What happened to the stars from E.T.?

Revealing the richest stars of the sci-fi classic

Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became a global phenomenon after its release in 1982, turning a story about a stranded alien and a lonely boy into one of the most beloved family films ever. The heart-warming movie wasted no time topping the all-time box office chart, a record it held for 11 years. But did the cast's fortunes match the film's stratospheric success?

Click or scroll on to discover how the stars of E.T. rank today, from modest bank balances to Hollywood millions, with wealth estimates courtesy of Celebrity Net Worth.

All dollar values in US dollars

E.T. cast members with no reliable wealth estimates

Several main cast names remain outside the public wealth rankings. Sean Frye (pictured left), who appeared as Steve, and KC Martel, who played Greg, both featured among Elliott's brother Michael's friends, but neither has a credible net worth estimate.

Pat Welsh also goes unranked. Noted for her raspy timbre following years of heavy smoking, the seasoned radio performer, who died in 1995, provided much of E.T.'s unforgettable voice.

9. Robert MacNaughton: $250,000

Robert MacNaughton played Michael, Elliott's older brother. The role made him one of the film's most recognizable young stars and earned him a Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.

The native New Yorker later appeared in movies including I Am the Cheese, Frankenstein vs. The Mummy, and Laugh Killer Laugh, along with TV shows such as Newhart and Vietnam War Story. He largely stepped away from acting in the early 2000s, later working as a mail carrier, though he returned to the screen in the 2010s.

8. Dee Wallace: $500,000

As Mary, the frazzled single mother of Elliott, Michael, and Gertie, Dee Wallace brought warmth as well as panic to E.T. Her character is terrified when she first discovers the alien, but later joins the children for one of the movie's most emotional farewells.

Before E.T., Wallace had already built a cult following through horror roles in The Hills Have Eyes and The Howling. She went on to bag parts in Cujo, Critters, The Frighteners, and a long list of TV projects, becoming one of the genre's most familiar faces. Wallace is currently appearing in Netflix sci-fi series The Boroughs.

7. Erika Eleniak: $1 million

Long before lifeguard stardom, Erika Eleniak made her movie debut in E.T. as the unnamed schoolgirl kissed by Elliott during the classroom frog scene.

Eleniak's bigger breakthrough came later as Shauni McClain in Baywatch, following roles in Charles in Charge and Full House. Eleniak has also appeared in movies including Under Siege, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Chasers, before turning up on reality shows such as The Real Gilligan's Island and Celebrity Fit Club.

6. Henry Thomas: $1.5 million

Few child performances in 1980s cinema are as iconic as Henry Thomas's turn as Elliott, the lonely 10-year-old who discovers the stranded alien and takes him under his wing. The role made the Texas-born actor an instant global star.

Thomas continued acting into adulthood, with credits including Cloak & Dagger, Psycho IV: The Beginning, Legends of the Fall, and Gangs of New York. He later stepped back from Hollywood for a period to focus on music with his band The Blue Heelers, before returning to regular screen work.

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5. Peter Coyote: $2 million

Behind the jangling keys and government searchlights was Peter Coyote, who played the mysterious federal agent pursuing E.T. through the suburbs. Initially ominous, Keys is later revealed as a more sympathetic figure who has dreamed of alien contact since childhood.

Coyote has enjoyed a varied on-screen career with credits including Cross Creek, Bitter Moon, Erin Brockovich, and A Walk to Remember. The in-demand character actor is also an Emmy-winning narrator, not to mention an accomplished author.

4. C Thomas Howell: $4 million

E.T. marked C Thomas Howell's movie debut. He portrayed Tyler, one of Michael's friends, who teases Elliott earlier in the story before joining the boys' bike-riding escape.

Much bigger parts soon followed. Howell became a teen star after playing Ponyboy Curtis in 1983's The Outsiders, then appeared in movies including The Hitcher, Soul Man, and Gettysburg. His later credits include Southland, The Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, and The Punisher.

3. Debra Winger: $8 million

One of the more surprising names attached to E.T. is Debra Winger. She made an uncredited cameo as 'Nurse Zombie Carrying Poodle,' and also provided the alien's temporary voice during filming. Parts of it reportedly made it into the finished movie, though Pat Welsh did the bulk of the voice work.

Away from Spielberg's sci-fi classic, Winger became one of the most acclaimed actresses of the 1980s and early 1990s. The star's standout films include An Officer and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment, and Shadowlands, with all three earning her Oscar nominations.

2. Drew Barrymore: $85 million

Just seven when E.T. hit cinemas, Drew Barrymore stole scenes as Gertie, Elliott's mischievous little sister. Stardom was already in her blood as a member of the Barrymore acting dynasty, but Spielberg's blockbuster made her one of the most famous child actors on the planet.

A troubled adolescence threatened to scupper her career. Yet Barrymore got back on track in the 1990s and became a major Hollywood name again with movies like Scream and The Wedding Singer. She later moved into producing, beauty, books, and daytime TV with The Drew Barrymore Show.

1. Harrison Ford: $350 million

Strictly speaking, E.T. has an even bigger name attached to it. Pictured here in 1982 with his then-wife Melissa Mathison and Spielberg, Harrison Ford filmed a cameo as Elliott's school principal. But the scene was cut, leaving the Hollywood heavyweight as a behind-the-scenes footnote.

Ford was already famous by 1982 thanks to Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. He went on to become one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, returning to both the Han Solo and Indiana Jones roles while also headlining hits including The Fugitive and Air Force One.

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