Whatever Happened To The Original Cast Of Beetlejuice?

Say it once, say it twice — but say it a third time and expect an explosion of chaotic supernatural hilarity. That was the premise of "Beetlejuice," the second feature film from director Tim Burton. Released in 1988, the film focused on newly dead couple Adam and Barbara Maitland (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), whose quaint country house was posthumously sold to Charles and Delia Deetz (Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara). Adam and Barbara, however, remain in their home, as ghosts, horrified by the bizarre architectural changes being made to their beloved home by its obnoxious new owners. Taking advice from "The Handbook for the Recently Deceased," the Maitlands attempt to haunt their unwanted roommates into leaving — a tactic that proves unsuccessful when the Deetzes remain utterly oblivious to their efforts to scare them out. 

The Deetz's death-obsessed teenage daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), can see the Maitlands, and befriends them. Just when all seems hopeless, the ghosts are approached by Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), a "bio-exorcist" who promises to send their home's new owners fleeing in terror; all that's required is to repeat his name three times, at which point he's given free rein to pull out all the stops for an epic haunting.

"Beetlejuice" proved to be a hit at the box office, becoming a cult favorite over the years that's spawned a Broadway musical and, announced in 2023, a long-awaited sequel. Read on to discover whatever happened to the original cast of "Beetlejuice."

The same year that "Beetlejuice" haunted theaters, Winona Ryder also starred in "Heathers," a one-two combo that bumped her atop Hollywood's A list. Several high-profile movies followed, including "Great Balls of Fire." She also teamed up with then-beau Johnny Depp for Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands," co-starred with Cher in "Mermaids," and worked with Francis Ford Coppola on "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and Martin Scorsese on "The Age of Innocence," the last of which earned her a best supporting actress Oscar nomination. A few years later, Ryder received her second Oscar nod, this time for best actress, for 1999's "Girl, Interrupted." 

Ryder returned to the forefront in 2016 with "Stranger Things." Her performance as Joyce Byers — mother of a teenage boy who vanishes into a strange alternate universe — resulted in headlines celebrating her "Winona-sance." The next few years promise to be big ones for Ryder, as fans can expect to see one final season of "Stranger Things" and her long-awaited return to the role of Lydia Deetz in "Beetlejuice 2."

According to "Stranger Things" director and executive producer Shawn Levy, Ryder needed some convincing to sign on. "She opened by asking, 'What is Netflix? What is streaming? Is it like TV but different?'" Levy recalled of their initial meeting, during an appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast (via Variety). "That was the starting point ... Yeah, Winona took a little onboarding to explain this emerging form of storytelling called Netflix and streaming."

Geena Davis had established both her dramatic and comedic cred prior to "Beetlejuice," having headlined her own sitcom ("Sara") and starred opposite then-boyfriend Jeff Goldblum in director David Cronenberg's "The Fly." In 1988, the same year "Beetlejuice" was released, she starred in "The Accidental Tourist," for which she won an Oscar for best supporting actress. That golden statue opened doors for Davis, leading to now-iconic roles in "Thelma & Louise," and "A League of Their Own." After making several more movies (including the hit "Stuart Little" flicks), she returned to TV with "The Geena Davis Show" in 2000, which got axed after a single season. She returned to television in 2005 to play a fictional U.S. president in ABC's "Commander in Chief," which also lasted just one season.

In the midst of all that, Davis developed an interest in archery. Discovering she had a knack for it, archery eventually evolved from hobby to her primary focus. "Yeah, I took it up at 41 and it became my life for a couple of years," she told People. In fact, she'd become so skilled that she vied for a spot on the U.S. Olympic archery team in hopes of competing at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She didn't make the team, but came close, ranking 24th out of 300 competitors. 

In 2022, Davis turned author with the publication of her memoir, "Dying of Politeness." 

Pre-Charles Deetz in "Beetlejuice," Jeffrey Jones carved out his own space as a character actor with a flair for comedy, most notably in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." "Beetlejuice" certainly raised his profile, leading to roles in "The Hunt for Red October," "Stuart Little" and its sequels, and "Beetlejuice" director Tim Burton's films "Ed Wood," and "Sleepy Hollow." In 2004, Jones was cast in the gritty HBO western "Deadwood," playing newspaperman A.W. Merrick throughout the series, and reprising the role in 2019's "Deadwood: The Movie."

Jones' casting in "Deadwood" proved surprising to some, given that he had all but vanished from TV and movie screens after being arrested in 2002 on child pornography charges stemming from allegations he convinced an underage male to appear in a sex video.

Jones avoided a potential three-year jail term by pleading no contest. He was sentenced to five years probation and placed on the national register of sex offenders for life. "This concludes a really painful chapter in my life," Jones said, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. His lawyer, Leonard Levine, clarified that Jones had never had physical contact with the boy, and added, "He hopes at some point the public will forgive him and he can go on with his life and his career." In 2010, he was charged with a felony for neglecting to update his status as a registered sex offender and sentenced to 250 hours of community service. 

Adelle Lutz made a brief appearance in "Beetlejuice" during the climactic dinner party scene, portraying Beryl, a book editor and apparent plus-one of Glenn Shadix's Otho. "Beetlejuice" was among the credits in Lutz's brief acting career, which also included the films "Something Wild," "Wall Street," "The Silence of the Lambs," and 1995's "Beyond Rangoon," her most recent screen credit. 

Acting was always more of a sideline for Lutz. The wife of Talking Heads frontman David Byrne (they divorced in 2004 after 17 years of marriage), Lutz's primary pursuits have been fashion and art. She collaborated with Byrne on his first foray into film, 1986's "True Stories," for which she designed the movie's quirky "urban camouflage" clothing. Lutz also created the avant-garde clothing sported by actors in the film's bonkers fashion show.

After "Beetlejuice," Lutz served as costume designer on two films, 1998's "Lulu on the Bridge," and "The Inner Life of Martin Frost" in 2007. She also designed costumes for theatrical productions in New York City before eventually segueing into art, delving into sculpture, art installations, and even performance art. Her work has been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and other respected institutions. 

When she appeared in "Beetlejuice" as a cranky afterlife bureaucrat, Sylvia Sidney was already a Hollywood legend. "Beetlejuice," in fact, was one of Sidney's 112 screen credits, dating back to the 1920s and spanning until the late 1990s.

Sidney remained busy after "Beetlejuice," appearing primarily as a TV guest star in series including "The Equalizer," "Thirtysomething," and "Diagnosis: Murder." "Beetlejuice" director Tim Burton also cast her in his 1996 sci-fi comedy "Mars Attacks!" In her final screen role, Sidney was a series regular on a TV reboot of "Fantasy Island," which aired from 1998 until 1999. Sidney died in 1999 at age 88. 

While Sidney's screen time in "Beetlejuice" is relatively brief, it remained one of her most popular performances. Interviewed by the Los Angeles Times in 1990, Sidney revealed that she almost didn't take the job. "I turned it down so many times because I couldn't understand the script," she said. "I finally had a long conversation with them, and they said, 'Read the script again.' I said you'll have to send another one because I threw the other one away. So they sent me one again." It wasn't until she met Burton in person, however, that they sealed the deal. "I had never heard of Tim Burton. He met me the morning I arrived in California. We had breakfast together. We had lunch together, and I was in love ... his sensitivity, how he thought about scenes."

In his brief "Beetlejuice" role, singer Robert Goulet played Maxie Dean, chairman of the company that the Deetzes were trying to sell on their idea of turning their bucolic small town into a haunted tourist attraction. 

Goulet had been best known for his role as Sir Lancelot in the Broadway and film versions of "Camelot" in the 1960s, and after "Beetlejuice" he continued to land acting roles. This included TV guest spots in "The New WKRP in Cincinnati," "Just Shoot Me," "Boy Meets World," and others. During the 2000s, Goulet shifted to voice acting, with his distinctive baritone heard in animated series including "Recess," "Gary the Rat," and "My Gym Partner's a Monkey." He also returned to Broadway, appearing in the 1993 revival of "Camelot," "Moon Over Buffalo" in 1995, and "La Cage Aux Folles" in 2004. However, his bread and butter, both before and after "Beetlejuice," was onstage as a singer in Las Vegas, where he remained a top draw.

In September 2007, Goulet fell ill and was diagnosed with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, a potentially fatal ailment that necessitated a lung transplant. The following month, while awaiting a donor lung, Goulet died at age 73.

Patrice Martinez made quite the impression in "Beetlejuice" as a green-skinned, red-haired, and entirely dead former Miss Argentina who serves as a receptionist in the afterlife, ostensibly assisting the recently deceased but mainly displaying her annoyance with them. As filmgoers may have ascertained by her slashed wrists, she proved Otho's theory that those who die by their own must spend the afterlife as bureaucrats. 

Following "Beetlejuice," the Mexican-American actor landed a three-episode guest stint on "Magnum, P.I." and a small role in the film "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," before being cast in the syndicated TV series "Zorro" as Victoria Escalante, a role she played throughout the series 1990-1993 run. After the cancellation of "Zorro," she appeared in the animated series "Phantom 2040," and the 1998 film "The Effects of Magic."

Her final screen credit was a 1999 episode of the short-lived Lorenzo Lamas television series "Air America," based on the 1990 movie of the same name. Martinez passed away in 2018 at age 55.