Three Decades Later, Where Are The Stars of Growing Pains?
If you grew up in the late 1980s, you were probably a fan of ABC’s sitcom, ‘Growing Pains’. The show aired from 1985 to 1992 for 7 seasons and 166 episodes. If focused on the story of the Seaver family and all their ups and downs. Viewers were gripped for years on end. The characters were all so lovable, but what is the whole cast up to now? It’s been 28 years so a lot must have changed since!
Leonardo DiCaprio, Then
We know you’re all here for this actor, so let’s start with him, shall we? Here is the one and only Leonardo DiCaprio. He played Luke Brower on the show who was a friend of Mike’s from school.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Then
While he only began playing this role during the very last season of the show, Luke stood out as a fan-favorite from his very first appearance. It’s no surprise, really.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Now
Leo has come a very long way in the past 28 years! ‘Growing Pains’ was one of his first-ever TV appearances. He was only 17 or 18 at the time. Since then, he’s become one of Hollywood’s most popular actors of all time, winning his very first Academy Award in 2015 for his role in the drama, The Revenant.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Now
There’s no doubt that his oscar was a long time coming since he wowed viewers and critics with performances in 2013’s The Wolf of Wall Street, 2002’s Gangs of New York, and 1997’s Titanic, of course.
Alan Thicke, Then
Naturally, the father of the family is essential to the Seavers. Jason Seaver was played by none other than Alan Thicke. This actor played the psychiatrist who made the decision to bring his work home and set up an office in the family’s house.
Alan Thicke, Then
He became a stay-at-home dad, which suited him since he was a loving and supportive man who cared for his wife and children. Everyone wants a father like Jason, honestly. While we loved him, he most definitely gave us some embarrassing dad moments.
Alan Thicke, Now
Unfortunately, Alan Thicke passed away back in 2016 at age 69 while playing ice hockey with his son. It turned out to be caused by heart complications. Once Growing Pains ended and up until his untimely death, Thicke continued entertaining his fans with an array of TV appearances like the 2008 comedy, JPod and the 2012 drama, The L.A. Complex.
Alan Thicke, Now
Not to mention, Alan also starred in several hit films, including the 2004 comedy-drama, Raising Helen, and the 2006 crime-drama Alpha Dog. No matter how much time passes, we’ll always remember him.
Joanna Kerns, Then
Joanna Kerns starred alongside husband her on-screen husband as the mother of the house – Maggie Seaver. Like her husband, Jason, she was also going through a career change. She was working as a journalist and leaving the house more while Jason remained home.
Joanna Kerns, Then
Seeing as she was the bread-winner of the family, she was a great example of the girl power we see today. She was a strong and hard-working mom. Not to mention, she would do anything for her children.
Joanna Kerns, Now
Aside from her character being a hard worker, Joanna has definitely proved to be a hard worker in real life as well. Throughout the years, she’s starred in many different TV movies. Some of them include 1996’s Terror in the Family, 1995’s Whose Daughter is She, and 1998’s Emma’s Wish.
Joanna Kerns, Now
To top it off, she’s also had roles in successful Hollywood movies like 2007’s comedy, Knocked Up, and 1999’s drama, Girl Interrupted. More recently, Joanna has directed an episode of the new 2019 thriller, What/If.
Kirk Cameron, Then
Kirk Cameron played the oldest Seaver son, Mike. We always saw him as ultra-cool. However, that doesn’t mean that his heart wasn’t in the right place. While his focus was on chasing girls rather than good grades, Mike was always there for his family.
Kirk Cameron, Then
We’re just happy Mike got his much-deserved happy ending at the end of season 7 once he proposed to the love of his life, Kate MacDonald. Who doesn’t love a good happy ending?
Kirk Cameron, Now
Since Growing Pains ended, Kirk has continued acting. Once he was nominated for two Golden Globes for his role in Growing Pains, there was no wat he wasn’t going to become a major star. Since then, his most famous works are 2000’s Left Behind’ TV show and 2002’s drama Family Law.
Kirk Cameron, Now
He also went on to star in the popular 2014 comedy, Saving Christmas. He became a serious family man after he got married to his co-star, Chelsea Noble. As a matter of fact, we were just getting to her…
Chelsea Noble, Then
A lot of the time, you hear about on-screen romances becoming a real-life love affair. The romance between Chelsea Noble and Kirk Cameron proves that this definitely happens in reality. After she joined the cast in season 5 as Kate MacDonald, Mike’s love interest, she became a fan-favorite.
Chelsea Noble, Then
Three years into their roller-coaster romance, the two finally made things official and got engaged in the very last episode of season 7. It was a sweet and heartwarming moment, without a doubt.
Chelsea Noble, Now
After tying the knot back in 1991, Chelsea and Kirk are still happily married. The two have six kids together: Jack, Isabella, Anna, Luke, Olivia, and James. Like her on-screen mother-in-law, Maggie Seaver, Chelsea hasn’t been a stay-at-home mom.
Chelsea Noble, Now
She’s continued acting since the show came to an end, with an array of credits in hit TV shows like Kirk in 1996, and even Seinfeld in 1997. She played in movies like 2008’s Fireproof and 1998’s You Lucky Dog.
Tracey Gold, Then
All of us had somewhat of a soft spot for Carol Seaver. Mainly due to the fact that she was constantly wound up by her family members. She might be considered the ‘brains of the family’ since she always achieved good grades in school and showed up to her brothers.
Tracey Gold, Then
While in the first few seasons Carol felt somewhat lost among the high school cliques, as time went by, she came into her own as a bright and sweet young woman, becoming her true self.
Tracey Gold, Now
After pretty much growing up on TV, Tracey continued acting once the show wrapped. She now has a seemingly endless list of credits both on the big screen and on TV. Her most famous appearances on TV are 1998’s Touched by an Angel, 2003’s Stephen King Dead Zone and 2013’s Melissa and Joey.
Tracey Gold, Now
She also appeared in 2001’s She’s No Angel, 2007’s Final Approach, and 2016’s All Hallows’ Eve. She appeared most recently on ABC’s Battle of the Network Stars as one of the competitors in an episode.
Jeremy Miller, Then
The second-youngest Seaver kid was Ben. He always lit up the screen with his smile and infectious laugh. We watched as the character grew throughout the 7 seasons. By the end of the show, little Ben had become a young man.
Jeremy Miller, Then
While at first, he was tormented most often by his older siblings, he soon found his own place in life. He did this mainly by idolizing his older brother, Mike. There’s no doubt that everyone loved Ben.
Jeremy Miller, Now
After being nominated multiple times for Best Young Artist during his run on the show, Jeremey continued his career in the entertainment industry. Nowadays, he mainly works as a voice artist, with credits in movies and TV shows like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Scooby-Doo.
Jeremy Miller, Now
To top it all off, Jeremy is now married to his wife, Joanie Miller. He has three stepchildren with her, so clearly they’re doing really well! We can only hope we get to see or hear more of him in the future.
Andrew Koenig, Then
Andrew’s character, Boner, was another fan-favorite. Mainly for his dumb and goofy humor that the viewers adored from the very first episode. He was a friend of Mike’s at school and was on the show from season one to season four.
Andrew Koenig, Then
Throughout the time he was on the show, he was always considered to be Mike’s best friend, and they had their ups and downs. All the same, they were always best buds. He was played by actor Andrew Koenig.
Andrew Koenig, Now
Sadly, in 2010, Andrew Koenig passed away after he took his own life. All the same, his legacy lives on through the incredible characters he played, the movies he produced, and the inspirational human rights activism he advocated for.
Andrew Koenig, Now
Right up until his untimely passing, Andrew traveled the world while campaigning for a host of international human rights movements. This included combatting civil violence and the use of military weapons in China.
Sam Anderson, Then
Mr. Dewitt’s character was possibly the most recurring teacher in the entire series. He starred in the show from the very beginning to the very end. In the first season, he was Mike’s history teacher. However, by season 7, he became the principal of the school.
Sam Anderson, Then
Everyone absolutely loved Principal Dewitt in some way or another. The character was played by the legendary Sam Anderson, who had an incredible career both on the big screen and on TV shows.
Sam Anderson, Now
Once Growing Pains came to an end in 1992, Sam Anderson went on to have a very impressive career. He had small cameo roled in TV shows like Friends, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Everybody Loves Raymond and loads of other popular shows.
Sam Anderson, Now
Some of his most famous roles include the sitcom Perfect Strangers, in which he played Sam Gorpley. Another one was Angel, the fantasy spin-off to Buffy, in which he played the character, Holland Manners.
Betty McGuire, Then
Just about everyone loves their grandmother, right? Well, Maggie Seaver’s mom was no exception to that rule. Even though she was stern, she was also very loving and caring, making the fans want to see more of her as the show went on.
Betty McGuire, Then
She ended up appearing in all seven seasons as a recurring character, right up until the show ended back in 1992. Kare Malone was played by none other than Betty McGuire, who was a notable actress in the industry.
Betty McGuire, Now
Now retired, Betty McGuire has a huge TV and film credit repertoire, including roles that came along before Growing Pains. Some of these include 1977’s Charlie’s Angeles, and 1978’s Up in Smoke. Once Growing Pains wrapped, she starred in multiple TV shows, like CSI: Miami, Star Trek, ER, and Murder One.
Betty McGuire, Now
There’s no doubt that Betty made her mark in the entertainment industry throughout the years. She definitely showed everyone how it’s really meant to be done. To this day, we still hear a lot about her.
Ashley Johnson, Then
Only coming along in the later seasons, Chrissy Seaver stole the show as the youngest family member once she came along. She’s adorable, loveable, and so inquisitive, usually looking for advice from her older siblings who she idolized.
Ashley Johnson, Then
This adored character was played by child prodigy Ashley Johnson, who has since gone on to create an amazing career for herself both on TV and in movies. Where has she been since the show wrapped?
Ashley Johnson, Now
As soon as Growing Pains ended, Ashley continued acting at only nine years old. Ever since, she’s added a variety of TV shows and movie appearances to her name. Her most popular TV credits include Recess – she voiced Gretchen Grundler, 2007’s Heartland, and 2015’s Blindspot.
Ashley Johnson, Now
Not to mention, Ashley has also starred in many films, including 2011’s drama, The Help, 2012’s The Avengers, and 2016’s comedy-drama, Punching Henry. We can’t help but wonder what else she has in store!
Julie McCullough, Then
The loveable character, Julie Costello, was another fan-favorite throughout the show. She starred in season five and six. First introduced as Chrissy’s nanny, she soon found herself falling for Mike as well.
Julie McCullough, Then
By the time season six was ending, their romance proved it simply wasn’t meant to be once Mike realized how much he loved Kate. Still, her character continued onwards and upwards as she began a career in journalism.
Julie McCullough, Now
Over time, Julie became a chameleon of the entertainment industry. Working as a model, an actress, and a comedian as well, she appeared in many shows and movies over the years. She was in 1997’s thriller Top of the World as well as 2013’s Sharknado.
Julie McCullough, Now
Some of the notable appearances she made were in shows like 90210 Beverly Hills, the sitcom, Drexell’s Class, and the drama series, Robin Hoods. Nowadays, she’s a stand-up comedian who performs a lot at Hollywood’s best comedy clubs.