The Outsiders are celebrating their 40th anniversary. The coming-of-age story directed by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) was released in March 1983. It featured an ensemble cast of up-and-coming talent who became Hollywood's biggest stars. Based on the book by S.E. Hinton, the film was a critical and financial success. It has earned a cult following thanks to its impressive ensemble, Coppola’s direction, and the film's source material was a fixture in many high school curriculums for years. Here’s a look at the cast of The Outsiders three decades after the film's debut.
C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy Curtis
C. Thomas Howell stars as Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest of the Curtis children who are raised by their eldest brother Darrel after their parents died. Born in the poor slums of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pony and his fellow “Greaser” friend Johnny are constantly harassed by the “Soc” rich kids. When Johnny kills a Soc in self-defense, he and Ponyboy go on the run.
Howell made his film debut in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, before making his breakthrough as the lead in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders. Howell would star in cult classics Red Dawn and The Hitcher. Alongside his film work, Howell was also a fixture on TV screens, with notable turns as unpredictable LAPD officer Bill “Dewey Dudek” in the TNT drama Southland and as serial killer The Boston Reaper in Criminal Minds. Howell will next be seen in cinemas in the upcoming biopic Reagan starring Dennis Quaid and on TV screens in the Netflix series Obliterated by the creators of Cobra Kai.
Matt Dillon as Dallas “Dally” Winston
Matt Dillon stars as Dallas “Dally Winston, a Greaser and criminal whose violent tendencies are matched by his intense loyalty to his friends. Dallas helps Ponyboy and Johnny on the run and always carries an unloaded gun in his pocket.
Dillon debuted in the coming-of-age crime thriller Over the Edge, with his acclaimed performance leading to roles in successful teen comedies Little Darlings and My Bodyguard. Dillon would go on to be cast by Francis Ford Coppola in The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, both adaptations of S.E. Hinton's novels. Dillon would win critical acclaim for his performance in Drugstore Cowboy. He also received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Crash. Dillon will next be seen in the Wes Anderson film Asteroid City and the Apple TV+ series High Desert.
Ralph Macchio as Johnny Cade
Ralph Macchio stars as Johnny Cade, Ponyboy’s best friend. Small in stature, Johnny is constantly tormented and picked on by the Socs, who scarred him before events in the film. As a result, the fearful and paranoid Johnny carries a switchblade wherever he goes, a weapon he will use to kill in self-defense when he and Ponyboy are set upon again by the Socs.
While The Outsiders was the breakthrough film for Ralph Macchio, it would be his next movie, The Karate Kid, that made him a star, resulting in a cultural phenomenon. Between waxing on and off, Macchio starred in the music drama Crossroads and the hit comedy My Cousin Vinny. Starring roles for Macchio were few and far between, however, as the star focused on family life and the theater. Macchio will next be seen in the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai, where he reprises the role that defined his career, Daniel LaRusso.
Patrick Swayze as Darrel Curtis
Patrick Swayze stars as Darrel “Darry” Curtis, the oldest brother of the Curtis family who has taken on the responsibility of breadwinner after their parents died. He is stern and protective of his brothers, especially Ponyboy, who he urges to take school seriously and go to college, an opportunity he and his middle brother SodaPop didn’t have.
The late Patrick Swayze appeared on stage and TV before landing his breakthrough role in The Outsiders. After receiving acclaim for the Civil War miniseries North and South, Swayze would star in Dirty Dancing, a box office success propelling Swayze to superstar status. He would continue to be a household name with performances in the action thriller Roadhouse and the supernatural love story Ghost. Swayze later returned to the action genre in the Kathryn Bigelow film Point Break, where he starred alongside Keanu Reeves. Swayze’s final role before his passing was in the crime series The Beast, where Swayze played a hard-edged FBI agent, which resulted in career-best notices for the actor.
Rob Lowe as Sodapop Curtis
Rob Lowe stars as Sodapop Curtis, the middle sibling of the Curtis family who is raised by his older brother Darrel. Sodapop dropped out of high school and worked at the local gas station with his best friend, Steve.
Lowe’s breakout role was Sodapop, and in that same year, he also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the TV movie Thursday’s Child. Lowe would next star in the Joel Schumacher movie St. Elmo’s Fire, from which the media named him a member of the young actor collective “The Brat Pack.” Lowe later reunited with his The Outsiders co-star Patrick Swayze in the ice-hockey drama Youngblood. As the ‘90s began, Lowe would prove his worth as a comedic actor in the Mike Myers films Wayne’s World and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. A productive and acclaimed career in TV would keep Lowe’s star burning bright, with his role as Sam Seaborn in the Aaron Sorkin series The West Wing earning Lowe's career-best acclaim and several nominations. Lowe would continue to be a prolific presence in film and TV, with notable performances in the drama Brothers & Sisters, the NBC comedy Parks & Recreation, and a nearly unrecognizable turn in Behind the Candelabra. Lowe currently stars in the Fox procedural drama 9-1-1: Lone Star and will next be seen in the Netflix comedy Unstable, where he stars alongside his son John Owen Lowe.
Emilio Estevez as Two-Bit Matthews
Emilio Estevez stars as Two-Bit Matthews, a lad back member of the Greasers who has a love for all things Mickey Mouse. The son of actor Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez made his film debut alongside his father in the crime drama In the Custody of Strangers. Estevez would follow with his memorable supporting role in The Outsiders, which quickly led to gigs in the cult sci-fi classic Repo Man, and the John Hughes teen classic The Breakfast Club. Estevez would continue cementing his status as a movie star with the film series Young Guns and The Mighty Ducks.
Estevez would become more prolific behind the camera as a writer and director, receiving solid notices for the ensemble drama Bobby and The Way, which starred Martin Sheen. Estevez is working on the next installment of the Young series titled Guns 3: Alias Billy the Kid, in which he will direct, write, and star.
Tom Cruise as Steve Randle
Tom Cruise stars as Steve Randle, a Greaser who, although cocky and rude at times, cares deeply for his friends, especially SodaPop, who he works with at the gas station.
Cruise is arguably the biggest movie star in the world. He first made his mark in the 1981 thriller Taps, where he played a crazed military academy student. His breakthrough star role followed this in Risky Business, a teen sex comedy in which he played a high-achieving high school who fell in love with a prostitute. Cruise would then be cast in Top Gun, portraying cocky Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a role that blasted the then 24-year-old Cruise into the stratosphere. Cruise would go on to become the box office king with movies such as Rain Man, Minority Report, and War of the Worlds, as well as scoring Oscar nominations for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia.
During this time, Cruise would headline and produce the Mission: Impossible film series, resulting in a billion-dollar franchise that grows strong with every new installment. Cruise’s return as Maverick in the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick resulted in the actor's biggest box office to date and multiple Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture. Cruise’s next film is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Diane Lane as Sherri “Cherry” Valance
Diane Lane stars as Sherri Valance, a Soc girl and cheerleader who is sensitive and kind to Ponyboy. It is Sherri’s boyfriend, Bob, who attacks Ponyboy and Johnny, resulting in Johnny killing him in self-defense.
Diane Lane first made her mark in 1983 with pivotal roles in The Outsiders and Rumble Fish, starring alongside Matt Dillon in both films. Lane would later receive an Emmy nomination for her role in the western miniseries Lonesome Dove which starred Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.
Lane’s career would continue to go from strength to strength, earning an Oscar nomination for Unfaithful, in which she portrayed an adulterous wife alongside Richard Gere. Throughout the 1990s, Lane would take on supporting roles in Chaplin and Judge Dredd while taking on lead roles in acclaimed indies My New Gun and A Walk on the Moon. Lane will next be seen in season two of Ryan Murphy’s Feud series titled Feud: Capote’s Women and the Netflix miniseries A Man in Full alongside Jeff Daniels.