Did Baby ever find her way out of the corner? Whatever happened to Baby's
sister? And who was the most surprising breakout star of "Dirty Dancing"?
After "Dirty Dancing," Jennifer Grey was poised to be the next "it girl" in Hollywood.
However, she soon became virtually unrecognizable following two nose jobs,
the second of which was only done to correct problems resulting from the first.
Of the surgeries and their aftermath, Grey told The Washington Post in 1999,
"I decided to make fun of this, to make my fiasco become my reality. After all,
it's not cancer, and it's absurd that just a nose job could wreak such havoc."
Despite her dramatically altered appearance, Grey continued to work,
and landed several small roles in the early and mid 2000s. Then Grey was approached to appear
on "Dancing with the Stars," a gig which required a physical. She told People that,
during the physical, doctors discovered spinal injuries that required two surgeries.
"I said, 'Can I do "Dancing with the Stars"?' He said, 'No,
you can't do "Dancing with the Stars." You shouldn't be driving in a car.'"
Her surgeon then made the revelation that a lump she'd been told was benign
was actually cancerous, leading to two more surgeries. Finally cancer-free and healthy,
Grey not only appeared on "Dancing with the Stars," but won the whole thing.
Now, Grey is ready to share the parts of her life the media has only been
able to speculate about before in a memoir called "Out of the Corner."
Playing Penny in "Dirty Dancing" may not have been the first role Cynthia Rhodes
took in the '80s, but it's undoubtedly the one for which she's best known. But,
shortly after "Dirty Dancing" was released in 1987, Rhodes disappeared from Hollywood entirely,
choosing instead to focus on life as a wife and mother.
In 1989, Rhodes married pop singer Richard Marx and officially retired
to raise the couple's three children. Her final role before retirement was in
1991's "Curse of the Crystal Eye." Rhodes and Marx divorced in 2014,
but the former "Dirty Dancing" star has managed to stay completely out of the public eye.
Baby's sister Lisa spent most of "Dirty Dancing" trying to win Robbie's affections,
and preparing her song and dance number for the end of season show
at the resort. Actress Jane Brucker told Australia's "The Morning Show" in 2019,
"The budget wouldn't allow for the planned song, which was from 'South Pacific.'"
As a result, she was told the talent show scene was going to be cut unless
she wanted to write something. So, she wrote the lyrics for the song she sang in the movie,
and still holds the copyright. As she told the Mirror of the song,
"It's made me more money than I got paid to do the movie."
Much like her co-star Cynthia Rhodes, Brucker stepped away from Hollywood
after "Dirty Dancing" to raise her children. However, in February 2022,
Brucker appeared as a guest judge on the Fox dancing competition "The Real Dirty Dancing,"
in which celebrity contestants learn dances from the iconic movie.
"And it was dirty as anything."
Kelly Bishop brought Baby's mother to life in "Dirty Dancing." However,
fans might be surprised to learn that Bishop was originally meant to play the smaller role
of Vivian Pressman. When she arrived on set to play Vivian, she was offered the role of
Baby's mother instead. She agreed to the larger part, telling the National Post,
"What was good about the role was that I'd always played the other woman, that character I was cast
for originally, and this changed me into more of a mom, which broadened my outlook a little bit."
Bishop took that newfound motherly role and ran with it. She is, of course, now best known for
playing family matriarch Emily Gilmore on "Gilmore Girls," which has got to be fate.
After Kelly Bishop was offered the role of Baby's mother in "Dirty
Dancing," the role of Vivian Pressman went to assistant choreographer Miranda Garrison.
Garrison has fond memories of making the movie, and told Female First in 2008 ,
"We original 'Dirty Dance People' contributed so much
of our personal life stories to this film. This 'collective' story-telling
has become an enormous validation of our youth and artistic philosophy."
Since her work on "Dirty Dancing," Garrison has served as the choreographer for dozens
of movies and television shows. Plus, she's worked with huge pop stars like
Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, which is more than a little impressive.
Despite being a relatively small part, Lonny Price was extremely memorable as
resort heir Neil Kellerman who had his sights set on Baby. He may not have gotten the girl,
but actor Price has since found triple success as a director of television,
film, and stage. Discussing his decision to move away from acting, Price told Backstage in 2019,
"I was limited by my physicality and constantly playing short,
bald Jews who were either nerds or accountants. I thought I had more to
say and the roles that were coming my way were less and less interesting."
Clearly, the career change worked out,
as Broadway World calls Lonny a "legendary" actor and director.
Johnny's cousin Billy, played by Neal Jones, thought he had a chance with Baby
when she helped him carry his watermelons. Alas, it was not meant to be. Though "Dirty
Dancing" was Jones' first credited role, it certainly wasn't his last.
Throughout the '90s and 2000s, Jones was all over our screens, in films like "G.I.
Jane" and "The Devil's Advocate," and shows such as "Law & Order" and "Criminal Minds."
Jones has flown under the radar more recently. His last project was a 15-minute short in 2011.
In a 2008 interview with Hobo Trashcan, Jones revealed that he was interested in directing TV
and film in the future, so maybe we'll see some more of his work in the near future.
Wayne Knight
Wayne Knight's role in "Dirty Dancing" was an admittedly small one as Stan,
the events coordinator and resident comedian of Kellerman's.
"And for being such a good sport, here you go."
However, it helped set the stage for his later, more iconic roles.
After his quirky portrayal of Stan, he landed roles in films like "JFK" and "Jurassic
Park," along with his long-running portrayal of Newman on "Seinfeld."
The decades since "Dirty Dancing" have seen Knight become a huge star of television,
film, and voice acting, and he's racked up more credits to his name than any
other "Dirty Dancing" actor. Nobody puts Stan in the corner, evidently.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more List videos about your favorite movies are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.