The Cast of 'Free Willy': Where Are They Now?

Jason James Richter: Jesse Greenwood

At just 12 years old, Jason James Richter got the role of a lifetime playing the lead character, Jesse, a young runaway abandoned by his mother who befriends the endangered captive whale while cleaning a local adventure park as penance for having vandalized it. He would reprise the role in the subsequent films, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home which came out in 1995 and Free Willy 3: The Rescue, which was released in 1997.

Since then, the now 43-year-old has continued to act, appearing in the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch as well as other hit shows such as Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Bones.

You can catch him in the upcoming horror movie Natty Knocks which comes out on July 21 and costars Robert Englund.

Michael Bacall: Perry

Following his stint in Free Willy, Michael Bacall found success both in front of and behind the scenes.

Not only did he have small roles in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and Inglourious Basterds, but he was also a screenwriter on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 21 Jump Street and its sequel, 22 Jump Street as well as Project X.

Mykelti Williamson: Dwight Mercer

Mykelti Williamson was one of the most unmissable actors of the early '90s.

He came back for Free Willy 2, before starring in another megahit: Waiting to Exhale, in 1995.

And of course, 1994, Williamson gained legions of fans for his role as the sweet, doomed Bubba in Forrest Gump.

"I fell right in place with Forrest Gump because I knew [it] from my spirit," he told Bevy Smith on her podcast, Bevelations. "I had this interpretation for this character and stuffed my lip for the audition and ended up getting the job."

Michael Madsen: Glenn Greenwood

Michael Madsen may be known to many as a quintessential tough guy, but for a subset of Millennials, he'll always be in dad mode as Glenn Greenwood, the protagonist's adoptive father in the Free Willy franchise.

To date, Madsen has a career that spans four decades. Most will recognize him from classic Tarantino films such as Reservoir Dogs and both volumes of Kill Bill, but he also appeared in Thelma & Louise, Donnie Brasco and Die Another Day, among many others.

Jayne Atkinson: Annie Greenwood

Playing Jesse's adoptive mother was English actress Jayne Atkinson.

Since then, the 64-year-old actress has made a career out of playing stern characters in procedural dramas. She portrayed the notorious Erin Strauss on Criminal Minds from 2007 to 2020, starred in House of Cards as secretary of state Catherine Durant from 2013 to 2018 and as head of Homeland Security in 24 from 20006 to 2007.

Most recently, she starred in Baby Ruby opposite Kit Harington and Noémie Merlant.

Lori Petty: Rae

She's now recognizable as the quirky Lolly Whitehill from Orange is the New Black, but Lori Petty had quite an established career prior to being on the Netflix original.

Aside from being in Free Willy in 1993, Petty also appeared in Point Break, Poetic Justice and A League of Their Own. Most recently, the 59-year-old actress starred in Max's post-apocalyptic mini-series, Station Eleven.

August Schellenberg: Randolph Johnson

Schellenberg starred as whale trainer Randolph Johnson in all three movies about the captive whale.

Schellenberg continued to act in subsequent years; in 2007, he garnered an Emmy nomination for his role as Sitting Bull in HBO's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

He died of lung cancer on Aug. 15, 2013. He was 77.