The Cast of 'Encino Man': Where Are They Now?

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As the movie celebrates its 31st anniversary — and its two recent Oscar winners! — catch up with the cast

Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection
Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection

Brendan Fraser

Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection, Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Then: Brendan Fraser only had a handful of roles under his belt when he broke out as caveman Link in the 1992 cult classic Encino Man.

Now: After a string of blockbusters in the 1990s and early 2000s — including The Mummy franchise, School Ties and George of the Jungle — Fraser took a break from the industry, returning in 2022's The Whale, for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. He has three grown sons with ex-wife Afton Smith and is currently dating Jeanne Moore. Next up, he'll feature in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon.

Ke Huy Quan

Buena Vista, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Buena Vista, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Then: Ke Huy Quan began his career as a child star, in '80s classics Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. His role as Kim in Encino Man was brief and also one of his last of this era; after 2002 he also took a break from acting.

Now: Quan also won big at the Oscars this year, taking home Best Supporting Actor for Everything Everywhere All at Once. He joined the cast of 2023's American Born Chinese, with more roles hopefully to come. He has been married to wife Echo for more than 20 years.

Sean Astin

Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection, Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage
Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection, Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage

Then: Another The Goonies alumnus, Sean Astin had starred in several films before taking on the role of Dave Morgan — the teen who finds Link in a block of ice in his backyard — in Encino Man.

Now: Astin has been a steady presence in Hollywood, with leads in everything from Rudy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Stranger Things. He and wife Christine Harrell have three daughters together.

Pauly Shore

Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection, Ron Palmer/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty
Buena Vista/courtesy Everett Collection, Ron Palmer/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty

Then: Pauly Shore was everywhere in the '80s and '90s, and stole scenes again as Dave's friend Stanley "Stoney" Brown, who helped look after Link while also navigating the ups and downs of high school.

Now: After a 10-year hiatus from acting to concentrate on his stand-up tours and podcasts, Shore returned to the big screen in September 2020 with the raunchy comedy Guest House, which became one of Netflix's most-watched films that year.

Megan Ward

everett; getty
everett; getty

Then: Like many of her colleagues, Megan Ward got her big break in Encino Man, as the object of Dave's affection, Robyn Sweeney.

Now: Ward's career has included everything from episodes of Friends and The West Wing to General Hospital, on which she starred from 2007 to 2020. She is married to Michael Shore, with whom she has two children.

Michael DeLuise

Buena Vista, David Livingston/Getty
Buena Vista, David Livingston/Getty

Then: Michael DeLuise had been acting for more than 10 years years on One Big Family and 21 Jump Street when he brought the drama (and laughs) as Robyn's jealous boyfriend Matt Wilson.

Now: Like many of his costars he's stayed busy, with roles in films and TV shows like SeaQuest 2032, NYPD Blue and Gilmore Girls. He is the son of actor/comedian Dom DeLuise.

Rose McGowan

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty, Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstock
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty, Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstock

Then: Encino Man marked one of Rose McGowan's first roles, though her part of Nora — a friend of Dave and Stoney's — was small. But it set her on a fast-moving career that sped through the '90s and '00s.

Now: McGowan went on to find continued success in movies like Jawbreaker (1999), Grindhouse (2007) and Machete (2010), and on TV series like Charmed. She became one of the first women to speak out against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, leading (though sometimes also critical of) what became known as the #MeToo movement. To focus on activism, she has since taken a step back from acting.

Robin Tunney

Moviestore/Shutterstock, Araya Doheny/FilmMagic
Moviestore/Shutterstock, Araya Doheny/FilmMagic

Then: Another darling of the '90s, Robin Tunney made her big-screen debut with a small part in Encino Man, as Ella.

Now: Tunney worked steadily through the rest of the decade — perhaps most notably in the teen hits The Craft and Empire Records —and more recently found a home on The Mentalist. She and longtime love Nicky Marmet have two children together.

Richard Masur

Steve Eichner/WireImage, Bobby Bank/Getty
Steve Eichner/WireImage, Bobby Bank/Getty

Then: Character actor Richard Masur — perhaps then best known for his stints on Rhoda and One Day at a Time — joined the cast as Dave's father.

Now: Masur hasn't stopped since, with more than 150 credits to his name including Picket Fences, My Girl and My Girl 2, Orange Is the New Black and Younger.

Mariette Hartley

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty, Donald Kravitz/Getty
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty, Donald Kravitz/Getty

Then: Mariette Hartley had seven Emmy nominations (and one win for The Incredible Hulk) to her name before she featured in Encino Man as Dave's mother.

Now: Her continued work in movies and television has included parts on One Life to Live, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and most recently, 9-1-1, in addition to theater.

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