The sprawling ensemble cast of Amy Heckerling's 1982 classic high school comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High is full of great actors who went on to have a wide variety of careers. An iconic coming-of-age movie based on Cameron Crowe's book of the same name, Fast Times at Ridgemont High revolves around a group of high schoolers as they contend with their first loves, thankless entry-level jobs, and awkward early sexual encounters. Some cast members from Fast Times at Ridgemont High went on to become huge stars with Academy Award wins, like Sean Penn and Forest Whitaker, whereas others have been more underrated, like Brian Backer and Amanda Wyss.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High was praised for being a more accurate reflection of high school life than the average teen comedy. It has stood the test of time as one of the best-remembered teen comedies of the 1980s and has been included in the National Film Registry. Some of the actors in Fast Times at Ridgemont High became beloved staples of ‘80s cinema, like Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates, while others were unjustly forgotten. Despite their varying degrees of success, everyone in the cast of Fast Times at Ridgemont High continued to act in movies and TV shows for decades afterward.
Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stacy Hamilton)
Jennifer Jason Leigh played Stacy Hamilton, a 15-year-old freshman with a job at Perry’s Pizza. Leigh went on to star in Backdraft and Short Cuts throughout the 1990s. For her role as wanted murderer Daisy Domergue in Quentin Tarantino’s revisionist western The Hateful Eight, Leigh was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, which led to a career revival in the late 2010s and early 2020s. She played a lead role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Atypical, as well as supporting roles in the sci-fi horror movies Annihilation and Possessor.
Sean Penn (Jeff Spicoli)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s lovable stoner, Jeff Spicoli, was played by Sean Penn. After getting his start in this comedic role, Penn went on to become a respected dramatic actor. He won two Best Actor Oscars for his roles in the sobering mystery thriller Mystic River and the political biopic Milk. Penn played mob boss Mickey Cohen in Gangster Squad, mercenary Jim Terrier in The Gunman, and movie star Jack Holden in Licorice Pizza. On the small screen, he starred opposite Julia Roberts in the Starz miniseries Gaslit. Penn is also known for his social activism and humanitarian work.
Judge Reinhold (Brad Hamilton)
Judge Reinhold played Stacy’s older brother, Brad Hamilton, a popular senior bouncing from job to job. Brad isn’t a great boyfriend to Lisa, but he makes up for it by being a supportive brother to Stacy. Reinhold is known for his supporting roles in Stripes, Gremlins, and every movie in the Beverly Hills Cop and The Santa Clause franchises. He also played himself in the third season of Arrested Development and guest-starred on classic sitcoms like Seinfeld and Ellen. In 2017, Reinhold appeared in the action comedy Bad Grandmas and the made-for-TV movie Four Christmases and a Wedding.
Phoebe Cates (Linda Barrett)
Linda Barrett, Stacy’s best friend and Perry’s Pizza colleague, who gives her advice about sex and dating, was played by Phoebe Cates. Cates’ role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High made her a cultural icon. Besides her Fast Times role as Linda, Cates is best known for playing Kate Beringer in Gremlins and its self-aware sequel, the now-beloved Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Cates semi-retired from acting in the early 1990s but returned to the screen to appear in 2001’s The Anniversary Party, the directorial debut of her Fast Times at Ridgemont High co-star, Leigh.
Robert Romanus (Mike Damone)
Mike Damone, the smooth-talker who turns out to be a lot more vulnerable and insecure than he lets on, was played by Robert Romanus in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Romanus went on to play Natalie Green’s boyfriend Snake Robinson on The Facts of Life and had a supporting role in the 1985 comedy Bad Medicine. Throughout the 2010s, Romanus guest-starred in such hit TV shows as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Code Black, and hidden gem Cougar Town. He also played Derrick in the 2013 supernatural thriller The Midnight Game, based on the creepypasta of the same name.
Brian Backer (Mark “Rat” Ratner)
Brian Backer played Mark “Rat” Ratner, Damone’s nerdy best friend who works as an usher at the Ridgemont Mall movie theater and is in love with Stacy. Backer played A. Bartlett Congdon on the soap opera Santa Barbara and scored guest roles on TV shows like Charles in Charge, Gimme a Break!, and Growing Pains. In 1981, he won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his lead role in Woody Allen’s play The Floating Light Bulb. In 2012, he played a dentist in Fast Times at Ridgemont High director Amy Heckerling’s horror comedy Vamps.
Amanda Wyss (Lisa)
Brad’s girlfriend Lisa, who breaks up with him before he can break up with her, was played by Amanda Wyss. Throughout the rest of the 1980s, Wyss played Tina Gray in the seminal supernatural slasher A Nightmare on Elm Street, Beth in the classic dark comedy Better Off Dead, and Woody Boyd’s ex-girlfriend in two episodes of Cheers. In 2016, Wyss appeared in three episodes of the Steven Bochco crime drama Murder in the First, and in 2019, she co-starred with Mira Sorvino and Bruce Dern in the western Badland.
Scott Thomson (Arnold)
Scott Thomson played Brad’s friend Arnold in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. After his appearance in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Thomson played Chad Copeland in Police Academy, a role he later reprised in Police Academy 3: Back in Training and Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. Throughout the 1990s, Thomson appeared in such hit movies as Clueless, Twister, and Jack Frost. Thomson later played a guest role alongside the cast of HBO’s True Blood. He played Hoyt Fortenberry’s high school guidance counselor, Mr. Rakestraw, in season 3, episode 12, “Evil is Going On.”
Forest Whitaker (Charles Jefferson)
Charles Jefferson, one of Ridgemont High’s most successful football players, was played by Forest Whitaker. After playing one of his earliest film roles in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Whitaker went on to become a bigger movie star than most of the other cast members. He has starred in such widely acclaimed films as Good Morning, Vietnam, The Crying Game, Panic Room, The Butler, and Arrival. Whitaker has also played blockbuster roles like Zuri in Black Panther and Saw Gerrera in the Star Wars franchise. He won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for his turn as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.