11 Other ’80s Stars We’d Like to See on ‘Stranger Things’
Stranger Things is a blast from the past for viewers of Gen X age and older: Not only is the hit Netflix series set in the 1980s, but it also has ’80s stars on its roster.
For example, cast members (of varying significance on the show) include Heathers’ Winona Ryder, Full Metal Jacket’s Matthew Modine, The Goonies’ Sean Astin, The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes, Beverly Hills Cop’s Paul Reiser, and A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Robert Englund.
And now that we know that Terminator heroine Linda Hamilton is joining Season 5, we’re daydreaming about other ‘80s fixtures whose screen careers can take a turn for the Stranger…
Karen Allen
‘80s roles: Allen played Marion Ravenwood in 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jenny Hayden in 1984’s Starman, and Claire Phillips in 1988’s Scrooged.
More recently: Allen guest-starred in the TV show 50 States of Fright in 2020, and she once again plays Marion in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
Michael Biehn
‘80s roles: Biehn, like Hamilton, is an alum of 1984’s The Terminator, and his other movies that decade include 1986’s Aliens and 1989’s The Abyss.
More recently: So far in the 2020s, Biehn has guest-starred on The Mandalorian, The Walking Dead, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Lisa Bonet
‘80s roles: Bonet originated the role of Denise Huxtable on TV’s The Cosby Show in 1984 and then took the character to the spinoff series A Different World in 1987.
More recently: Bonet recurred on the TV show The Red Road between 2014 and 2015 — alongside future husband Jason Momoa, from whom she’s now separated — and recurred on Ray Donovan in 2016.
Danny Glover
‘80s roles: Glover started starring as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon franchise with the first movie in 1987 and the second in 1989. He also appeared in 1985’s Witness and The Color Purple.
More recently: The actor appeared in the 2019 film Jumanji: The Next Level and guest-starred in a 2020 episode of Black-ish. He also has a cameo in the new show I’m a Virgo.
Noah Hathaway
‘80s roles: Hathaway is best known for starring as Atreyu in 1984’s The NeverEnding Story (the theme song for which Dustin and Suzie sang in Stranger Things’ Season 3 finale).
More recently: Hathaway got back in character as Atreyu in a 2016 Spotify commercial, and he has a role in this year’s independent film Dick Dynamite 1944.
Christopher Lloyd
‘80s roles: Lloyd starred as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future film series and as Iggy Ignatowski in the TV show Taxi.
More recently: Lloyd popped up in episodes of The Mandalorian and A Million Little Things this year, and he’s still voicing the Hacker in the long-running children’s TV show Cyberchase.
Mia Sara
‘80s roles: Sara starred as Princess Lili in 1985’s Legend and made a breakthrough the following year as Sloane Peterson in the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
More recently: Sara hasn’t acted on screen in the decade, having turned toward writing and publishing work in The Superstition Review, The Summerset Review, and other publications.
Mr. T
‘80s roles: Pity the fool who doesn’t remember Mr. T as B.A. Baracus in the 1983–87 TV series The A-Team or as Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III.
More recently: Mr. T competed in Season 24 of Dancing With the Stars… but got eliminated third.
Henry Thomas
‘80s roles: Thomas played the (human) lead in 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, one of the highest-grossing films of all time when adjusted for inflation.
More recently: The actor is a favorite of TV writer Mike Flanagan, starring in his recent series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass.
Billy Dee Williams
‘80s roles: Williams is best known for his role in the Star Wars films, having played Lando Calrissian in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
More recently: Williams returned to the role of Lando in 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Sean Young
‘80s roles: Young played Rachael in 1982’s Blade Runner, Chani in 1984’s Dune, and Kate in 1987’s Wall Street.
More recently: Young reprised the role of Rachael in 2017’s Blade Runner 2049, and she recurred in the TV show The Alienist the following year.
