Howell was 16 years old when filming The Outsiders, which was only his second role; he had a brief role in 1982's E, T. The Extra-Terrestrial. After playing the role of Ponyboy, Howell was one of the most in-demand young stars in Hollywood. In the 80s alone, he appeared in Tank, Grandview, USA, Red Dawn (with the Outsiders' brother, Patrick Swayze), Secret Admirer, The Return of the Musketeers and, most infamously, Soul Man.
In the television field, he has appeared in episodes of dozens of television series, including 24, Criminal Minds as the Boston Reaper, Castle, Sons of Anarchy, Grimm, Stitchers, The Punisher in the MCU, Animal Kingdom and Bosch, among others. Dillon was 19 years old when The Outsiders premiered, as Dally was a major character in the novel and film. It has a heartbreaking ending that we won't reveal, but it's possible that the trend of broken teenagers started with Dally. He continued to dominate Hollywood in the '90s with roles in Singles, There's Something About Mary and Wild Things.
During this time, he also dated several celebrities, such as Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham and Brooke Shields. He also went on to television, appearing on Modern Family and in the first season of Wayward Pines, which earned him a Saturn Award nomination. He is set to appear in American Dreamer, based on a segment of This American Life, alongside Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Danny Glover and Danny Pudi. Although Macchio looks like a baby, he was actually 22 years old when he played Johnny, Ponyboy's best friend who comes from an abusive home.
He eventually kills a Soc, which sets the events of the film in motion. Macchio, of course, is most famous for The Karate Kid, which premiered a year after The Outsiders. It became a global phenomenon and gave rise to a franchise that had two sequels (The Karate Kid Part II of 1986 and The Karate Kid Part III of 1989), and that continues to operate today. Daniel LaRusso is still his signature role, but Macchio also appeared in Teachers, Crossroads, Distant Thunder and My Cousin Vinny during the 80s and early of the 90s.
Lowe was 19 years old when he played the handsome and popular Sodapop. It was his first film role, which led him to become one of the most important stars of the 80s and a founding member of Brat Pack, a group of 80s movie stars who frequently appeared together in movies. Lowe began his comeback when he began playing idealistic speechwriter Sam Seaborn in The West Wing from 1999 to 2003, which earned him an Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations. This was followed by some failures, including Rock of Ages, Valkyrie, Knight and Day, and American Made.
He has also made some (failed) attempts to start more franchises like Jack Reacher and The Mummy. Withrow was 30 years old when he played Greaser's sidekick in The Outsiders. Before that, he had appeared in some episodes of soap operas such as Knots Landing and The Waltons, and in other films such as The Hollywood Knights and The Lady in Red. Lane was 18 when she was given the role of Cherry, the soc with a heart of gold, but she already had a impressive resume.
He acted alongside Laurence Olivier when he was just 13 years old in 1979's A Little Romance and appeared in the National Lampoon film Madness, among other roles. The same year as Outsiders, he appeared in Rumble Fish and, the following year, in The Cotton Club. In 1989, he starred in the miniseries Lonesome Dove, which earned him an Emmy nomination. Bob is one of the socs who fights with Johnny and Ponyboy and almost drowns Ponyboy, leading Johnny to stab and kill him in defense.
At the time, Garrett, 22, had already been a successful teen idol with multiple hits on the Hot 100 in the 70s. Playing the violent Bob was a real change from his public figure as a child star, with early roles in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Three for the Road, Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion and Skateboard. Dalton, who was 18 years old at the time, played Randy, one of Bob's friends who refuses to participate in a final between the Socs and the Greasers, on the grounds that nothing will change. It was his first film role.
After the film, he appeared in Red Dawn alongside some of his Outsiders castmates. He also played an uncredited role in Soul Man alongside C. For the rest of the 80s, he appeared in the series The Best Times, Cagney & Lacey and Freddy's Nightmares. In 1990, he appeared in an episode of Quantum Leap. In 1992 he wrote his first screenplay, To Protect and Serve, starring Howell, co-star of Outsiders. He also wrote screenplays for The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Land That Time Forgot.
He has a film, The Lurking Fear, his debut as a director, in post-production. The 21-year-old's first film was The Outsiders, but she wasted no time appearing in iconic 80s movies, such as Valley Girl, Real Genius and Revenge of the Nerds. He also acted alongside Darren Dalton in National Lampoon's Joy of Sex in 1984. Meyrink also appeared in an episode of Family Ties. He retired from acting in 1988 and his last role was in Permanent Record.
Meyrink left acting to teach it and founded the Actorium, an acting school, in Vancouver. He was nominated for three Golden Globes for his work on Dirty Dancing, Ghost and To Wong Foo.
