Grease - 40 YEARS later: What happened to the movie’s cast? Then and now
AS GREASE returns to some cinemas for its 40th anniversary, what happened to its stars?
Trailer for the Musical classic hit Grease
The film technically turns 40 in June, but a 40th anniversary re-issue is happening at selected cinemas now.
So what’s become of the stars of one of the biggest teen movies of all time?
John Travolta as Danny Zuko
Of course Travolta has continued to be a Hollywood A-lister, and the now-64-year-old received his first Emmy Award in 2016 as a producer of American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson, for which he also received an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination.
He has two more films - Gotti and Trading Paint - in post-production now.
John Travolta as Danny
Olivia Newton-John as Sandy
Now 69, Newton-John has continued a successful career in the public eye, although her acting work has slowed in recent years while she battles ill-health. In May of last year, it was announced that her breast cancer had returned.
Her last movie was in A Few Best Men in 2011, and she had a guest role in Glee back in 2010. She’s also been a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, American Idol and Dancing With The Stars.
Olivia Newton-John as Sandy
Stockard Channing as Rizzo
Now 74, Channing was in her mid-30s when she played Rizzo - and her work has continued to resonate around the world.
Famously she played First Lady Abbey Bartlett on The West Wing from 1999 to 2006, and was also Alicia Florrick’s mother in The Good Wife from 2012 to 2016. She has multiple hugely acclaimed stage roles under her belt, and is a seven-time Tony Award nominee. She’s also been nominated for an Emmy 13 times.
Stockard Channing as Rizzo
Jeff Conaway as Kenickie
Conaway sadly died in 2011 at the age of 60 from pneumonia. His doctor said: "What happens is, like with most opiate addicts, eventually they take a little too much... and they aspirate, so what's in their mouth gets into their lungs... That's what happened with Jeff."
He had a very successful career after Grease, particularly with the TV series Taxi and Babylon 5; the former of which earned him two Golden Globe nominations in the late 1970s.
Jeff Conaway as Kenicki
Didi Conn as Frenchy
66-year-old Conn remains active in the showbusiness, and had a cameo as Vi in the Grease: Live TV special. She also reprised the role of Frenchy for 1982’s Grease 2.
On TV she has also had roles in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Transparent and Cybill.
Didi Conn as Frenchy
Barry Pearl as Doody
Now 68, Pearl has continued to act - even appearing in the 2016 event Grease: Live! as Mr Weaver.
His most successful efforts have been as a TV actor, and also in children’s theatre.
Barry Pearl as Doody
Michael Tucci as Sonny LaTierri
Gucci, now 71, appeared to slow his acting career at the turn of the century, though he did appear in The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in 2013 and in the pilot episode of The Comedians in 2015.
He is believed to now reside with his family in Los Angeles.
Michael Tucci plays Sonny
Kelly Ward as Putzie
Grease remains Ward’s most well-known work, with the now-61-year-old appearing to halt his acting career in the mid-1980s.
He is still a voice director for Disney, having directed many animations; and is also a musical theatre teacher.
Kelly Ward as Putzie
Jamie Donnelly as Jan
70-year-old Donnelly has credits taking her all the way up to 2015, including Ray Donovan, Cyrus, Family Affair and the Naked Brothers Band.
She’s also had a great stage career, including a role in a musical version of Tarzan.
Jamie Donnelly as Jan
Dinah Manoff as Marty
Manoff rarely appears on-screen in the public eye now, and she appeared to step back from acting in the mid-2000s.
Before doing so, she won a Tony Award for I Ought To Be In Pictures, and went on to star in the film version. She is now 62.
Dinah Manoff as Marty
Released in June 1978, Grease became one of the most iconic movies of all time - with a soundtrack to boot.
It grossed $395 million worldwide on a budget of just $6 million, with a sequel in 1982 casting Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer in the lead roles.