After its premiere at Cannes Film Festival in 1987, Dirty Dancing went on to earn over $214 million worldwide and has become one of the classics when it comes to romantic comedies. What distinguishes it from the other movies is the combination of the popular trope of forbidden love, two amazingly good-looking actors, a lot of professional dancing, and a storytelling that works.

35 years have passed since the release of the movie, and while many romance and dance movies have released since then, very few have reached icon status the way Dirty Dancing has. Even now, per The Ringer, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” immediately brings to mind Jennifer Grey being lifted by Patrick Swayze. Indeed, Grey and Swayze’s careers reached new levels with Dirty Dancing. Here’s where the cast of the movie is today.

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Max Cantor

     Vestron Pictures

Max Cantor was both an actor and a journalist whose movie career was very short-lived. Graduating from the Harvard University, Cantor had bright prospects for his future. He used to write for the country’s first alternative newsweekly The Village Voice, mostly about topics related to heroine usage. As for his acting career, he only starred in two movies: as Robbie in Dirty Dancing and in the American comedy Fear, Anxiety and Depression (1989). As a passionate journalist, he had taken interest in the murderer Daniel Rakowitz and was writing a book about him at the time he died of overdose at the age of 32.

Jerry Orbach

Jerry Orbach started his career as an actor in Broadway musicals and was always praised for both his vocal and acting skills on a global scale. As for movie roles, he played a lot of supporting ones, such as Gus in Prince of the City, Jake Houseman in Dirty Dancing, Jack in Crimes and Misdemeanors and Lumière in Beauty and the Beast. Orbach gained international recognition thanks to his portrayal of NYPD Detective Lennie Briscoe on the original Law & Order. Although he was signed to do a spin-off Law & Order series, he died of prostate cancer in 2004 before having the chance to do so.

Jane Brucker

As for Jane Brucker, her acting career has been pretty stagnant ever since her role of Baby’s elder sister Lisa Houseman. Studying theater at her school, she naturally gravitated towards acting. Her filmography consists of three more movies other than Dirty Dancing: Stealing Home, Doctor Doctor, and in Bloodhounds of Broadway. As for the most recent news, per EW, Brucker is set to appear as a guest judge on a dance competition The Real Dirty Dancing.

Kelly Bishop

Cynthia Rhodes

Cynthia Rhodes played the role of Penny in Dirty Dancing. After years of acting and dancing, she had decided to retire. As for her most famous roles in her career, she played Tina in a romantic drama Flashdance, Officer Thompson in a science-fiction movie Runaway, and Jackie in the dance movie Staying Alive. She used to participate in a lot of music videos as a dancer. She was also the lead singer for a synth-pop band Animotion.

Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze is the third member of the Dirty Dancing cast that we’ve tragically lost, as he died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. Playing the role of Johnny Castle in the dance movie, Swayze was a very popular, well-recognized actor who also received the title of People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1991. Before his death, he starred in numerous movies: e.g. as Sam in the romantic thriller Ghost and as a drag queen Vida Boheme in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. He also wrote and recorded the popular song “She’s Like The Wind”, which has become signature of Dirty Dancing. For his final role, he starred as FBI Agent Charles Barker in The Beast.

Jennifer Grey

Although Jennifer Grey had her acting breakthrough with the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, she gained worldwide recognition as ‘Baby’ Houseman in Dirty Dancing. As for her most recent feature film, she played Eleanor in a drama Bittersweet Symphony. She also portrayed Judy Meyers in a comedy TV series Red Oaks from 2014 to 2017. Most recently,, her memoir book Out of the Corner was published at the start of May 2022, in which she closely talks about her life. It’s also been announced that there’s a Dirty Dancing sequel in preparations with Grey as executive producer and reprising her role as Baby.