It's been decades since little Bastian Bux dove into The NeverEnding Story, but it's
a fantasy film that still resonates with families today. What's become of the cast members still
with us? Here's what the cast of The NeverEnding Story is up to now.
Former child star Barret Oliver is now a photographic historian who specializes in 19th Century
photographic technology and literally wrote the book on the so-called "Woodburytype" printing
process of that era. Oliver got his big Hollywood break by way of playing the curious scamp
Bastian Bux in The NeverEnding Story, but he went on to claim starring roles in Tim
Burton's 1984 short film Frankenweenie, 1985's family sci-fi film D.A.R.Y.L., and Ron Howard's
Cocoon, along with its 1988 sequel.
"Mom, I do not need to see a shrink. They're not dead."
Oliver stepped away from the spotlight to pursue his more academic interests after 1989's
Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. However, his experience appearing in
front of the cameras has since come in handy, since he starred in the short film about his
craft, called In the Usual Manner.
Atreyu was something of a comeback kid in The NeverEnding Story; he endured the depressing
death of his horse and still managed to battle back the forces of existential destruction.
His real-life counterpart, Noah Hathaway, seems to share that resilience. The actor
has returned to Hollywood after nearly 20 years away from the spotlight.
"I'm blown away by the response, still, 35 years later."
Hathaway had already made something of a name for himself before he became the fabled hero
of the movie, his prior credits included 1978's Battlestar Galactica and its TV follow-up,
as well as appearances on a slew of popular '80s programs.
However, he quit the business after starring in 1986's Troll because, he told The News
Tribune, he, quote, "just wanted to drop off the radar and be a regular human being." After
his career as a child star, Hathaway worked in finance and tattoo artistry, and decided
to return to the business in 2012 when he landed a role in the noir thriller Sushi Girl.
He has since been at work writing his own screenplays.
Deep Roy has had a long and fruitful career in show business. The Kenyan-born actor, who
played the snail-riding Teeny Weeny in The NeverEnding Story, might actually be better
known for his parts in other TV and film roles, like Mr. Soggy Bottom in Big Fish, or the
Oompa Loompas in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Although Roy was almost
a decade into his career before he starred in The NeverEnding Story, it was one of his
first big film roles.
German actor Tilo Prückner would hardly be recognizable to those who saw him in The NeverEnding
Story, since so much makeup work went into becoming his character, the Night Hob. However,
Prückner has been acting in films and television for decades and has over 200 credits to his
name, since he got his start all the way back in the late '60s. Most of his work has been
on the European circuit and The NeverEnding Story was no exception to that rule, as it
was filmed primarily in director Wolfgang Petersen's native Germany.
Gerald McRaney's turn as Bastian's dad in The NeverEnding Story was brief, but the actor
has enjoyed a lot more screen time in his subsequent projects. McRaney had developed
quite a small-screen résumé before landing the small supporting role in the movie, and
he's since continued to thrive on television. Most notably, he starred in Simon & Simon
for eight seasons before becoming the titular father figure in the hit sitcom Major Dad.
He also enjoyed regular roles on prestige shows such as Deadwood and House of Cards
before appearing as part of the ensemble cast of the NBC drama This Is Us in 2016.
The Childlike Empress might have relied on the boys in her life to give her a name, but
Tami Stronach has no such identity crisis. The actress had no screen experience to speak
of when she nabbed the role, and she explained to Slashfilm it was actually something of
a "fluke" that she was offered the movie in the first place. Although she's had a few
other credits since, Stronach's current occupation and passion is professional dancing. She studied
dance in college and graduate school and now runs her own company in New York. Her decision
to pursue a mostly non-Hollywood life was intentional. She told the site,
"I made a decision that I would throw myself into dance and that if I really missed acting,
I would return to it as an adult when I was in charge of my life and I wasn't upsetting
my parents, who both had really active full careers and couldn't just give over all their
time to pursue being my manager. So that's what I did and I ended up dancing for 20 years
professionally in New York."
You never see his face, but what about the guy who did Falkor's voice? The voice actor
responsible for most of The NeverEnding Story's most memorable non-human characters, including
Falkor and The Rockbiter, was Alan Oppenheimer, who's had an illustrious career in front of
the mic and the camera. His on-screen appearances include an Emmy-nominated guest role on Murphy
Brown, but you probably know him best as the voice of Skeletor from He-Man and the Masters
of the Universe.
"You are a wimp scientist, when you could be a wimp villain!"
As of the making of this video, Oppenheimer is 90 years old, with the voice of "Old Timer"
in Toy Story 4 as his most recent voice credit.
Thomas Hill, who portrayed the all-knowing librarian Carl Conrad Coreander in The NeverEnding
Story and its 1990 sequel, made a number of TV and film appearances throughout the course
of his career; most notably, his turn as Jim Dixon in Newhart. Like several NeverEnding
Story cast members, Hill is unfortunately no longer with us, having passed away in 2009
at the age of 81.
Actor Moses Gunn was already a critically acclaimed actor before he suited up as the
empress' champion Cairon in The NeverEnding Story. The actor transcended genre to work
in projects ranging from Roots to Little House on the Prairie to Shaft, and his career continued
to thrive until he passed away in 1993 at the age of 64.
By the time Sydney Bromley starred as the punchy gnome scientist Engywook and helped
Atreyu pass through the Riddle Gate to reach the Southern Oracle, he was already four decades
into his career. The actor, who'd previously appeared in minor roles in Dragonslayer, An
American Werewolf in London, and many, many other films and TV shows, would count The
NeverEnding Story as one of his final film projects. Bromley passed away in 1987 at the
age of 78.
Urgl, the other cantankerous gnome who helps guide Atreyu on his journey, was played by
Patricia Hayes, a prolific British actress who'd been working in the business for almost
50 years prior to making the movie. Her notable credits included A Fish Called Wanda, Willow,
and Till Death Do Us Part. Hayes passed away in 1998 at the age of 88.
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