It never reached the same heights as the likes of "Star Trek" and "Star Wars," but "Stargate"
still managed to carve out a place for itself in the sci-fi genre. Where is the cast today,
and how much have they changed over the decades? Let's take a look.
Playing the part of hyper-intelligent Egyptologist Dr. Daniel Jackson,
James Spader originated the role that was taken up by Michael Shanks on "Stargate
SG-1". It's Spader's character that unlocks the secrets of the Stargate,
deciphering some hieroglyphics that turn out to be coordinates based on the constellations. He agrees
to accompany Kurt Russell's Colonel Jack O'Neill and his men through the wormhole he helped open,
stepping onto an arid planet ruled by the Egyptian god Ra, who is actually an ancient alien.
Spader broke out almost a decade before "Stargate," putting in a scene-stealing
performance as elitist bully Steff in John Hughes' classic "Pretty in Pink." He was in
danger of being typecast as a silver-spoon brat in the '80s, but he proved his versatility the
following decade. After "Stargate," Spader starred in David Cronenberg's kinky thriller "Crash," and,
more recently, he voiced the titular villain in "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
Nowadays, he's best known for his TV work, having played Raymond "Red" Reddington on
NBC's "The Blacklist" since 2013. The show got delayed during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020,
which allowed him to spend some quality time with his youngest son.
"We'd go out and line up beer cans
on the big rock out on the far end of the garden and shoot at them with BB guns."
The character Ra has been featured in numerous pieces of "Stargate" media over the years.
The androgynous Egyptian god showed up in episodes of "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Origins,"
and also played a part in direct-to-DVD movie "Stargate:
Continuum." Ra's most iconic appearance is in the first "Stargate" movie, however,
and that's largely down to the mesmerizing Jaye Davidson, a dressmaker who got close to
tasting Oscar glory after being spotted by a film scout in a bar one night.
Despite not being an actor by trade, Davidson was cast as the transgender character Dil in
1992's "The Crying Game" two years before his involvement in "Stargate". The film was
nominated for Best Picture the following year, and Davidson was up for Best Supporting Actor.
The Oscar buzz made Davidson an overnight star, and the pressure quickly became too much for him.
He decided to quit acting, but when the part of Ra came along and the studio agreed to pay him a
million dollars, he gave it another go. Davidson turned in yet another terrific performance as Ra
in what would be his last major appearance. After appearing in the movie "Jiggery Pokery",
he promptly returned to his first love: fashion.
Indian-American character actor Erick Avari has one of those faces that you've definitely seen
before, though you're not entirely sure where. In "Stargate," he plays village elder Kasuf,
who welcomes the explorers warmly when they arrive. He's particularly fond of James Spader's
Dr. Jackson, who unknowingly agrees to take his daughter's hand in marriage. Avari is one of the
few who went on to reprise his "Stargate" role, playing Kasuf in three seasons of "Stargate SG-1".
Avari stuck with "Stargate" director Roland Emmerich after making his debut as Kasuf,
following him onto his next big sci-fi epic, "Independence Day," in which he popped up briefly
as a scientist. He landed a far more substantial role in the Brendan Fraser-led action adventure
"The Mummy" a few years later, appearing as Dr. Terrence Bey, curator of the Cairo Museum of
Antiquities and boss of Rachel Weisz's character Evelyn Carnahan. He also played an ill-fated
human in Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes," a lawyer in Adam Sandler comedy "Mr. Deeds,"
and a hot dog cart vendor in Richard Gere's "Hachi: A Dog's Tale," among many other roles.
Video game fans will no doubt recognize Avari's distinctive tones from 2014's "Destiny"
and 2017's "Destiny 2," in which he voiced Master Rahool. In his most recent role,
he played mysterious biblical figure Nicodemus in "The Chosen,"
a crowdfunded TV series about the life of Jesus Christ.
Kasuf's daughter Sha'uri — the one who gets offered up to Dr. Daniel Jackson — was played by
Israeli actor Mili Avital. The unlikely pair fall for each other as they battle Ra, and when his
rule comes to an end, Jackson opts to stay behind on the newly liberated planet. If you cut out the
part where Sha'uri is basically given away as a gift, it's a fairytale ending done sci-fi style.
Avital was a newcomer in Hollywood when she scored her "Stargate" role.
It was just her third appearance on the big screen, and, despite the mixed reviews,
the film opened doors for her. She worked tirelessly in the latter part of the 1990s,
appearing in no less than nine movies between 1995 and 2000. Her most notable credits from
the time include the Jim Jarmusch Western "Dead Man," in which she played a former sex worker,
and the rom-com "Kissing a Fool," in which she has to choose between David Schwimmer and Jason Lee.
She spent time in Morocco and Turkey working on ABC's lavish miniseries "Arabian Nights,"
then returned to Israel to continue her career at home. She still pops up on American screens every
now and again, however, most recently in a 2015 episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Alexis Cruz plays Skaara, Kasuf's son. He is heavily involved in the uprising against Ra,
but his most memorable scenes are the ones shared with Kurt Russell's Captain O'Neill,
who is still grieving the loss of his child when we enter the "Stargate" story.
Spending time with Skaara — who, in turn, sees the captain as something
of a father figure — helps him do some healing while on the mission.
Cruz made his movie debut in 1987's "The Pick-up Artist," a rom-com starring Robert Downey Jr. and
Molly Ringwald. "Stargate" was the biggest opportunity of his then-fledgling career,
and his time in the franchise remains the thing he's best known for. He has, however,
proven himself to be a versatile performer over the years. He's appeared in movies like "Why Do
Fools Fall in Love" and Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell," and he's plied his trade on a number
of big TV shows, including "ER" and "American Family." He's been busy in recent years, both in
his personal and professional life — he welcomed a son in 2019, returned to TV in an episode of Anna
Kendrick's HBO series "Love Life" in 2020, and, in 2021, he guest starred on CBS procedural "FBI."
Benin born model and actor Djimon Hounsou is pretty well-known these days,
but back when he appeared as Ra's guard Horus in "Stargate," he was still relatively unknown.
He began his career in music videos, acting in Tina Turner's "I Don't Wanna Lose You,"
En Vogue's "Hold On," and Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)."
"Stargate" was his first feature film, and while it wasn't the one that made him a star,
Hounsou didn't have to wait very long afterwards to break into the mainstream.
The West African newcomer was in three films in 1997, one of which earned him a Golden Globe
nod. He didn't get nominated for an Oscar for his turn as slave revolt leader Joseph Cinque
in Steven Spielberg's "Amistad," but the historical drama put him firmly on
Hollywood's radar. Hounsou would receive his arguably overdue recognition from the
Academy for later appearances in 2002's "In America" and 2006's "Blood Diamond,"
being considered in the Best Supporting Actor category for both pictures.
"You are a good boy, who loves soccer and school."
In recent years, Hounsou has become a regular in the superhero genre, working on numerous
Marvel projects. After voicing T'Challa in the animated "Black Panther" miniseries,
he appeared as Korath in "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Captain Marvel," a role he'll reprise in the
animated Disney+ series "What If...?" He's got some DC characters on his resume, too.
Hounsou played Midnight in "Constantine," King Ricou in "Aquaman," and the Wizard in "Shazam!"
Character actor Leon Rippy played the role of commanding officer Lieutenant General W. O. West,
the man in charge when Dr. Jackson discovers how to operate the ancient Stargate portal.
The South Carolina native was already a favorite of Emmerich's when the filmmaker
started casting for "Stargate," having appeared in his previous films "Moon 44" and "Universal
Soldier." He would go on to appear in three more of Emmerich's movies: "The Patriot,"
"The Thirteenth Floor", and the wacky monster horror extravaganza "Eight Legged Freaks".
Rippy has only appeared in a handful of movies since then, the most notable being
Gore Verbinski's "The Lone Ranger". He is better known for his TV work today, having recurred on
shows like "Deadwood," "Saving Grace", and the Stephen King adaptation "Under the Dome." He
reunited with "Stargate" co-star James Spader when he joined the cast of "The Blacklist" in 2016,
and, in a more recent credit, reprised his "Deadwood" role in a TV movie of the same name.
He would get famous playing the idiotic Harry Solomon on "3rd Rock from the Sun," but funnyman
French Stewart had a pivotal role in "Stargate" before he was a sitcom star. The actor made his
feature film debut in Roland Emmerich's sci-fi adventure, playing Lieutenant Ferretti. He's left
in charge of the second unit when the soldiers arrive, though he's forced to retreat into the
temple of Ra during a massive sandstorm, which, of course, turns out to be a big mistake. The men
under Ferretti's command are taken down by Ra's guards one by one, before he himself is captured.
Stewart made his debut as Harry Solomon on "3rd Rock from the Sun" in 1996
and would remain on the show until it wrapped in 2001. He went on to become a dependable TV actor,
appearing in the likes of "That '70s Show," "Ally McBeal," "Bones," "MadTV," "Community,"
and even "Stargate Universe," in which he played a new character, Dr. Andrew Covel.
He went on to play Principal Cameron on ABC's "The Middle," but in recent years he's become
known for the CBS sitcom "Mom," appearing as Chef Rudy in dozens of episodes. He's also
in Michael Lembeck's retirement home comedy "Queen Bees," scheduled for release in 2021.
It wouldn't be sci-fi without some members of the exploration party being picked off by the enemy,
and that was the fate of Derek Webster's Lieutenant Brown in "Stargate."
He's with Jackson and O'Neill when they make contact with the locals,
and he even gets to sample some local food before he's killed by one of Ra's guards.
Webster made his debut playing a bodyguard in 1981's "Enter the Ninja," a low-budget martial
arts flick. He then appeared in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" a year or so before "Stargate,"
showing up in a 1993 episode as Lieutenant Sanders. He became a go-to character actor
for Roland Emmerich after "Stargate," joining him on "Independence Day" to
play the pilot of the helicopter that gets blown up during Operation Welcome Wagon,
mankind's ill-fated attempt at communicating with the alien invaders. After this role, he joined up
with Emmerich again for "Godzilla" in which he captains the nuclear-powered submarine USS Utah.
He established himself as a solid TV actor in the 2000s
with roles in the likes of "Nip/Tuck," and "CSI: Miami," and he's still active today.
Webster played DA Jackson Holt on "Ray Donovan" between 2016 and 2017, and in
2020 he returned to the "Star Trek" franchise as a Romulan guard in "Star Trek: Picard."
As Colonel Jack O'Neill's right hand man, John Diehl's Lieutenant Kawalsky helps keep
the team together when they are ambushed by Ra's guards and taken captive aboard
his ship. Diehl was an experienced character actor long before he appeared in "Stargate,"
having established himself in the early 1980s. He actually shared the screen with Kurt Russell
in his second movie appearance, playing a punk in John Carpenter's "Escape From
New York." He went on to recur as Detective Larry Zito on "Miami Vice" and appear in Joel
Schumacher's "The Client" before Roland Emmerich cast him in his sci-fi epic.
Diehl has been seen in numerous feature films since "Stargate,"
usually in a smaller or supporting role. He's worked on everything from "Jurassic
Park III" to Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor". In recent years, he's taken to old-guy roles,
growing out his grey beard for the likes of the ranch-set Western "Out of the Wild",
in which he played an alcoholic cowboy looking for redemption. His other notable television
credits include "Snowfall", "Castlerock", and "The Shield", among many others.
The actor that plays the lead role of Colonel Jack O'Neill in "Stargate" really needs no
introduction. Massachusetts native Kurt Russell began his career as a child actor,
signing a contract with Disney after impressing with his performance in 1966's "Follow Me, Boys!"
Walt Disney reportedly dealt with the contract personally and would remain a big fan of the
young star up until Disney's death. He was already well known when he took on the role of special ops
expert Jack O'Neill years later, having fronted the likes of John Carpenter's "Escape From
New York," "Big Trouble in Little China," and "Tombstone," in which he portrayed Wyatt Earp.
After "Stargate", Russell continued to establish himself as one of Hollywood's most reliable
actors. He experienced what the Toronto Sun described as, quote, "a spectacular career
revival" following his turn as a brutal bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight"
in 2015. He subsequently appeared in a number of big films, most notably "Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2" in which he played Star-Lord's villainous father Ego the Living Planet. More
recently, Russell has starred as Santa Claus in Netflix's popular "Christmas Chronicles" movies,
and he reunited with Tarantino for "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood,"
playing stunt coordinator Randy Miller.
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