The 1986 cult classic fantasy film Highlander remains one of the most puzzling pieces of
pop culture ever. But what fate has befallen the lucky performers who got in on the ground
floor and brought this movie to life? Here's what the cast of the original Highlander is
up to now.
Back in the 80s, Christopher Lambert looked like the guy to be. He got his start in a
series of French films before breaking out in 1984's Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan,
Lord of the Apes, a movie whose title won an immediate place in the hearts of movie
critics who get paid by the word. Lambert's work in Greystoke wound up landing him the
role of Connor MacLeod [mih-KLOWD] in Highlander after director Russell Mulcahy saw his picture
and felt that his eyes had a, quote, "timeless quality." What Mulcahy didn't know was that
some of that might have come from Lambert's nearsightedness, which made training for the
film's swordfight sequences a challenge.
Lambert's onscreen presence has cooled in the last three decades since Highlander's
release. A stint on NCIS: Los Angeles and an appearance in 2011's Ghost Rider: Spirit
of Vengeance make up the bulk of his American work in recent years. But don't worry for
him too much, as he still acts regularly in European films and TV shows. In 2016, for
example, he played himself in an episode of the French series Call My Agent! He also showed
up in the 2017 Russian series Mata Hari. And fans of seeing things get boxed and kicked
can check him out as the villain in 2018's Kickboxer: Retaliation.
Starring alongside Lambert was Roxanne Hart, who played MacLeod's modern-era love interest
Brenda Wyatt, a forensic pathologist tasked with figuring out why people's heads have
been getting chopped off. As often occurs in these situations, Brenda falls for Connor
when she learns that the decapitations are a sort of... cultural eccentricity.
"Take care of yourself. Don't lose your head."
Hart wasn't a huge star when she was cast in Highlander, as she was mostly known for
TV appearances on 80s staples like Remington Steele. Nowadays, she's still mostly known
for Highlander. In the mid-90s, she had a 46-episode run on medical drama Chicago Hope,
but her film roles have fizzled out a bit. Nevertheless, she's maintained an active career,
with dozens of credits to her name in the last ten years. She recently had a multi-episode
arc on How to Get Away with Murder and appeared on an episode of the Netflix sitcom Flaked.
The unofficial spokesman for Scotland and general masculinity, Sean Connery was by far
the biggest celebrity in the Highlander cast. At the time of the film's release, he was
already famous for his turns in Zardoz, The Man Who Would Be King, and of course, Darby
O'Gill and the Little People. Oh, and he also apparently played a spy with the code name
007 in several action flicks.
Connery's portrayal of a katana-wielding Egyptian immortal was, like much of Highlander, puzzling.
He appeared in a few more blockbusters in the following decades, but then in 2003, he
retired from acting. He's since returned only for voice work, first in the 2005 video game
adaptation of From Russia with Love.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to be playing James Bond again."
Then he voiced the title character in the universally maligned cartoon Sir Billi in
2012, which he seemed to do, at least in part, because he was allowed to record his lines
in the Bahamas. In recent years, he's been a bit of a recluse, which some have speculated
has something to do with his status as a tax exile.
When it comes to Clancy Brown, the question isn't so much "Where is he now?" as much as
it's "Where isn't he?" The towering character actor who went full maniac as Highlander's
Kurgan has stayed busier than just about anyone in the cast. When Highlander came out, he
was still mostly unknown, having only appeared in a handful of movies, including the cult
classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. He'd also rounded
out his classical dramatic training with an episode of The Dukes of Hazzard, but Highlander
was his first major gig.
"There can be only one."
According to Russell Mulcahy, Brown was so nervous during his fight scene with Sean Connery
that he accidentally smashed the flat side of his sword into a table. This shattered
the weapon and sent a shard of it flying past Connery's head, thus convincing Connery to
use his stunt double a little more often.
Since then, Brown has been working pretty much nonstop. His face should be recognizable
to fans of The Shawshank Redemption and Starship Troopers, among other things. But perhaps
the most beloved role of his entire career is a voice-only one, as he's played Mr. Krabs
in hundreds of episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants. And in 2019, he made a big splash in the Star
Wars universe as Burg in an episode of The Mandalorian.
The death of Heather, Connor MacLeod's first wife, served two important purposes in Highlander.
First, it foreshadowed the lonely life that Connor had in store for him as an immortal,
doomed to watch those he cared about succumb to sickness and death. Second, it gave Queen's
Brian May an excuse to write the song "Who Wants to Live Forever," which he has said
was inspired by an early cut of the film.
Heather was played by English actress Beatie Edney. Another newcomer at the time of filming,
she never broke out internationally the way some of her castmates did. Nevertheless, she's
maintained a steady stage and TV career in the United Kingdom. Her most notable recent
credit is the historical drama series Poldark, which tells the story of a British soldier
returning home after the American Revolution.
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