Where Are They Now? The Cast of ‘Twister’

Zhanna Slor May 28, 5:59 pm

TWISTER, Helen Hunt, Jamie Gertz, Bill Paxton, 1996 — Courtesy of Everett

The action thriller following a TV weatherman and his tornado-chasing wife during a season of intense Oklahoma storms was a huge hit upon its release in 1996, causing a renewed interest in tornadoes for years. So much so that there is a sequel film, Twisters, planned for release this upcoming July, with an all-new cast and story. But what has the cast of the original film been up to in the last 28 years? Scroll down to find out!

Helen Hunt

Storm chaser Dr. Jo Harding was portrayed by Mad About You actress Helen Hunt, who had quite the resumé before taking on this role and has not slowed down since, recently returning to her iconic role in Mad About You nearly 20 years after its finale episode for a reboot eighth season, which followed married New York couple Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie after they dropped off their adult daughter at college. You can currently catch Hunt on the hilarious Max comedy, Hacks, as network exec Winnie Landell.

photo: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle / ©HBO Max / courtesy Everett Collection

Other notable roles include appearances on the Starz series Blindspotting (2021-2023), the historical PBS drama World on Fire (2019-2023), and the 2000 films What Women Want, Cast Away and Pay It Forward.

Bill Paxton

Paxton passed away in 2017, but before that, he made memorable appearances in other hit movies such as Apollo 13, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow and, most notably, played a Utah polygamist also named Bill in the HBO drama Big Love for five seasons.

photo: Ron Batzdorff / © HBO / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Cary Elwes

Still most well-known for his lead role as Westley in the 1987 classic fantasy The Princess Bride, Elwes became famous once more to a whole new generation of teens when joining the cast of the hit supernatural drama Stranger Things, as Mayor Larry Kline. (And we can’t forget the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights!) Most recently, he provided the voice for Sonic the Hedgehog’s sidekick Knuckles in the 2024 animated film Knuckles, and played Brigadier Gubbins ‘M’ in the war drama The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Jami Gertz

Known for her roles in The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero and Sixteen Candles prior to playing Dr. Melissa Reeves on Twister, Jami Gertz went on to star in the TV Series Sibs from 1991-1992, the ABC comedy series Still Standing from 2002-2006, and in the CBS comedy The Neighbors from 2012-2014, as well as a short stint on Entourage as Marlo Klein. Most recently, she was in the 2022 Prime Video romantic comedy I Want You Back.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Hoffman tragically died ten years ago now, but he had quite the A-list career between playing Dustin Davis in the 1996 tornado thriller and 2014. It would take all day to name all the great films he was in, but just to highlight a few: Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Almost Famous, Punch-Drunk Love, Capote (for which he won an Oscar), Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Charlie Wilson’s War, Synecdoche, New York and Moneyball were all popular, well-acclaimed films he had roles in. He also played Plutarch Heavensbee in the Hunger Games films, just before his death.

ph: Murray Close/©Lionsgate/courtesy Everett Collection

Besides his Oscar for playing infamous In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany’s author Truman Capote, he was nominated three other times, for Doubt, The Master, and Charlie Wilson’s War.

Courtesy of Everett

Lois Smith

After Twister, Lois Smith went on to make appearances in many hit TV shows, such as Showtime’s Ray Donovan and On Becoming a God in Central Florida, as well as playing Sookie Stackhouse’s beloved grandmother on the HBO supernatural drama True Blood from 2008-2014. Prior to her role on Twister, she was on 253 episodes of the 1970s TV series The Doctors. Most recently, she was on Law & Order: Organized Crime. She was also in the 2021 Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.

Alan Ruck

Alan Ruck was already famous for playing Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off before his role as ‘Rabbit’ Nurick in Twister. Along with guest roles on countless TV shows, including the hit comedy Spin City from 1992-2002, the short-lived Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy Bunheads and the 2010 mystery series Persons Unknown, he most recently played Connor Roy in the critically acclaimed 2018-2023 hit drama Succession.