'Untouchables' Cast: Where Are They Now?

The movie "The Untouchables" turns 25 this week (it was released on June 3, 1987), but it seems to have never gone away. Based on legendary G-man Eliot Ness' memoir of his battle against Al Capone (which had also inspired a TV series of the same name), the film made stars of Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia, and garnered an Oscar win for Sean Connery. (Indeed, Connery's performance as a cop who explains to Costner's rule-bound Ness "the Chicago way" of no-holds-barred street-fighting, seems to come up as a reference point whenever observers of President Obama -- especially his opponents -- describe his Chicago-bred political tactics.)

In the quarter century since the film's release, some of those who made the crime drama have seen their careers flourish, while others seem to have vanished into the witness protection program. Read on to learn what became of the stars and filmmakers behind "The Untouchables."

Gallery | 'The Untouchables' Cast: Where Are They Now?

• Kevin Costner (Eliot Ness)

• Kevin Costner (Eliot Ness)

  In 1986, the little-known Costner was far from the first choice to play Eliot Ness in "The Untouchables," but the role ended up making the 32-year-old a star. His popularity as a leading man continued with such hits as "No Way Out," "Bull Durham," "Field of Dreams," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," and "JFK." Soon, he had enough clout to produce his own epics. Sometimes they worked (notably, 1990's "Dances With Wolves," which won Best Picture and Best Director for Costner), and sometimes they bellyflopped spectacularly ("Waterworld," "The Postman"). Although the bloom was off his career by 2000, in the last decade, he's earned praise for his work in such films as "Open Range" and "The Upside of Anger." He's spent a lot of time in recent years performing with his band, Modern West. In May 2012, the 57-year-old actor re-emerged on TV, producing and starring in the mini-series "Hatfields & McCoys," which earned record ratings for a pay cable movie.

• Sean Connery (Jim Malone)

• Sean Connery (Jim Malone)

  Connery had spent more than a decade trying to escape the shadow of James Bond when "The Untouchables" finally allowed him to do so. The role of rule-bending, incorruptible cop Jimmy Malone earned Connery his only Oscar nomination -- and his only Oscar win. Afterward, Connery stretched again in the comic-relief role of Harrison Ford's father -- despite a mere 12-year age gap -- in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." He remained in demand as a leading man and an action hero well into his '70s, in such films as "The Hunt for Red October," "The Rock," and "Entrapment." After 2003's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," he largely retired from acting and public appearances, even turning down a chance to reprise his Henry Jones character in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008) because, he said, he was just having too much fun being retired. He has, however, continued to do voiceover work -- in James Bond videogames, the animated short "Sir Billi," and in 2012, the documentary "Ever to Excel," in which the 81-year-old Connery narrates the history of St. Andrews, Scotland's oldest university, on the occasion of its 600th birthday.

• Robert De Niro (Al Capone)

• Robert De Niro (Al Capone)

  De Niro was already recognized as one of the finest screen actors of his generation, with two Oscars under his belt, when he landed the role of Al Capone in "The Untouchables." Transforming himself as he did for "Raging Bull," by gaining 30 pounds for the character, he added another to his rogue's gallery of memorable psychopaths, gangsters, and villains. He continued to do so afterward, in such movies as "GoodFellas," "Cape Fear," "This Boy's Life," "Heat," and "Limitless." He took up directing in 1993, with the coming-of-age story "A Bronx Tale," followed by 2006's spy epic "The Good Shepherd." In 2002, the native New Yorker co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival to bring economic activity back to the neighborhood where the World Trade Center was destroyed on 9/11. At 68, he remains as in-demand as ever, having made more than 50 movies since "The Untouchables" and with as many as eight more due over the next two years.

• Andy Garcia (George Stone / Giuseppe Petri)

• Andy Garcia (George Stone / Giuseppe Petri)

  The Cuban-born actor had played thugs and toughs in bit parts and movies and TV for a few years before "The Untouchables" made him a star in the role of heroic rookie cop George Stone. His good looks and quietly confident air made him a natural in starring roles in such films as "Black Rain," "Internal Affairs," "The Godfather Part III" (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Night Falls on Manhattan," "Desperate Measures," "City Island," and the brand new release "For Greater Glory." His most prominent role in recent years has been as casino owner Terry Benedict in "Ocean's Eleven" and its two sequels, but he prefers working on lower-profile indie movies. He's directed two features inspired by his Cuban heritage, the music documentary "Cachao... Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos" and "The Lost City." Now 56, he's working on a third, "Hemingway & Fuentes," in which he'll also star (opposite Anthony Hopkins as Ernest Hemingway) as the fisherman who inspired "The Old Man and the Sea."

• Charles Martin Smith (Oscar Wallace)

• Charles Martin Smith (Oscar Wallace)

  Before landing the "Untouchables" role of gun-toting accountant Oscar Wallace (loosely based on Frank J. Wilson, an IRS accountant who investigated Al Capone on tax evasion charges but was not actually one of Ness' Untouchables), Smith was known for similarly nerdy roles in "American Graffiti," "Never Cry Wolf," and "Starman." "Untouchables" proved a high point of his acting career; he's never had a role as prominent since, despite appearances in countless films ("Speechless," "Deep Impact") and TV shows ("The X-Files," "Psych"). Now 58, Smith has also been busy as a director of both TV shows (most famously, the pilot episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and in movies. Like "Never Cry Wolf," the film he's directed have often focused on nature and animals, from the comedy "Air Bud" to the Arctic drama "The Snow Walker" to last year's family hit "Dolphin Tale."

• Patricia Clarkson (Catherine Ness)

• Patricia Clarkson (Catherine Ness)

  New Orleans-born Clarkson was a 26-year-old stage actress when she made her film debut as Eliot Ness' beatific wife in "The Untouchables." She followed that role with the female lead opposite Clint Eastwood in "The Dead Pool" -- and a succession of unremarkable supportive wife and girlfriend roles. Her breakout role finally came in 1988, as a flamboyant bohemian carrying a torch for Ally Sheedy in "High Art." Since then, she's been in demand for a wide variety of roles, from the miraculously cured wife in "The Green Mile" to the mischievous mom in "Pieces of April" (for which she earned an Oscar nomination in 2004) to the free-spirited aunt on "Six Feet Under" (a role that won her two Emmys). The 52-year-old will next be seen opposite Brit Marling and Ellen Page in the forthcoming indie drama "The East."

• Billy Drago (Frank Nitti)

• Billy Drago (Frank Nitti)

  Born William Burrows, Drago came late to acting -- he'd been a successful syndicated jazz disc jockey before the bug hit him -- but he's made up for it by being one of Hollywood's busiest character actors, with more than 100 roles in TV and movies over the past three decades. Drago, who took his stage name from his grandmother, was coming off one of his earliest movie successes, as a bad guy killed by Clint Eastwood in "Pale Rider," when he landed the "Untouchables" role of Frank Nitti. He hasn't had a mainstream movie role as memorable since, but he's made a steady living in action and horror films, usually as villains or monsters. (He's often worked opposite Chuck Norris, notably in "Delta Force 2.") In 2006, he was the leader of the mutants in the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes." He's the father of actor Darren E. Burrows, of "Northern Exposure" fame. Now 62, he'll next be seen in Rob Zombie's "The Lords of Salem."

• Brian De Palma

• Brian De Palma

  Director De Palma had been known for innovative horror films ("Carrie," "The Fury") and Hitchcockian thrillers ("Dressed to Kill," "Body Double"), but he also spent much of the '80s making gangster movies, from the epic "Scarface" to the farcical "Wise Guys." So "The Untouchables" seemed a natural progression. Afterwards, De Palma continued to work in a variety of genres, notching some outsized flops ("The Bonfire of the Vanities") and hits ("Mission: Impossible"). There was talk a few years ago of him directing an "Untouchables" prequel, but it never came to fruition. His most recent release was the little-seen Iraq War film "Redacted" (2007), but the 71-year-old will be back in theaters later this year with the thriller "Passion," starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.

• David Mamet

  The Chicago-born playwright known for his macho characters ("Glengarry Glen Ross") seemed an ideal choice to adapt Ness' memoir into the "Untouchables" screenplay. At the time, he was already a mainstay of the theater, but he had also written the Oscar-nominated screenplay for legal drama "The Verdict." The year "The Untouchables" came out also marked his debut as a film director, with "House of Games," starring then-wife Lindsay Crouse. Since then, he's directed nine more features, many of them also focusing on crime or gangsters, including "Things Change," "Homicide," "The Spanish Prisoner," "Heist," and "Spartan." Along the way, he's accumulated a repertory company of actors who can handle his precise dialogue, including Rebecca Pidgeon (his wife since 1991), William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Joe Mantegna, Alec Baldwin, and Ricky Jay. His most recent theatrical film was the 2008 mixed-martial arts drama "Redbelt." Now 64, he's the writer and director of an upcoming HBO movie about the Phil Spector murder trial, starring Al Pacino and Helen Mirren.

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