‘Revenge of the Nerds’: Where Are They Now & Which Nerd Is Married to Melissa Gilbert?

It has been 40 years since our bumbling and lovable nerds vowed to end “nerd persecution” and change things up at Adams College in Revenge of the Nerds. Fans ate up the classic group of outcasts against the popular jocks storyline and the film led to three sequels: Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation and Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love.

Have you ever wondered what your favorite nerds are doing now, and what they look like 40 years later? Let’s find out!

Robert Carradine (70)

Lewis Skolnick

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

My fellow Millennials will know Carradine as Lizzie McGuire’s dad from the early 2000s, but those older may remember Revenge of the Nerds being a breakout role for the star. He easily slipped into Hollywood because of his famous father John Carradine, brother Keith Carradine and half brother David Carradine. After the ‘80s, not only did he star in Lizzie McGuire (the show and the movie!) but also Tommyknockers, Monte Walsh, Escape From L.A., Django Unchained and, more recently, The Night They Came Home. In 2013, he reunited with his Revenge of the Nerds costar Curtis Armstrong to host a competition show called King of the Nerds. Carradine has three children with his ex-wife Edie Mani, including actress Ever Carradine.

Fun fact: His very first credited role was in an episode of Bonanza.

Anthony Edwards (61)

Gilbert Lowe

Everett Collection; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Besides Revenge of the Nerds, you might recognize Edwards as Dr. Mark Greene in ER or from his roles in Top Gun and Zodiac. Edwards has proved that he has many skills besides acting, as he has spent time flying airplanes and racing cars. In recent years, he made his Broadway musical debut in Girl From the North Country and is set to appear in the 2024 Broadway production of Prayer for the French Republic. He has been married to Mare Winningham since 2021, but shares four children with his ex-wife Jeanine Lobell. Not only that but he has also helped direct several episodes of ER and the film Charlie’s Ghost Story. He also cofounded the nonprofit organization Shoe4Africa, helping provide healthcare and education to African children.

Curtis Armstrong (70)

Dudley “Booger” Dawson

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Speaking of Armstrong, his breakout role was in Risky Business, but many remember him as Booger in Revenge of the Nerds. He went on to appear in Moonlighting, Supernatural, New Girl, Wizards of Waverly Place, Ray, Akeelah and the Bee and many more. He’s also a talented voice actor who is known for the show American Dad! Armstrong wrote about his experiences in his 2017 memoir titled Revenge of the Nerd: Or … The Singular Adventures of the Man Who Would Be Booger. One of his more recent roles was appearing in the show Doom Patrol and voicing Mr. Crummyham in Monsters at Work. Armstrong is married to Elaine Aronson and has one daughter named Lily.

Julia Montgomery (64)

Betty Childs

Everett Collection; Instagram

Montgomery played the sorority girl very well, even in a film that you might call a little misogynistic at times. After her role as Betty, she appeared in the sequels as well as television shows including Cheers, Full House, Columbo and Who’s the Boss? Her most recent role was in an episode of The Young and the Restless. She has been married to Jon Reede since 1996, and they have two children. In addition to acting, she has tried her hand at behind-the-scenes work as a producer.

Brian Tochi (65)

Takashi Tohiro

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Wikipedia

Tochi had already been working in Hollywood since he was a child, appearing in shows such as Star Trek and The Brady Bunch. He also starred in his own series, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, prior to Revenge of the Nerds. After portraying Takashi, he went on to appear in the Police Academy films, Space Academy, NYPD Blue and more. He found huge success as a voice actor, working on films and shows such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Lion King.

Larry B. Scott (63)

Lamar Latrelle

20th Century Fox Film Corp.; Bobby Bank/Getty Images

Scott played the openly gay Tri-Lamb Lamar and appeared in all three Revenge of the Nerds sequels. He also appeared in The Karate Kid, SpaceCamp, Iron Eagle, The Jeffersons, Seinfeld, St. Elsewhere, Martin and more. He now operates the acting studio W.I.T. (Whatever It Takes) Filmwerks.

Andrew Cassese (52)

Harold Wormser

20th Century Fox Film Corp.; Bobby Bank/Getty Images

We can’t forget about Lamar’s best friend Wormser. He was just 12 years old when he played a college kid and went on to star in several theater shows and got a degree from the NYU film school in 1995. He starred as Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen in the Philadelphia Theatre Company premiere of Nerds://A Musical Software Satire. While he stays out of the spotlight these days, he has occasionally been seen at some Comic Con events with his Revenge of the Nerds costars.

Timothy Busfield (67)

Arnold Poindexter

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection and Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Busfield stayed busy after Revenge of the Nerds and has appeared in films and television shows such as Field of Dreams, The West Wing and Sleepy Hollow. He also became a successful director, directing shows such as Without a Trace and The Night Shift. He also won an Emmy for his work on thirtysomething. These days, he is married to Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert and they live a quiet life on a farm in upstate New York. You may also remember him as a baseball player, as he was inducted into the Sacramento Baseball Hall of Fame as a pitcher this year.

Michelle Meyrink (61)

Judy

20th Century Fox Film Corp.

In the ’80s, Meyrink appeared in Valley Girl, Real Genius and The Outsiders, and her final role was in the 1988 film Permanent Record. She quit acting and briefly lived in the Dominican Republic. She later returned to Vancouver and in 2013 started her own acting school named Actorium. Meyrink and her family were the focus of a 2004 episode of Quiet Mind about their Zen Buddhism practices. She is married to John Dumbrille and they have three kids.

John Goodman (72)

Coach Harris

Everett Collection and Jake Giles Netter/Max/Everett Collection

We can’t forget that John Goodman, known for his roles in Roseanne and The Conners, was in Revenge of the Nerds as the football coach. In recent years, he has also starred as the voice of Sulley in Monsters at Work and in The Righteous Gemstones and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. He is set to appear in the 2025 Smurfs movie. Goodman has been married to Annabeth Hartzog since 1989 and they have one daughter.

Ted McGinley (66)

Stan Gable

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection and Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Lifetime

McGinley played the villain jock quarterback because the nerds needed someone to go against, of course. He also appeared in Married… With Children, Happy Days, Dynasty, The Love Boat and more. He currently stars in The Baxters. Over the years, he was noticed for being “the patron saint of shark-jumping,” as he often replaced a departing cast member in the later years of a show. He married Gigi Rice in 1991 and they have two sons.

Donald Gibb (70)

Fred “The Ogre” Palowakski

20th Century Fox Film Corp.; Instagram

Gibb started out playing professional football for the San Diego Chargers, but when his NFL career didn’t pan out, he turned to acting. After Revenge of the Nerds, he appeared in Hancock, The X-Files, Weird Science, Boy Meets World and more. Recently, he has worked as the co-owner and spokesman for the bar Trader Todd’s in Chicago and markets “Ogre beer,” paying homage to his character.

James Cromwell (84)

Mr. Skolnick

Screen Grab; Robin L Marshall/Getty Images

Many also know Cromwell from the ’90s movie Babe, but many may not know that he became vegan while playing the role of Farmer Hoggett. He is an animal activist and was named PETA’s Person of the Year in 2022. In 2023, he helped rehome a pig that was going to be slaughtered and named it Babe. In the acting world, he has been pretty successful. He earned several award nominations and won an Emmy for his role in American Horror Story: Asylum, and was nominated for Six Feet Under and Succession. He has also appeared in The Green Mile, I, Robot, Spider-Man 3 and Rebel Ridge. and doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. He has been married to Anna Stuart since 2014 and has three children with his first wife Ann Ulvestad.

Fun fact: At 6’7″, he is the tallest actor nominated for an Academy Award.

David Wohl (70)

Dean Ulich

Mario Casilli/TV Guide/Fox Network/Everett Collection and Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Wohl went on to appear in big films such as Saving Private Ryan and Rear Window. Wohl has also appeared on Broadway and smaller theater shows, proving that he is a well-rounded talent. He most recently appeared in the television show Bull.

Bernie Casey (d. 2017)

U.N. Jefferson

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection and Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Sadly, there is one cast member we have since lost. Casey died in September 2017 after suffering from a stroke at the age of 78. Before his death, he starred in many blaxploitation films as well as Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and his final film role was in 2007’s Vegas Vampires.

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