It has been 26 years since the Walt Disney film 101 Dalmatians was released and the classic hit still claims its title as one of the most beloved children’s movies of all time.
Based on 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, the film is set in the English capital in the 1970s and tells the story of a wealthy fashion designer, who develops a penchant for Dalmatian skin and aims to turn the puppies’ fur into a coat.
The success of the movie is of course thanks to the adorable slew of spotted pups that entertained viewers, but the movie would not have made waves without the memorable performance of such a stellar cast.
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Featuring a host of iconic Hollywood stars, the faces from the film have gone on to star in other major blockbuster hits.
Let’s take a look at the cast and where they are now…
Glenn Close
Close portrayed Cruella De Vil in two live-action films, first in 1996's 101 Dalmatians, then the sequel, 102 Dalmatians, in 2000.
Cruella’s signature black and white hair, eccentric fashion sense and classic cigarette holder no doubt brought the character to life.
The actress, 75, was already big in Hollywood with a long list of credited works even before landing this role.
The actress has snagged seven Oscar nominations and is the most-nominated actress with no Academy Award win in history.
What fans may not know, is that the star is a passionate activist and often campaigns for women’s right and same-sex marriage and mental health.
Glenn was honoured with a GLAAD Media Award in 2002 for promoting equal rights among the LGBT community and volunteered and produced a documentary for Puppies Behind Bars, an organization that provides service dogs for wounded war veterans.
The star’s private life has been rocky, having been married three times, all of which ended in divorce.
Speaking of her failed relationships, Glenn shared that it was only within recent years that she felt whole by herself. She told USA Today: “It’s taken me a long time to know that what’s really important is whoever you’re with, if you’re going to be with somebody, you have to be able to express and absolutely revel in your own abilities — and in your own power.”
Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels played Roger Dearly in the film but was already a known actor beforehand with movies that include Terms of Endearment, Something Wild and Dumb and Dumber.
The actor currently lives in his hometown of Chelsea, Michigan with his college sweetheart, Kathleen Rosemary Treado and their three children, Benjamin, Lucas, and Nellie.
Jeff founded the Purple Rose Theatre Company in Michigan and has written and recorded six full-length albums with proceeds benefitting the company.
The theatre provides resources for training actors, playwrights, and other theatre artists.
In 2022, the actor received a bizarre tribute when a tarantula-killing worm was named after him to honour his role in Arachnophobia.
Researchers decided to name the worm after Daniels as a nod to his role as Dr. Ross Jennings in the 1990 film, in which his character saves a Californian town from a spider infestation.
“When I first heard a new species of nematode had been named after me, I thought, ‘Why? Is there a resemblance?’” Daniels said in a press release at the time.
“Honestly, I was honoured by their homage to me and Arachnophobia. Made me smile,” he added. “And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.”
Joely Richardson
Joely Richardson, who played Anita Campbell-Green-Dearly in the hit movie, had acting in her blood since the beginning. Her parents were director Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave.
Joely hit the headlines when she has a scandalous affair with producer Archie Stirling, who left his wife – Diana Rigg – for Joely, then went crawling back.
The star secretly married Tom Bevan in 1991 but she was left devastated when he left her for a younger woman.
She also had a fling with Jamie Theakston and after some party antics and sexy red carpet appearance found herself officially labelled Britain's new It Girl.
Speaking about the label, she told The Guardian: “I felt let down that no one was writing about my work, everyone was just going on about this It-Girl tag, and I don't even drink now, and don't do drugs, and so the tag, although vaguely fun and amusing on one level, still sits really uncomfortably.”
Joely, 57, still continues to forge a hugely successful acting career, having appeared most recently in the film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the remake of Endless Love and The Turning.
Joan Plowright
Joan Plowright had several films and on-stage performances in her career until she was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1970 and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2004.
Joan was devastated when she suffered a miscarriage between her first and second children shortly after wrapping up 101 Dalmatians.
Joan is the Mother-in-law of actor Simon Dutton, who is married to her daughter Tamsin Olivier. Simon has starred in many TV hits including an appearance in Doctor Who.
Plowright, who is now 93-year-old,suffered a steady decline in her vision during the late 2000s and early 2010s due to macular degeneration.
In 2014, she officially announced her retirement from acting because she had become completely blind.
Mark Williams
Mark Williams played Horace in 101 Dalmatians and has since appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
He made recurring appearances as Brian Williams in the BBC television series Doctor Who and as Olaf Petersen in Red Dwarf.
In addition to acting, Mark has provided voiceover work for a number of projects.
These include Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, BBC series Merlin and Aardman's Early Man.
His voice has also been used for Harry Potter games, where he's provided the voice for his character Arthur Weasley
Hugh Laurie
Hugh Laurie played the role of Jasper in the film but is most known for his role as Dr. Gregory House in the television series House, which became the most-watched show on television in 2008.
He received two Golden Globe Awards and many other accolades for the role, and was listed in the 2011 Guinness World Records as the most watched leading man on television and was one of the highest-paid actors in a television drama, earning £250,000 per episode.
Hugh went on a three-year hiatus after the show’s finale saying: “You know, we have done 170 episodes now, I think. That’s about 50-60 feature films worth. You want a break, you really do.”
Hugh pursued his musical passion as a vocalist and keyboard player for the Los Angeles charity rock group Band From TV.
While appearing on Inside the Actors Studio in 2006, he discussed his struggles with severe clinical depression.
He told host James Lipton that he first concluded he had a problem whilst driving in a charity demolition derby, during which he realised that seeing two cars collide and explode made him feel bored rather than excited or frightened; he quipped that "boredom is not an appropriate response to exploding cars".
As of 2006 he was having regular sessions with a psychotherapist.
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