Entertainment Movies E.T. Cast: Where Are They Now? Years after the release of the 1982 supernatural smash hit, the cast is still hard at work. Check out what the gang has been up to since E.T. returned home By Kate Hogan, Kate Hogan Kate Hogan is Director of Digital Specials and Features at PEOPLE, as well as the editor of Stories to Make You Smile. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2008. People Editorial Guidelines Scott Huver, Scott Huver Scott Huver is a freelance writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been writing about entertainment, celebrity, pop culture, crime, fashion and the Los Angeles area for over 20 years. People Editorial Guidelines and Lanae Brody Lanae Brody Lanae Brody is a former senior reporter of emerging content at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2023. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 5, 2023 07:00PM EST Close From left: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and Robert MacNaughton in 'E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial'. Photo: Universal/Courtesy Everett/Everett Collection With a sweeping score from John Williams and bikes that could fly — thanks to a pumpkin-headed alien who just wanted to "phone home" — Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was an instant box office success upon its 1982 release, surpassing Star Wars to hold the top spot as the highest grossing movie for over a decade. The film centers around a lost alien and a 10-year-old boy, Elliott (Henry Thomas), who takes him in. As authorities try to track and capture the extra-terrestrial interloper, the newfound friends form a symbiotic connection, with their well-being hinged on each other. Love and friendship ultimately save the day while audiences around the world were left in tears. Elliott is a middle sibling, and his older brother has a friend group, which meant the cast was comprised of young actors such as Drew Barrymore, who have since stayed in the public eye or purposefully walked away from it (K.C. Martel), as well as adults with extensive careers still ahead of them (Peter Coyote). See what the cast of E.T. has been up to since the supernatural movie premiered. 01 of 07 Drew Barrymore as Gertie Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection, Gregory Pace/Shutterstock Only 7 years old at the time of filming, E.T. catapulted a young Barrymore — a.k.a. Gertie — to superstardom. Following the release, Barrymore began a fruitful career in Hollywood, starting with 1984's Firestarter. Barrymore also starred in Poison Ivy (1992), The Wedding Singer (1998), Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998), Never Been Kissed (1999), Charlie's Angels (2000), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), 50 First Dates (2004) and Music and Lyrics (2007). Her performance in the 2009 HBO biographical film Grey Gardens earned her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win for best actress. That same year Barrymore made her directorial debut in the sports dramedy Whip It. Barrymore launched her own daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, in September 2020 on CBS. In January 2023, the network announced its renewal through 2024, as reported by Variety. Although the star took a hiatus from acting in 2021, she remains hard at work in other professional endeavors. Later that year, Barrymore released her first cookbook Rebel Homemaker alongside chef Pilar Valdes and a new lifestyle magazine called Drew Magazine. She's continued to expand her lifestyle brand, launching Flower Beauty and Flower Home and furthering her partnership with Walmart for her Beautiful cookware line. Barrymore has two daughters, Olive and Frankie, whom she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelman. The pair finalized their divorce in August 2016 after four years of marriage. Though she hasn't publicly revealed any names, Barrymore told Whoopi Goldberg in December 2022 that she's dating again. 02 of 07 Henry Thomas as Elliott Courtesy Everett Collection, Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock Thomas was just 10 years old when he took on the lead role of Elliott, for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. E.T. was his third film. The movie's success sparked a lengthy career on the big screen, including Legends of the Fall (1994), Gangs of New York (2002), 11:14 (2003), Dear John (2010), To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021) and Crawlspace (2002). Thomas earned another Golden Globe nomination in 1996 for his role in the 1995 HBO film Indictment: The McMartin Trial. He has also appeared on series such as Betrayal, The Haunting of Hill House, Stargirl, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Thomas played in many unsigned bands and independently released several albums. Thomas was also arrested in Oregon in October 2019 on suspicion of DUI. He was booked for misdemeanor driving under the influence of intoxicants. Thomas was reportedly asleep at the wheel, forcing the Tualatin Police Department to wake him up, according to TMZ at the time. The actor has three children: daughter Hazel from his previous marriage to Marie Zielcke and two kids with his wife Annalee Fery, whom he wed in 2009. 03 of 07 C. Thomas Howell as Tyler Universal/Getty, Bobby Bank/Getty Like several of his costars, then 13-year-old C. Thomas Howell got his start in E.T. and went on to star in The Outsiders (1983) and Gettysburg (1993), as well as on shows like The Walking Dead and Criminal Minds. Howell has also appeared in a few superhero movies, including The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013). The actor has three children, Dashiell, Isabelle and Liam, with his ex-wife, Sylvie Anderson. 04 of 07 K.C. Martel as Greg Universal/Getty, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic K.C. Martel already had several television credits before joining E.T. in the role of Greg. After the film's release, the actor continued his work on the small screen, most notably on Growing Pains, his final Hollywood project. Martel has since retired from acting and now works in wealth management. The former actor is married with two children. 05 of 07 Robert MacNaughton as Michael Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty, Bobby Bank/Getty In E.T., Robert MacNaughton starred as Elliott and Gertie's big brother Michael. MacNaughton also formed a close bond with costar Thomas, revealing to Yahoo Movies in 2017 how he and Thomas would play Dungeons & Dragons on set. Spielberg, he recalled, asked to join them. Although MacNaughton seemingly retired from acting in the late 1980s, he appeared in 2015's Frankenstein vs. The Mummy and Laugh Killer Laugh, costarring wife Bianca Hunter. The couple has a son named Noah. 06 of 07 Peter Coyote as Keys Universal/courtesy Everett/Everett Collection, Miikka Skaffari/FilmMagic Peter Coyote found his first mainstream role as Keys in E.T. and has since become an award-winning household name. Some of Coyote's notable film credits include Jagged Edge (1985), Patch Adams (1998), Femme Fatale (2002) and A Walk to Remember (2002). He has been nominated two times for an Emmy, winning in 2015 for narrating an episode of the Ken Burns' documentary The Roosevelts: An Intimate History. The actor is known for his other voice work at the Academy Awards and Olympic Winter Games. Coyote is a lifelong political activist and has worked to promote countercultural ideals and anti-consumerism. He has two children from previous relationships. 07 of 07 Dee Wallace as Mary Universal/courtesy Everett/Everett Collection, Stefanie Keenan/Getty Dee Wallace already had a busy career on TV before joining the cast of E.T., where she played Gertie and Elliott's mother, Mary. After the film's release, she starred in the horror films Cujo (1983) and The Frighteners (1996). She also appeared on The New Lassie, Sons & Daughters, General Hospital and Just Add Magic, among dozens of other projects. Wallace has authored several self-help books and delivered a TED talk in 2019. She has one daughter, Gabriel, with her late husband, Christopher Stone.