'Blade Runner' Cast: Where Are They Now?

Can you imagine Dustin Hoffman as the hard-boiled, romantic, replicant-hunting sleuth hero of "Blade Runner"?

It's true, the "Tootsie" star was one of many leading men up for the role of Rick Deckard; it was only a recommendation from Steven Spielberg, who had just shot "Raiders of the Lost Ark," that persuaded Ridley Scott that "Star Wars" second banana Harrison Ford could carry a movie.

Three decades later, Ford has gone from untried leading man to cinema icon. His co-stars (including Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, and Edward James Olmos) went from obscurity to stardom -- and sometimes, back again to obscurity. The movie itself, which was a box-office disappointment upon its release 30 years ago this month (on June 25, 1982), went on to become the most influential science-fiction movie this side of "Star Wars." About seven different versions have been released since then, making sure that we never forgotten about Deckard's dark quest to find humanity within himself -- even as we may have wondered what became of the people who made "Blade Runner." To find out, read on.

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Gallery | The Cast of 'Blade Runner,' 30 Years Later

• Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard)

• Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard)

  Sure, he could play wingman as Han Solo, but could the 39-year-old character actor be a leading man? Having just shot "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Steven Spielberg told Ridley Scott that he could. After his starring turn in "Blade Runner," Ford did, in fact, become one of the most popular leading men of all time, with his roles in such smashes as the Indiana Jones and Jack Ryan franchises, as well as stand-alone hits like "Witness" (for which he earned an Oscar nod) and "The Fugitive." In his 60s, his box office drawing power has waned (aside from his fourth Indiana Jones movie in 2008). Still, the 69-year-old remains in demand, with three movies on his plate in the next year, including sci-fi epic "Ender's Game" and "42," in which he is to play Branch Rickey, who hired Jackie Robinson to integrate baseball. Scott is also talking about bringing back Ford as Deckard in a "Blade Runner" sequel.

• Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty)

• Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty)

  The Dutch import, who had made an impact in Hollywood as the villain in Sylvester Stallone's 1981 crime drama "Nighthawks," followed it up with what became his first signature role, replicant leader Roy Batty in "Blade Runner." His other signature role, as the sinister ride-thumber in "The Hitcher," came in 1986. Since then, he's made a career out of playing outsized heroes and villains in low-budget genre movies and other cult films, including "Blind Fury," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." He enjoyed a comeback of sorts last year in "Hobo with a Shotgun." Now 68, he'll be seen later this year as vampire hunter Van Helsing in Italian horror legend Dario Argento's 3D remake of "Dracula."

• Daryl Hannah (Pris)

• Daryl Hannah (Pris)

  Hannah made her screen debut as a teenager in Brian De Palma's supernatural thriller "The Fury" (1978), but it was her role as Pris, the replicant with the killer thighs in "Blade Runner" (her third film) that gave the 21-year-old her breakthrough. Two years later, she became a star as Tom Hanks' mermaid sweetheart in "Splash." She remained a popular leading lady for the next decade, in such films as "Clan of the Cave Bear," "Roxanne," and "Wall Street" (which also featured "Blade Runner" co-star Sean Young). Her film career cooled after her supporting roles in the "Grumpy Old Men" films, though she enjoyed a comeback in 2004 as one-eyed assassin Elle Driver in the "Kill Bill" movies. In the last decade, she's worked mostly in independent films and TV movies. Still, the 51-year-old is top-billed in "Eldorado," a 3D horror comedy that's been on the shelf for a couple years but is due for release later in 2012.

• Edward James Olmos (Gaff)

• Edward James Olmos

  Before playing origami-loving detective Gaff in "Blade Runner," Olmos had starred in the play and film of "Zoot Suit" and had appeared in the horror film "Wolfen." He found stardom as another detective, Lt. Martin Castillo, on the iconic mid-'80s TV series "Miami Vice." He earned an Oscar nomination for his 1998 role as teacher Jaime Escalante in "Stand and Deliver." He's continued to enjoy character roles in movies (most recently, as a newspaper editor in last year's "Green Hornet"), but he's best known these days for his starring role on the 2003-09 reboot of "Battlestar Galactica." In 2012, the 65-year-old appeared in a supporting role in the hip hop drama "Filly Brown," directed by his son, Michael.

• Joanna Cassidy (Zhora)

• Joanna Cassidy (Zhora)

  Cassidy was 36 and had spent a decade as a TV character actress in guest parts before landing the role of reptilian replicant Zhora in "Blade Runner." Suddenly, she was earning starring roles in such films as "Under Fire," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," and "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead." In 2007, for the "Final Cut" version of "Blade Runner," she re-shot Zhora's death scene, which had been performed in the original film by an obvious stunt double. Ever busy, the still-striking 66-year-old has spent the last decade in recurring roles on such TV series as "Six Feet Under," "Star Trek: Enterprise," and "Body of Proof." She's currently filming a family movie called "Doorway to Heaven."

• William Sanderson (J.F. Sebastian)

• William Sanderson (J.F. Sebastian)

  Sanderson earned a J.D. from the University of Memphis, but he gave up law to become an actor. After years of Off-Broadway work, he had a breakthrough year in 1982, when he was 38. He played J.F. Sebastian, the tragic geneticist in "Blade Runner," and he landed the part of Larry, the backwoodsman with two brothers named Darryl, on the sitcom "Newhart," a role he played for eight seasons. Since then, genre fans have come to know Sanderson for his roles in such fare as "The X-Files," "Babylon 5," "Deadwood," "Lost," and "True Blood." The 68-year-old's most recent role was an April guest spot on "Bones."

• Brion James (Leon Kowalski)

  The hulking, 6'3" James was a natural at playing thugs and heavies, but none were more memorable than his breakthrough role as the brutal replicant Leon in "Blade Runner." "After 'Blade Runner,' I was the meanest guy in Hollywood," James said in 1998. He also played memorably menacing parts in "48 Hrs.," "Flesh + Blood" (alongside "Blade Runner" co-star Rutger Hauer), "Tango & Cash," "The Player," and "The Fifth Element." He had appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows by the time he died of a heart attack at 54 in 1999.

• James Hong (Hannibal Chew)

• James Hong (Hannibal Chew)

  Hong has been a busy character actor for nearly 60 years and claims to have appeared in 500 movies and TV shows, but few have been as memorable as "Blade Runner," in which the then-53-year-old played Chew, the eye designer. He had been a civil engineer in Los Angeles who acted on the side, but he became a full-time actor when he landed a role opposite WIlliam Holden in "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" in 1955. After that breakthrough, he was ubiquitous in TV and movies, with prominent roles in such films as "Chinatown" and such TV series as "Kung Fu." After "Blade Runner," he had perhaps his biggest role as the villainous wizard Lo Pan in 1985's "Big Trouble in Little China." He's done plenty of comedy as well, from his Chinese restaurateur in "Seinfeld" to Tia Carrere's father in "Wayne's World 2." He's done voiceover work for "Mulan," the "Kung Fu Panda" movies, and a recent series of Nissin instant noodle ads. In April, the 83-year-old appeared opposite Jason Statham in "Safe." He'll be seen next year in the all-star undead-cop feature "R.I.P.D."

• Joe Turkel (Dr. Eldon Tyrell)

  Turkel had been a character actor for more than 30 years when his two most memorable roles came along, as the ghostly bartender in "The Shining" (1980) and as bioengineering tycoon Tyrell in "Blade Runner" (1982). They were also among his last. Aside from some TV guest spots (including on "Blade Runner" pal Edward James Olmos' "Miami Vice") and the 1997 "Blade Runner" video game, Turkel seldom acted in the 1980s and '90s. In a 1999 interview, Turkel, then 72, said he was living in the Los Angeles area and writing screenplays. Now 84, he has yet to see any of them produced.

• Sean Young (Rachael)

• Sean Young (Rachael)

  Young had appeared as Harold Ramis' love interest in "Stripes," but her role as Rachael, the good-girl replicant in "Blade Runner," marked the 22-year-old's big break. She went on to play glamour parts in such movies as "No Way Out" and "Wall Street." Her career foundered, however, after personal clashes with James Woods (her co-star in "The Boost") and Tim Burton (who declined to cast her as Catwoman in "Batman Returns"). Her last hit movie was 1994's "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," though she continued to work steadily in TV movies and independent films for the next decade and a half. In 2008, she ended up checking into rehab for alcoholism. (Her 2011 stint in rehab was depicted on the TV show, "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.") Young's last prominent role was a four-month arc on the soap "The Young and the Restless" in 2011. Last October, a 51-year-old Young visited David Letterman's "Late Show" and announced her availability to return to the big screen. Ask and ye shall receive: She'll be seen later this year in the 3D "Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader."

• M. Emmet Walsh (Bryant)

• M. Emmet Walsh (Bryant)

  Walsh has been a busy character actor since the late 1960s. He appeared in such '70s classics as "Serpico," "Slap Shot," and "The Jerk" before landing the role of burned-out cop Bryant in "Blade Runner" when he was 46. Afterwards, he had memorable roles in such films as "Blood Simple," "Fletch," "The Mighty Quinn" (written by "Blade Runner" scribe Hampton Fancher), "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "Youth in Revolt." These days, you can hear the 77-year-old star's voiceover work on the TV series "Pound Puppies."

• Ridley Scott

• Ridley Scott

  After Scott completed "Alien" and "Blade Runner," the 44-year-old director was hailed as a master of both science fiction and cinematic visual style. Yet, aside from his unforgettable "1984" Super Bowl ad for Apple, he abandoned sci-fi for 30 years (until returning to the "Alien" franchise this year with the current release "Prometheus"). Still, he continued to earn plaudits for his visual storytelling in such films as "Thelma & Louise," "Gladiator" (which won the Oscar for Best Picture), "Black Hawk Down," and "American Gangster." All the while, he never stopped tinkering with "Blade Runner," re-releasing it several times with slightly different cuts, or without voiceover, throughout the past three decades. Promoting "Prometheus" this year, the 74-year-old has said he's developing a "Blade Runner" follow-up feature, one that would reunite him with screenwriter Hampton Fancher and possibly star Harrison Ford.

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