'Dirty Dancing' Cast: Through The Years

Dirty Dancing was released in 1987 and was actually a real low-budget movie without any big names in the cast. But the romance went on to make over $200 million at the box office and today is still one of the most popular movies of the eighties.

The movie catapulted its two protagonists, Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, to new heights of stardom! But what happened to the stars of the cult classic? We've checked up on all cast members!

In Dirty Dancing (1987), Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey starred as "Johnny" and "Baby" and enchanted a whole generation. Swayze was already known from the successful TV miniseries North and South, but the part of the teenager who falls in love with the handsome dance teacher was the first-ever big role for the young Jennifer Grey. Both actors were nominated for a Golden Globe in 1988.

For Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing was the best that could have happened to him career-wise. He went on to star in Ghost together with Demi Moore and films like Point Break and Donnie Darko. But he also had some success as a singer - his most popular song is still probably "She's like the Wind" from the Dirty Dancing original soundtrack. Sadly, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008 and passed away in September of 2009. He was only 57 years old.

Jennifer Grey (now 64 years old) actually struggled after the huge success of 'Dirty Dancing'. She had a nose job in the early nineties and many producers refrained from offering her any more roles, since she didn't match her previous headshots anymore... In recent years, she has sporadically been appearing on TV and won the 2010 season of 'Dancing with the Stars'. She starred in 'Red Oaks' from 2014 until 2017 and had a role in 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'The Conners' in 2019. Grey and her longtime husband Clark Gregg called it quits in 2020, but she also confirmed a return to a 'Dirty Dancing' sequel the same year.

Jerry Orbach played "Baby's" father "Dr. Jake Houseman", who goes up to the "Kellermans'" resort in the Catskill Mountains with his family. Orbach was originally known as a musical performer on Broadway and had his big-screen breakthrough with Dirty Dancing.

During the '90s, Orbach became known for his role in the crime series Law & Order, in which he starred from 1992 to 2004. In 2004, it was announced that Orbach had been suffering from cancer for 10 years already. In December 2004, he eventually succumbed to the illness at the age of 69.

Kelly Bishop played "Baby's" mother "Marjorie Houseman" alongside Jerry Orbach in Dirty Dancing.

She became known as a Broadway actress and today, Kelly (80) is probably only known in her role as "Emily Gilmore" on the hit show 'Gilmore Girls'. She has also repeatedly appeared on other successful shows like 'Law & Order: S.V.U.' and 'The Good Wife', to name just a few. She was -of course - also part of 'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life'.

In Dirty Dancing, Cynthia Rhodes played "Penny Johnson," the first dancing partner of "Johnny Castle" (Patrick Swayze). Cynthia started dance training at the age of three and had her first breakthrough in the hit movie Flashdance in 1983. With her experience and talent, she was a logical choice for the role of "Penny."