they made quite the dream team! He operated some of the mechanical parts of ET, as well as performing as the title character in costume. Pat was just 2ft 10 inches, and many considered him to be one of the smallest adult dwarves in America, however, he always insisted that he never really saw himself as disabled.

24. Until 1983: 'Little Pat' Bilon

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Pat enjoyed huge success in the hit movie Under the Rainbow in 1979, and E.T cemented his status. But surprisingly, he didn’t end up doing any movies after that. He dedicated more time to the Little People of America, and became a District 5 director in his final years. He also presented a Ukrainian radio show before his death in 1983 – just a year after E.T was released.

25. Then: E.T

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Let’s not forget about the movie’s main star – E.T. himself! The beloved character was created as a one-of-a-kind animatronic figure so the stars of the film could interact with him properly. This would make him feel more lifelike and give a realistic effect that just couldn’t be achieved with CGI. The E.T animatronic is considered as masterpiece in engineering circles.

26. Now: E.T

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While the remarkable animatronic structures of E.T are still intact, his latex skin is not. Recent pictures of the animatronic went viral after the latex skin perished, leaving fans heartbroken. His eye sockets are protruding from his skull, and the bits of remaining skin are turning into dust. It’s hard to see one of our all-time favorite characters in such a tragic state!

27. Then: Steven Spielberg

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Steven Spielberg was already a global sensation when he decided to direct ET. He gained huge critical acclaim and popularity in the 70s thanks to Sugarland Express, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, so there were high expectations when ET: The Extra Terrestrial went into production. The film was written by both Speilberg and Melissa Mathison, who was Harrison Ford’s then-girlfriend (and future wife).

28. Now: Steven Spielberg

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So how many smash hits has Steven Spielberg directed since E.T.? Almost too many to count! There are the classics like Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, The Goonies, Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan, as well as newer productions like The Color Purple and some of the Transformers movies. The 76-year-old is currently working on a documentary on his long-time pal and composer John Williams.

29. Then: Melissa Mathison

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Melissa Mathison was a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Before she co-wrote ET, she had writing credits including Black Stallion and The Escape Artist. Her work on ET went on to nab a best screenplay Oscar nomination in 1983, but she lost out to the movie Gandhi. This also happens to be the same year she married her long-term boyfriend Harrison Ford.

30. Up until 2015: Melissa Mathison

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Melissa had a hugely successful career in Hollywood. Some of her most notable movies other than E.T were The Indian in the Cupboard, Kundun and The BFG, which was released in 2016. However, she never got to see the movie. She sadly passed away in 2015 after a battle with neuroendocrine cancer. Steven Spielberg said:

“

Melissa had a heart that shined with generosity and love and burned as bright as the heart she gave E.T

”.