‘Perfect Strangers’ Ended 30 Years Ago: What Did the Sitcom’s Cast Do Next?
Mypos isn’t an actual Mediterranean isle, but try telling that to Balki (Bronson Pinchot), the shepherd-turned-immigrant of Perfect Strangers — or to Larry (Mark Linn-Baker), his bemused American cousin!
During the ABC sitcom’s eight-season run, Larry’s new Myposian family member arrives in America (“home of the Whopper”), moves in with him, and follows him to work, first at the discount store below their apartment (where their boss is the mean-spirited Twinkacetti, played by Ernie Sabella), then at the Chicago Chronicle, where they meet Lydia (Belita Moreno), Sam (Sam Anderson), and Harriette (Jo Marie Payton). And along the way, they fall in love with flight-attendant neighbors Mary Anne (Rebeca Arthur) and Jennifer (Melanie Wilson).
Perfect Strangers’ series finale aired on August 6, 1993, by which point the spinoff Family Matters was already off to the races. So where has the original show’s cast been since? Check out the photo gallery below to find out.
Bronson Pinchot (Balki Bartokomous)
Pinchot kept up his TV career after Perfect Strangers — appearing in the sitcom Step by Step for example — and took roles in films including Courage Under Fire and The First Wives Club. He also hosted a DIY renovation show called The Bronson Pinchot Project.
Mark Linn-Baker (Larry Appleton)
Linn-Baker moved on to guest spots on shows like Ally McBeal and Law & Order and a supporting role on the short-lived sitcom Twins. He also played himself on The Leftovers. More recently, he recurred as Morris Walters on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Melanie Wilson (Jennifer Lyons)
Wilson guest-starred on Family Matters and Step by Step after Perfect Strangers, co-wrote the 2002 movie Just a Dream, and started work as a unit publicist for TV projects. Her last on-screen acting credit was the 2009 Lifetime movie Prayers for Bobby.
Rebeca Arthur (Mary Anne Spencer)
Arthur moved on with appearances in the film Get Shorty and on the TV show Grace Under Fire and a voice role in the video game Afterlife. As of 2021, she had a foundation that donates clothing to those affected by natural disasters, as she told Allegany Magazine.
Belita Moreno (Lydia Markham)
Moreno starred in all six seasons of the 2000s sitcom George Lopez, playing Benny Lopez, the titular character’s mother. She has also worked as an acting coach on numerous Hollywood projects, including Jerry Maguire and The Parent Trap.
Sam Anderson (Sam Gorpley)
After Perfect Strangers, Anderson recurred as Holland Manners on Angel, Dr. Jack Kayson on ER, Bernard Nadler on Lost, and Lee Paxton on Justified. More recently, he guest starred on How to Get Away With Murder and Station 19.
Jo Marie Payton (Harriette Winslow)
Payton went on to star on the Perfect Strangers spinoff Family Matters, playing Harriette across all nine seasons of the latter. She later voiced Suga Mama on the Disney Channel series The Proud Family, a role she reprises on Disney+’s The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
Ernie Sabella (Donald Twinkacetti)
Sabella’s biggest claim to fame these days is voicing warthog Pumbaa in the Lion King franchise, starting with the 1994 animated hit and continuing on in the Disney Channel series The Lion Guard. The actor has also hit Broadway in productions of Chicago, Sweet Charity, and Curtains.
