What happened to the cast of A Nightmare on Elm Street? Stunning then-and-now photos

LEAVE A COMMENT Back in 1984, Wes Craven made audiences everywhere afraid to fall asleep with A Nightmare on Elm Street, which introduced the world to Freddy Krueger, a murderer who targeted his victims in their sleep.

The film proved so popular that it launched a franchise and made its central villain one of horror's most legendary figures, who even clashed with other popular horror icons of the time, such as Jason Voorhees.

The movie also cemented Wes as one of horror's best storytellers, and he would go on to launch the Scream and The Hills Have Eyes franchises, while also directing horror flicks like The People Under the Stairs, Vampire in Brooklyn and Red Eye.

But 42 years after the film first hit screens (or screams!), what happened to its cast? Here's where they are now…

Heather became synonymous with the horror genre after she played ‘final girl’ Nancy Thompson in the film. The project came early into her career, with the star only having three film credits to her name before starring in the film. She would return to the franchise in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, where she reprised her role as Nancy, and in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, a meta-horror film where she played a version of herself.

Heather, now 62, has continued working with the horror genre, making appearances in Shocker, The Butterfly Room, Home, Hellraiser: Judgement and Little Bites. On TV, her biggest roles have been in Just the Ten of Us and The Midnight Club.

In 1984, she married jazz pianist Alan Pasqua, but the couple divorced three years later. She later married Oscar-winning makeup artist David LeRoy Anderson, with the couple welcoming two children, Daniel and Isabelle. The family faced tragedy in 2018 when Daniel passed away at the age of 26 from a brain tumour.

Johnny made his film debut in the 1984 horror film, where he played Glen Lantz, Nancy’s boyfriend and an eventual victim of Freddy, with Johnny performing the necessary stunts for his death scene.

The actor, now 63, has since become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars thanks to his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Finding Neverland and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The star is also known for his roles in Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland, Into the Woods, Murder on the Orient Express and the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

Thanks to his film career, Johnny hasn’t appeared in many TV shows, but in the 1980s, he became a teen idol thanks to his role as Officer Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street.

Johnny is a father of two, Lily-Rose Depp and a son, Jack, whom he shares with French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis. The star has been married twice, first to Lori Allison, with the couple walking down the aisle one year before he made his film debut; the couple split in 1986.

His second marriage was to actress Amber Heard; however, their two-year marriage ended acrimoniously, with Amber alleging domestic abuse against the actor. An English judge ruled in favour of the publishers of The Sun, who published the allegations, while an American jury later found in favour of Johnny during a heated court battle.

Amanda was the first victim of the franchise

Amanda portrayed teenager Tina Gray in the film, who became the first on-screen victim of Freddy. The star’s portrayal of the doomed teen was warmly received, with one critic comparing her to a Hitchcock Blonde.

Ahead of her breakout role, she had appeared in Force: Five and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Amanda has since acted in the likes of Cheers, Highlander: The Series, Better Off Dead, To Die For, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Deadly Impac, and Badlands.

In 2024, she tied the knot with her partner, Stephen Caffrey.

Jsu was credited as Nick Corri in the film

Jsu, who was credited as Nick Corri at the time, played Tina’s boyfriend, Rod Lane, who also meets his end at the gloved hand of Freddy. 

Jsu, now 63, had an impressive career, starring in Predator 2, Candyman: Day of the Dead, Teacher’s Pet, We Were Soldiers, The Lost, Once Fallen and the CSI franchise. Alongside working as a producer with Scott J-R Productions, he is also an ordained minister in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness.

Robert transformed into the iconic killer

Robert portrayed the sadistic murderer Freddy Krueger in the franchise, becoming one of horror’s most enduring icons. Robert is one of the few actors to have appeared in multiple films in the franchise, portraying the killer until the franchise’s unsuccessful 2010 reboot. He also reprised the role for the anthology TV series, Freddy’s Nightmares.

Robert made his acting debut in 1974, when he appeared in Buster and Billie. Before A Nightmare on Elm Street, he also starred in Stay Hungry, Eaten Alive, The Fifth Floor and had an uncredited role in 1976’s A Star Is Born.

After becoming Freddy, Robert, now 79, had roles in the likes of The Mangler, Perfect Target, Wishmaster, Good Day for It, The Midnight Man and Nightworld. The star has had several accolades during his career, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York City Horror Film Festival.

Robert has been married three times. His first marriage was to nurse Elizabeth Gardner, while his second marriage was to Roxanne Rogers. Since 1988, the actor has been married to Nancy Booth.

Ronee played Nancy’s mother, Marge, in the first film, with the final shots of the film featuring Freddy dragging her through the window of the family’s front door.

The star, now aged 81, had a successful career before appearing in A Nightmare on Elm Street, with roles in Nashville, The Driver, She Came to the Valley and The Baltimore Bullet.

However, in the 1980s, she stepped back from acting to focus on her music career, and she has released a total of 14 albums, with her most recent released in 2020.

John played Lt. Don Thompson, the father of Nancy Thompson, with the actor reprising his role in the third film in the franchise, where he was ultimately slain by Freddy.

John was an established name when he appeared in the film, having made his film debut in 1954 with It Should Happen To You. Some of his early roles in films like Rock, Pretty Baby and Portrait in Black established him as a teen idol, before he started appearing in the likes of The Appaloosa, Enter the Dragon and Black Christmas.

John was married three times, and he shared his son with his first wife, screenwriter Mary Ann Saxon. The star passed away at the age of 83 on 25 July 2020 from pneumonia.

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