Fast Times at Ridgemont High cast: Where are they now?

Sean Penn (Jeff Spicoli)

After popping up in TV movies and one-off episodes, and making his big-screen debut in 1981's Taps, Sean Penn landed his second film role with Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

The actor, who played the weed-loving surfer Jeff Spicoli, became a huge star soon after, racking up Oscar nominations for his roles in Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and I Am Sam (2001), and taking home gold for his turns in Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008).

Penn has also stepped behind the camera as a director of such films as The Pledge (2001), Into the Wild (2007), and Flag Day (2021). He has also used his platform for political activism, founding the nonprofit organization Community Organized Relief Effort.

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stacy Hamilton)

With various TV appearances to her name, Jennifer Jason Leigh nabbed a role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Stacy Hamilton, a student who gets involved with an older man.

She spent the next decade adding film roles to her résumé, including Easy Money (1983), Flesh + Blood (1985), The Hitcher (1986), The Big Picture (1989), Miami Blues (1990), Backdraft (1991), Rush (1991), and Single White Female (1992).

She went on to appear in Short Cuts (1993), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), The Machinist (2004), Margot at the Wedding (2007), Greenberg (2010), and The Spectacular Now (2013), and earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for The Hateful Eight (2015).

On TV, Leigh has appeared on shows like Weeds, Revenge, Twin Peaks, The Affair, Atypical, and Hunters.

Judge Reinhold (Brad Hamilton)

Early in his career, Judge Reinhold joined Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Brad Hamilton, a popular all-American student at the school.

He followed up the gig with an appearance in 1984's Gremlins and a turn as Det. Billy Rosewood in Beverly Hills Cop—a role he reprised in 1987's Beverly Hills Cop II and 1994's Beverly Hills Cop III.

Reinhold expanded his résumé with big-screen roles in Ruthless People (1986), The Santa Clause (1994), Family Plan (1997), My Brother the Pig (1999), Mindstorm (2001), Whacked! (2002), and Swing Vote (2008) and made the transition to television, popping up in episodes of Seinfeld (for which he earned an Emmy nomination), Ellen, Monk, and Arrested Development. He will reprise his role as Det. Billy Rosewood in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley on Netflix.

Robert Romanus (Mike Damone)

Following 1980's Foxes, Robert Romanus' second-ever film role was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He played Mike Damone, a gambler and hopeful ladies' man.

Romanus then spent much of the '80s on the small screen, appearing in episodes of Days of Our Lives, MacGyver, Fame, The Facts of Life, and 21 Jump Street. In later years, Romanus returned to Mike Damone for a 2013 episode of Family Guy, and earned credits for Cougar Town, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Code Black.

Brian Backer (Mark "Rat" Ratner)

Brian Backer won a Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for The Floating Light Bulb the same year of his movie debut in 1981, appearing in The Burning. He followed up that role with a turn as Mark "Rat" Ratner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a student attempting to woo Stacy.

The actor went on to appear in Moving Violations (1985), The Money Pit (1986), Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), Loser (2000), and Vamps (2012), and popped up in episodes of Charles in Charge, Growing Pains, and Santa Barbara.

Phoebe Cates (Linda Barrett)

Phoebe Cates first hit the big screen in 1982, playing Sarah in Paradise and the daring popular student Linda Barrett in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

She filled her résumé over the next decade with projects like Private School (1983), Gremlins (1984), Date With an Angel (1987), Bright Lights, Big City (1988), Shag (1989), and Drop Dead Fred (1991). She largely retired from acting after 1994's Princess Caraboo, returning just once for the 2001 movie The Anniversary Party, which was co-written and co-directed by her Fast Times costar Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Cates has been married to actor Kevin Kline since 1989.

Amanda Wyss (Lisa)

Amanda Wyss found her spot in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Lisa, Brad's high school girlfriend.

Wyss returned to the big screen two years later, starring in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. She went on to earn credits for Silverado (1985) and Better Off Dead (1985), as well as episodes of Cheers; Cagney & Lacey; Highlander; Murder, She Wrote; JAG; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Murder in the First, and All Rise.

Ray Walston (Mr. Hand)

Decades into his career, Ray Walston joined Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Mr. Hand, the school's history teacher who has little tolerance for the students' antics.

The My Favorite Martian alum returned to the role for the 1986 series Fast Times, and went on to appear in Of Mice and Men (1992) and House Arrest (1996), and on the series Picket Fences. He made his final on-screen appearances in the early-2000s in episodes of Touched by an Angel and 7th Heaven before his death in 2001 at the age of 86.

Forest Whitaker (Charles Jefferson)

Then a relatively unknown actor, Forest Whitaker nabbed his second movie gig with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The actor played Charles Jefferson, the school's football star.

Whitaker built up his résumé in the '80s, earning credits for Vision Quest (1985), Platoon (1986), The Color of Money (1986), Stakeout (1987), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bloodsport (1988), and Bird (1988), and episodes of Cagney & Lacey, Hill Street Blues, North and South.

Whitaker went on to win an Oscar for his role as real-life dictator Idi Amin in 2006's The Last King of Scotland, in addition to various nominations for Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013). He has also taken on supporting roles in several well-regarded films, including Arrival (2016), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Black Panther (2018), and Respect (2021). On TV, he took on a starring role on Godfather of Harlem in 2019.

Scott Thomson (Arnold)

Scott Thomson had a minor turn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Arnold, Brad's co-worker who takes one infamous bathroom break.

The actor's post-Arnold roles include turns in Johnny Dangerously (1984), The Couch Trip (1988), Mr. Jones (1993), Twister (1996), Blast From the Past (1999), Vamps (2012), and the Police Academy movies, in which he played Chad Copeland.

Vincent Schiavelli (Mr. Vargas)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest alum Vincent Schiavelli signed on to play biology teacher Mr. Vargas in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

He returned to the role a few years later for the TV show Fast Times, and earned additional credits for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), Valmont (1989), Ghost (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Two Much (1996), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Death to Smoochy (2002). Schiavelli died in 2005 at the age of 57.

Nicolas Cage (Brad's Bud)

Nicolas Cage landed his first big-screen role with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The future star played an unnamed friend of Brad's.

Cage went on to see box office success with Moonstruck (1987), The Rock (1996), Face/Off (1997), Con Air (1997), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Ghost Rider (2007), and the National Treasure film series. The actor also achieved critical acclaim, landing Golden Globe and Oscar wins for 1995's Leaving Las Vegas and nominations for 2002's Adaptation.

Cage has also thrived in the world of direct-to-video films, giving him a cult following. Following a well-received turn in 2021's Pig, he starred as a version of himself in 2022's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.