The Cast Of 'North and South': Then And Now

In the miniseries North and South, the handsome "Orry Main" (back left, Patrick Swayze) grows up on his family's plantation Mont Royal in rural South Carolina. While attending the military academy at West Point, he meets the Yankee "George Hazard" (James Read) from Pennsylvania. Find out where the cast is today in this gallery!

Patrick Swayze’s biggest success after his role of "Orry Main" was his portrayal of the dance instructor "Johnny Castle" in the cult classic 'Dirty Dancing'. The actor, who also starred in the 1990 hit 'Ghost' alongside Demi Moore, tragically passed away in 2009 after suffering from cancer. He was only 57 years old.

The family of “George Hazard” (back left, James Read) owns a steel factory. They are a clan of true conservative Northerners and despite their different backgrounds, “George” becomes best friends with “Orry Main” from the South.

The classmates from West Point fight side by side in the Mexican-American war, but during the American Civil War they end up on opposite sides of the battlefield due to their heritage and different worldviews.

Since North and South, James Read has gone on to become a very successful actor, starring in many television series and films, including Legally Blonde, American Dreams, Charmed, Wildfire, and Days of Our Lives. He also married co-star Wendy Kilbourne in 1988 and they have two children.

"Madeline" is a beautiful southern belle who falls madly in love with "Orry Main," but she ultimately marries the cruel and sadistic "Justin LaMotte" (David Carradine), who torments her constantly.

But "Justin" cannot keep them apart for long: "Madeline" and "Orry" begin having an affair and "Orry" ends up killing "Justin" in a fight and the once star-crossed lovers can finally be together.

It's been over 30 years since North and South was first on TV, and Lesley-Anne Down is still gorgeous. After playing "Madeline Fabray," she still worked as an actress, but it wasn’t until 2003, when she was cast as "Jacky Marone" on The Bold and the Beautiful, that she got her next big gig. She was part of the successful soap opera for almost 10 years. The actress is now married for a third time and has two children.

"Virgilia Hazard" hates slavery and actively tries to abolish it. Against the will of her family and to stage a protest, she marries the slave "Garrison Grady" (George Stanford Brown). After her husband is shot during a riot, she is taken to an asylum. Later, she kills her lover "Samuel Green" and dies at the gallows after being sentenced to be hanged. Check out the next picture to see what Kirstie Alley looks like today…

After North and South, Kirstie Alley starred in some real hit movies in the '90s, including Look Who's Talking. And there was – naturally – her role on Cheers as "Rebecca Howe," whom she portrayed for 146 episodes from 1987 until 1993. In recent years, she's made headlines due to her weight gains and losses and her politics. In 2016, she also became part of the main cast for the second season of the popular FOX series Scream Queens and she was on Celebrity Big Brother the same year.

"Ashton Main" is the very beautiful but also very mean sister of "Orry." She has many suitors but ends up marrying "James Huntoon," an ambitious but easily manipulated South Carolina politician. But "Ashton" is not the faithful type and has a couple of affairs, for example with "Elkanah Bent," the nemesis of "Orry"!