What happened to the cast of Brothers & Sisters? From Hollywood marriages to Broadway debuts and a surprise career change – the varied fates of the stars as family drama turns 20

DAILYMAIL.COM • 11h ago

By LILY JOBSON, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 12:26 10 Oct 2026, updated 12:26 10 Oct 2026

The American family drama series Brothers & Sisters celebrated its 20th anniversary this month.

Created by Jon Robin Baitz, the ABC show was packed with juicy drama which kept fans entertained between 2006 and 2011.

Its star-studded cast included the likes of Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, Patricia Wettig, Rob Lowe and Ron Rifkin.

And less-established actors like Emily VanCamp and Luke Macfarlane went onto have incredible careers following their appearance in the show.

The series follows the wealthy, California-based Walker family and the emotional fallout they experience after the sudden death of family patriarch William Walker (played by Tom Skerritt), who leaves behind a trail of hidden business secrets and a longstanding mistress.

It goes on to follow the intense, beautifully chaotic dynamic between the overbearing but fiercely loving matriarch Nora Walker (Sally Field) and her five adult children.

The lives of the original cast have all lived varied lives since starring in the show 20 years ago.

From Hollywood marriages to Broadway debuts and a surprise career change, what happened to the cast of Brothers & Sisters?

Sally Field, now 79, played Nora Walker on Brothers & Sisters, the mother of the cast that has to find her place after her husband William Walker (Tom Skerritt) dies.

The actress went on to winning an Emmy for playing Nora and said in her speech: ‘If mothers ruled the world, there wouldn’t be any goddamn wars in the first place.’

Speaking with Oprah Winfrey, Field explained: ‘To have a mother’s sensibility, you don’t need to be female; you don’t even have to have children.

‘You just need to have a soul that cares about the future more than you care about yourself.’

Field had two sons Peter, 56, and Eli, 54, with her ex-husband Steven Craig, and third son Sam, 38, with her second husband, Alan Greisman.

She was an established actress long before her role in Brothers & Sisters, starring in films like Steel Magnolias and Forrest Gump.

Field continued to have incredible roles after the ABC show, appearing in the likes of The Amazing Spider-Man as Aunt May.

Back in 2018, Field released a memoir called In Pieces and bravely recalled the sexual abuse she endured as a child at the hands of her stepfather, actor Jock Mahoney.

She writes in her memoir that she did not speak to her mother about the abuse at the hands of her stepfather for decades, until her mother was dying of cancer sometime in 2011.

Calista Flockhart, now 61, is famed for her role of Kitty Walker, the second eldest sibling, on the American family drama.

The actress went on to marry Indiana Jones icon Harrison Ford, 84, back in 2010 and raised their adopted son Liam, 25, together.

The couple celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary in June, marking over two decades together since they first met at the Golden Globes in 2002.

After Brothers & Sisters ended, Calista took a step back from her career to focus on motherhood.

‘Right now I’m focusing on sixth grade, football games, and getting through homework,’ she told The Guardian in 2012.

‘I have no big plan. I’m a normal mum and yes, I’m also [a] theater junkie, but my family is my priority. That’s what guides me.’

Before her role as Kitty, Calista starred in Ally McBeal and won a Golden Globe Award.

She has also had roles in Supergirl and Feud: Capote v The Swans.

Dave Annable, now 47, starred as Justin, the youngest of the Walker siblings, in his breakthrough role.

Following his appearance in Brothers & Sisters, Dave starred in the likes of 666 Park Avenue, Red Band Society and Yellowstone.

For three years, Dave portrayed Lee Dutton, the oldest son of the Dutton family before his character was killed off.

Dave is married to actress Odette Annable and together they share two daughters.

The couple met on the set of Brothers & Sisters, where Odette played Dave’s character’s love interest in the final season.

In August 2020, the couple announced that they had reconciled after enduring a 10 month split that began in October 2019.

Canadian actress Emily VanCamp, now 40, starred as Rebecca Harper in the American family drama.

Emily has built up her acting resume that began in 1998 when she started taking acting lessons on the weekends, and ultimately led to her breakthrough at age 15 when she was cast in Glory Days (2002).

After her breakthrough role in Brothers & Sisters, Emily landed the role as lead character Emily Thorne in ABC drama Revenge.

She is also part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

The actress went on to marry her Revenge co-star Josh Bowman and welcomed two daughters together.

Emily began dating the English actor after they met on the set of the ABC drama series in late 2011.

They would go on to date for about six years until they decided to get engaged, which ultimately led to them tying the knot in 2018 in the Bahamas.

It was August 2021 when Emily announced the birth of Iris on Instagram, sharing a black-and-white photo of her baby girl’s hand wrapped around her finger

Rob Lowe, now 62, played a Republican US Senator named Robert McCallister on the television drama.

He made his feature film debut in the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola drama The Outsiders, with his career exploding to new heights two years later because of his starring role in St. Elmo’s Fire.

He began his career at age 12 in 1976, with a role as an errand boy in a summer theater production of Sherlock Holmes in Dayton, Ohio.

He starred in the 1983 TV film Thursday’s Child, which led to him receiving his first Golden Globe nomination.

Rob became a household name after starring in The Outsiders and then St. Elmo’s Fire.

The actor starred in the series The West Wing from 1999 until 2003 as Sam Seaborn, leading to two Golden Globe nominations and a Primetime Emmy nomination.

Rob, who is dad to sons Matthew, 33, and John Owen, 30, with wife Sheryl, stars on 9-1-1: Lone Star as Owen Strand, has two podcasts and a one-man stage show.

He met his now-wife Sheryl, 65, in 1990 while on the project Bad Influence.

In recent weeks, Rob has been supporting his younger brother Chad following the tragic death of his niece Fiona aged 13 by suicide.

Matthew Rhys, now 51, has received various accolades including four Emmy Awards since he starred as Kevin Walker in Brothers & Sisters.

The Welsh actor achieved international acclaim for his breakthrough role in the family drama, as well as his appearance in The Americans.

He trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) before his early stage and screen work.

Earlier this year, Matthew made history at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards by winning the Outstanding Lead Actor for Netflix’s The Beast In Me.

He also won the Lead Actor gong for Widow’s Bay, which he executive produced.

Meanwhile, in his private life, Matthew lives in Brooklyn, New York with his long-term partner Keri Russell. They welcomed their son Sam in 2016.

Matthew is also a step father to Keri’s two older children from her previous marriage to Shane Deary.

Luke Macfarlane, 46, played Scotty Wandell, Kevin Walker’s husband.

In 2023, Luke welcomed his first child, a daughter named Tess, with his partner, alpine skier Hig Roberts.

Luke penned the caption: ‘Tess Eleanor Macfarlane— Born June 4th 2023. We started life with some hectic days and received world class care. On Father’s Day we got to take her home.

‘Her Dads can’t wait to introduce her to all the remarkable people and the beautiful world we live in.’

The Brothers And Sisters star previously appeared alongside Billy in the raunchy male romcom, which broke ground by focusing on two gay men, and featuring an entirely LGBTQ cast.

In 2008, Luke publicly came out as gay in an interview with The Globe and Mail, saying: ‘I don’t know what will happen professionally… that is the fear, but I guess I can’t really be concerned about what will happen, because it’s my truth.’

He has also become a fixture on the Hallmark Channel, appearing in a slew of their heartwarming TV movies.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Luke admitted that he struggled to land roles after Brothers And Sisters ended.

He said: ‘I can literally remember an agent once saying to me, ”Superman can’t be gay”—like just straight out.

‘I do remember being frustrated, seeing other actors and straight guys my age—and I never want to make it about that, but—thinking, Why are they getting [the parts]? Why am I not getting them?

‘The post–Brothers & Sisters moment was scary, for sure. I was like, ”Dude, I’m the perfect age for this stuff.” And it wasn’t clicking, for whatever reason.’

Australian actress Rachel Griffiths, 57, began her acting career on the Australian series Secrets.

She went on to star in the comedy Muriel’s Wedding, where she earned an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

After her appearance in Brothers & Sisters, Rachel made her Broadway debut in the play Other Desert Cities.

‘Theater was where I began and what I really thought my career would be in Australia,’ she told NPR. ‘That was my thing…. The movies were an unexpected joy, and television even more unexpected.’

She added to HuffPost: ‘I had two weeks’ rehearsal, and all the others have already done the play, so it seemed like quite an impossible task….

‘I’m a TV actor, and it definitely took me a while. The director said all the little bits are fantastic. You have to string them together.’

Three-time Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Wettig, 74, played Holly Harper on the show.

She married the show’s executive producer Ken Olin in 1982, who also had a recurring role.

While she didn’t do much acting after her appearance in Brothers & Sisters, both she and Ken were honored at the New York Stage and Film Winter Gala.

‘We are delighted and proud to celebrate Patti and Ken. They have been core members of the NYSAF family since the earliest days of the company.

‘Both have been involved in our work as actors, Ken as a director, and Patti as a playwright, including the world premiere of her beautiful play F2M’, said New York Stage and Film Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer.

Balthazar Getty, 51, ditched his acting career after reinventing himself as a DJ.

The actor decided to focus on his music career and in 2013 started his own record label Purplehaus Records, shortly followed by his own production company.

‘I started DJing when I was 15 and started programming beats and playing the keyboard, making electronic music,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Nowadays, Balthazar is a member of indie/ electronic rock band Ringside and rap duo The Wow.

Ron Rifkin, now 86, played Saul Holden, the brother of Nora Walker.

Like many of his co-stars, Ron continued to act in many notable films and TV shows including A Star Is Born and Limitless.

As for his private life, Ron married fashion designer Iva March Rifkin in 1966 but she sadly passed away in 2023.

The couple did not welcome any children together.

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