The Outsiders cast: Then and now

It's been four decades since we were transported to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where seven boys (aka the Greasers) from the wrong side of the tracks captured our hearts in the film The Outsiders.

The 1983 coming-of-age movie is considered one of the best novel adaptations ever.

It was written by author S.E. Hinton, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starred newcomers C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise.

Now, a new chapter of The Ousiders has begun, with the story hitting the stage on Broadway.

Read on to take a look back at the relative unknowns who went on to become some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

Ralph Macchio played Johnny Cade, Ponyboy's vulnerable best friend who comes from an abusive home.

Director Francis Ford Coppola reportedly had Macchio living on $5 a day so he could further understand the plight of his character.

In a 2018 interview with Variety, Macchio said Coppola also had him sleeping in parks and using newspapers as blankets.

"It wasn't comfortable," Macchio said. "But for a guy growing up in pretty-well-adjusted Long Island suburban lifestyle, it was a terrific acting exercise."

One year after The Outsiders was released, Macchio starred in The Karate Kid. The film became a global success and two sequels other sequels were born – The Karate Kid Part II in 1986 and The Karate Kid Part III in 1989.

Macchio has also starred in films such as Crossroads, Distant Thunder and My Cousin Vinny. But his role as Danny LaRusso in The Karate Kid remains his best-known.

He reprised the beloved character in the Netflix reboot Cobra Kai, playing the adult version of Daniel.

Macchio, 61, has been married to nurse Phyllis Fierro since 1987 and they share two kids.

C. Thomas Howell played Ponyboy Michael Curtis, the narrator and protagonist in the film who feels like an outsider as he struggles with right and wrong.

Howell was just 16 years old while filming The Outsiders in 1983. It was his second role ever – the actor had a brief part in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial the year prior.

Howell became one of Hollywood's rising stars after The Outsiders. He went on to star in Tank, Red Dawn, The Return of the Musketeers and both The Hitcher films and had a minor role in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012.

The actor, 56, has also made guest appearances on TV shows such as 24, Criminal Minds, Castle, Sons of Anarchy and The Punisher.

Howell was married to his Soul Man co-star Rae Dawn Chong from 1989 to 1990, before marrying Sylvie Anderson in 1992. They welcomed three kids together before she filed for divorce in 2016.

In March 2023, during an interview with Today Extra's David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys, he proved he was an Aussie at heart by doing an impromptu shoey at the end of their interview.

Matt Dillon played the unstable Dallas "Dally" Winston, an older character in the film who meets a tragic end.

Dillon went on to establish himself as a bona fide Hollywood star with roles in There's Something About Mary and Wild Things.

He has a wide acting range, appearing on films such as Herbie: Fully Loaded, You, Me and Dupree, Old Dogs, Loverboy and Capone.

In 2006, Dillon was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the drama Crash.

Dillon, now 59, has never married but has had high-profile girlfriends including Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham and Brooke Shields.

Rob Lowe was Sodapop Curtis on The Outsiders – the handsome and popular older brother of Ponyboy who had zero interest in school.

The Outsiders was Lowe's debut film. He was just 19 at the time but the movie made him one of the biggest stars of the '80s.

Lowe became a founding member of the Brat Pack, a group of '80s movie stars that frequently appeared in films together, such as Class, St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night.

The actor also has a strong presence on the small screen, starring in hit shows The West Wing, Parks and Recreation and Brothers & Sisters.

Lowe, now 59, has been married to makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff since 1991 and they have two sons together.

Emilio Estevez played Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews, the jokester of the gang who is one of Ponyboy's best mates.

Like Lowe, Estevez hung out with the cool Hollywood kids and was part of the Brat Pack, who all starred in films such as The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire and Young Guns.

Estevez's biggest role was arguably Coach Gordon Bombay in the '90s hit The Mighty Ducks, which led to two more sequels: D2: The Mighty Ducks in 1994 and D3: The Mighty Ducks in 1996.

He reprised his role as Gordon Bombay in the Disney reboot The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers in 2021.

The actor, 60, had two kids with former model Carey Salley before becoming engaged to actress and St. Elmo's Fire co-star Demi Moore in 1985, after six months of dating.

They ended their engagement the following year and Estevez married singer Paula Abdul in 1992 but they divorced in 1994.

Tom Cruise was an unknown actor when, aged 21, he played Steve Randle – Soda's best friend – in the film.

Five months after The Outsiders premiered, Cruise was cast in a film called Risky Business – and as they say, the rest is history.

The actor went on to become one of the world's biggest stars, appearing in acclaimed films, including Cocktail, Rain Man, Days of Thunder and A Few Good Men.

His hit franchise Mission: Impossible became a blockbuster success over the years and a seventh movie is on the way: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One.

Cruise has more recently released his highly anticipated sequel to Top Gun, titled Top Gun: Maverick, which raked in $US151 million (approx. $226 million) in the US alone in its opening weekend in May 2022.

The actor, 60, has also been nominated for three Oscars for his roles in Magnolia, Jerry Maguire and Born on the Fourth of July.

He was married to actress Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990 then to Aussie star Nicole Kidman in 1990. They split in 2001 after 11 years of marriage and two adopted children.

Cruise went on to marry Katie Holmes in 2006 but they also divorced in 2012. The exes share one child: daughter Suri, now 16.

Patrick Swayze played Ponyboy and Sodapop's older brother Darrel "Darry" Curtis Jr, who did his best to take care of them after their parents died.

Swayze's career really took off in 1987 when Dirty Dancing was released.

He then went on to star in iconic films Ghost, Point Break and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newman, where he played a New York City drag queen.

The actor was nominated for three Golden Globes for his work in Dirty Dancing, Ghost and To Wong Foo.

Swayze was married to writer and dancer Lisa Niemi from 1975 right up until his death in 2009 – one year after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.