It's hard to believe it's been more than 20 years since an 11-year-old girl in a yellow
raincoat snuck around town writing down secrets and inspiring 90s tweens everywhere to rock
some wide-leg jeans.
The kid cast of Harriet the Spy is now in their 30s.
And while some cast members have retained their child-like looks, others might have
you saying "Oh Golly!"
Here's what the cast of Harriet the Spy looks like today.
Michelle Trachtenberg
Harriet M. Welsch wanted to learn everything she could and wrote down everything she saw.
Before landing the title role in Harriet the Spy, Michelle Trachtenberg had already seen
success in Nickelodeon shows like Clarissa Explains it All and The Adventures of Pete
and Pete.
As Harriet, Trachtenberg played an inquisitive preteen spy, and fans found inspiration in
her relatable character.
Just four years later, Trachtenberg moved on to the role of the younger teenage sister
of the world's most famous Vampire Slayer.
Dark drama became a trend for the former Harriet star, as she landed parts on shows like Black
Christmas and Six Feet Under.
Her latest role as Dallas on the dark drama, Sister Cities, has little Harriet playing
one of four sisters whose mother commits suicide.
She's made a drastic change from her iconic yellow raincoat.
But she still seems like a girl who's up for an adventure.
Vanessa Lee Chester
Before she was Harriet's science nerd bestie, Vanessa Lee Chester was Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
and dancing around with A Little Princess.
This real-life science nerd quickly moved past her awkward days of being Harriet's geeky
side-kick, and moved into a starring role in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Director Steven Spielberg had seen her work in A Little Princess, and he bookmarked her
for a future part.
She's since appeared on shows like How I Met Your Mother and Switched at Birth.
Her latest project is a small part in City Girl, a hilariously bad romantic comedy that
actress Sarah Ramos wrote when she was 12.
Chester plays a ditzy store patron who's oddly obsessed with denim.
We don't have this in denim. Ahhh... I understand... what about denim?
Gregory Smith
Actor Gregory Smith starred alongside Trachtenberg as Sport, Harriet's loyal pal with an iconic
90s bowl cut.
Sport's dad was a struggling writer, and Harriet once pretended that Sport dropped a dollar
outside of a grocery store, to help him pay for bread and milk.
But while Sport may have had trouble paying for groceries, after the launch of Harriet
the Spy, Gregory Smith rode his fame all the way to the bank.
The shaggy-haired star scored major screen-time in popular movies like Small Soldiers and
The Patriot.
But almost exactly ten years after his Sporty start, Smith got an even bigger break with
a starring role as Ephram Brown on the hit TV series, Everwood.
In 2010, Smith landed his next big role as Dov Epstein on the ABC crime drama Rookie
Blue.
In 2012, he earned his directing stripes on one of the episodes, and he was hooked.
Most recently Smith has directed several episodes of the medical drama, Saving Hope.
Though he ditched the floppy locks, Smith has kept the baby face.
And fans should still recognize that Sport-like smirk from his Harriet days.
Charlotte Sullivan
Marion Hawthorne was the quintessential mean girl in Harriet the Spy.
As the ringleader of the spy catchers, and the thief who maliciously blabbed all of Harriet's
secrets to the world, there wasn't much to like about Marion.
Harriet, sit over there! Until we decide what to do with you.
But actress Charlotte Sullivan didn't let that bully reputation stop her.
She landed several small parts after Harriet, and in 2010 she landed a leading role alongside
Gregory Smith as Gail Peck on Rookie Blue.
Then in 2017 she earned a recurring role as a bone marrow transplant patient on the NBC
drama, Chicago Fire.
Rosie O'Donnell
Every preteen girl needs an Ole Golly, and Rosie O'Donnell's warm-but-firm portrayal
of Harriet's nanny is spot on.
O'Donnell brought a maternal warmth to the character, and since her own real-life mother
died when she was 10, maybe O'Donnell could identify with the nurturing needs of a young
girl like Harriet.
By the time she landed her role as Golly, O'Donnell was already in the prime of her
film career, due in part to her breakout role in A League of Their Own.
"What are you looking at?"
Yea, what are you looking at?
"Nothing."
"That's right, nothing."
After Harriet, however, her movie career slowed, and her biggest movie credit was as the voice
of Terk in Disney's animated version of Tarzan.
Instead, O'Donnell took off in the television arena and racked up hosting awards on The
Rosie O'Donnell Show.
She stayed in the talk show world for decades, but her Rosie O'Donnell Show days were a cheery
walk in the park compared to her seething political rants on The View.
She's now a mother of five, and is probably best known for her LGBTQ advocacy, as well
has her heated media battles with Donald Trump.
But 90s kids will forever remember her gently reciting poetry in her red coat and hat as
Ole Golly.
Eugene Lipinski
At first Ole Golly's boyfriend, George was a source of suspicion for Harriet.
Ol' George was seen "stealing" produce from his employer, and Harriet wasn't a fan of
the fact that he was taking Golly's attention.
But fans quickly learned to love George and his heart of gold.
He loved Golly, he took Harriet out for some fun, and we later learned he wasn't stealing
any veggies, but giving them to a struggling family.
He became one of the unsung, beloved characters of Harriet's story.
But actor Eugene Lipinski only stayed sweet for so long.
After Harriet, he went on to play the creepy insect-eating Mr. Mortman, and the voice of
Rocky the dummy in R.L. Stein's Goosebumps series.
Lipinski actually has a lengthy list of film and TV credits, including appearances on TV
shows like Animorphs and Fringe.
But while his roles have changed, his looks really haven't.
He still looks like the same ol' George to us, after all these years.
Harriet forever
Harriet the Spy is one of those movies that will forever be tucked in the memories of
90s kids everywhere, flickering to life when we see a yellow raincoat or feel the need
to jot down our secrets in a notebook.
Harriet had kids across the country spying the wonder and magic of their everyday lives.
How many fans still get the urge to chug a bubbly bottle of Squirt or wear those classic
comfy sneakers even today?
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