George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead is arguably the most influential zombie film ever made. The movie not only helped popularize the relatively new genre, but it proved that zombies could be used for much more than scares and violence. Romero not only expertly utilized horror and comedy throughout his movie, but he also imbued it with scathing social satire - the zombies often standing in for braindead and complacent mall-goers.
The movie had an incredible cast and crew behind it, many of whom are still working in some capacity today, and some who have unfortunately left us.
David Emge
Dawn of the Dead is one of the best zombie movies that isn't really about the zombies. David Emge, playing helicopter pilot Stephen, points this out when he explains the presence of the zombies in the mall. But Emge wasn't actually a professional actor. He was a chef at a New York City restaurant.
He met Romero here, and the director decided to cast the chef in his new movie. Emge has long retired from acting, with his last film being Hellmaster in 1992. However, he did appear in the documentary Inside Bryan in 2015.
Ken Foree
Ken Foree played Peter, a relatively inexperienced actor from Indiana. Foree continues to act, appearing in an episode of Nightwalkers in 2019 and the movie John Henry in 2020. He has also recently appeared in a number of retrospective documentaries.
Two were released in 2019: Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror and Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time, Parts 1-3. He also recently appeared on the horror-themed podcast, Without Your Head.
Scott Reiniger
In some ways, Scott Reiniger's Roger is one of the funniest horror characters of all time. He's certainly the most lively of the core four, and Reiniger's gung-ho performance is a huge reason for the movie's enjoyability. Reiniger turned 73 years old in 2021, and he has mostly retired from showbusiness.
He appeared in the documentary Inside Bryan in 2015, and in 2021, as a guest on the horror talk show, Dead Talk Live. He also directed a short film titled The Liver that was released in 2020.
Gaylen Ross
Gaylen Ross played the movie's sole female character. Romero loves populating his films with badass female leads, and Dawn of the Dead is no different, thanks to the strong Frannie. Ross turned 71 years old in August of 2021, but she is still active in the entertainment industry.
Today, Ross is mostly directing documentaries. Her documentary Ximei was released in 2019, and this was followed two years later with Beijing Spring. Her next project, a boxing documentary titled TitleShot, is currently in post-production.
John Rice
John Rice appears briefly at the beginning of the film, playing a police officer on the verge of a mental breakdown. He initially fights off a crawling and footless zombie before taking his own life in the corner of the apartment. Rice retired from acting in the '90s, but then began working as a cinematographer.
He completed the 2018 film After Hours Trading and has shot numerous documentaries throughout the mid-2010s, including We Are Alive! the Fight to Save Braddock Hospital and Ghosts of Amistad: In the Footsteps of the Rebels.
Randy Kovitz
Randy Kovitz memorably plays the police officer at the docks who asks the group for cigarettes. After they deny him, he proceeds down the docks themselves and asks the police officers loading the getaway boat.
Kovitz actually has quite a substantial filmography and has appeared in a number of recent high-profile films, including Concussion and The Fault in Our Stars (in which he played Dr. Simmons). In 2021, he starred in three episodes of Netflix's The Chair, playing Professor Reinhardt.
John Harrison
John Harrison plays one of the most memorable zombies in the film. While running through the department store, Harrison's screwdriver zombie jumps out and grabs Roger by the leg. While struggling to free himself, Roger stabs the zombie through the ear with its own screwdriver.
Harrison is actually a very successful TV writer and director. He directed one episode of The Librarians in 2015, and he is currently writing and directing for Shudder's Creepshow.
George A. Romero
Dawn of the Dead was certainly Romero's creation. Romero was heavily involved in the creative process, and he wrote, directed, and edited the film. There are various horror movies some might not know are directed by Romero, and then there is Dawn of the Dead, his undeniable masterpiece.
Unfortunately, Romero passed away from lung cancer in July of 2017 at the age of 77. However, his legacy has continued unabated, and his long-lost film The Amusement Park was released through Shudder in 2021.
Michael Gornick
Michael Gornick served as the director of photography on Dawn of the Dead. Gornick was a long-time collaborator of Romero's, having also worked with him on the likes of Knightriders, Creepshow, and Day of the Dead.
He also served as a television producer throughout the mid-90s, helping to produce various Stephen King miniseries, like The Langoliers and The Stand. Gornick has long retired from the industry, but he recently returned to Dawn of the Dead by approving its 2020 4K restoration.
Tom Savini
Dawn of the Dead wouldn't have received its reputation without the work of make-up effects artist Tom Savini. Savini helped bring Dawn to horrifying life with his masterful make-up effects and gore, and while the effects look somewhat dated today, he would later perfect his art in Day of the Dead.
Savini has recently done some acting work, appearing in an episode of AMC's NOS4A2 in 2020. And while he has mostly left make-up behind, Savini continues to work behind the scenes, having directed a segment of Shudder's Creepshow called "By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain."