The Heathers Cast: Where Are They Now?

Winona Ryder as Veronica Sawyer

After her turn as Veronica Sawyer, the new recruit of the titular clique who committed accidental murder (and later saved her school from disaster), Winona Ryder became one of the most in-demand actresses of the 1990s. She went on to star in films like Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mermaids (1990), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Reality Bites (1994) and Girl, Interrupted (1999).

Ryder has received two Oscar nominations, her first for The Age of Innocence (1993) and her second for Little Women (1994). She also earned a Grammy nomination in 1996 for best spoken word album for children for her recording of The Diary of a Young Girl.

After a lengthy hiatus following Ryder's infamous arrest for shoplifting in 2001, she returned to the big screen with Star Trek (2009), Black Swan (2010), Experimenter (2015), Destination Wedding (2018) and Gone in the Night (2022). She received critical acclaim — and her third Golden Globe nomination in 2017 — for her role as Joyce Byers on the Netflix series Stranger Things, which she has appeared on since 2016.

Ryder has been in a relationship with fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn since 2011.

Christian Slater as Jason "J.D." Dean

As bad boy J.D., Christian Slater tricked Veronica into participating in his murderous schemes after they fell for each other. Slater stuck to movies throughout the 1990s, with roles in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), True Romance (1993), Murder in the First (1995), Broken Arrow (1996) and Very Bad Things (1998), for which he was also the executive producer.

He also appeared on episodes of The West Wing and Alias in the early 2000s, followed by roles on My Own Worst Enemy, The Forgotten, Breaking In, Mind Games, Dirty John, Dr. Death and Inside Job. However, he found his greatest TV success starring on the USA Network's Mr. Robot, earning a Golden Globe for best actor in 2016.

Slater has been married to Brittany Lopez since 2013, and the two share a daughter. The Nymphomaniac actor also has two children with ex-wife Ryan Haddon, whom he was married to from 2000 to 2006.

Shannen Doherty as Heather Duke

After taking over the clique following leader Heather Chandler's (Kim Walker) death, Shannen Doherty made a name for herself in an equally dramatic (but much less dark) high school during her time as Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210 (and again on The CW reboot and the 2019 spinoff, BH90210). She channeled some witchy energy as Prue Halliwell on Charmed from 1998 to 2001 and joined the Heathers TV series as J.D.'s mom for a few episodes.

In 2015, Doherty revealed to PEOPLE she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing a single mastectomy in 2016, she announced that she was in remission in 2017. However, in 2020, the actress shared her cancer had returned and opened up about her stage 4 diagnosis.

In 2011, Doherty married her third husband, celebrity photographer Kurt Iswarienko, though they split in 2023. The actress died on July 13, 2024, at 53 years old.

Lisanne Falk as Heather McNamara

Lisanne Falk landed a role in 1989's Say Anything after her turn as the easily manipulated Heather. She continued to appear in various TV movies, returning to the big screen in 1991's Leather Jackets. Falk took a few years off before picking up roles in The First to Go (1997) and Shattered Image (1998). While she retired from acting after her last short film in 2002, she continues to show her support for all things Heathers on her Instagram.

Kim Walker as Heather Chandler

In the movie, the ruthless head Heather met a premature end after J.D. tricked Veronica into poisoning her. Following the film's release, Kim Walker reunited with costar Falk for Say Anything (1989). She then landed roles in Nervous Ticks (1992), The Favor (1994) and A Reason to Believe (1995) while appearing on a few TV shows, including The Outsiders and a pilot episode of Picket Fences.

Walker's final role was 2000's Killing Cinderella before she died of a brain tumor in 2001 at 32.

Renée Estevez as Betty Finn

Renée Estevez played Veronica's lovable and nerdy former BFF. She appeared in a few TV movies in the early '90s before heading back to the big screen in Paper Hearts (1993) and Endangered (1994). Estevez later acted alongside her father, Martin Sheen, on The West Wing as his assistant and advisor, Nancy.

Though she hasn't been featured in many projects since the conclusion of the Aaron Sorkin political drama, Estevez has continued to work with her famous family members, including writing four episodes of her brother Charlie Sheen's show Anger Management.

Patrick Labyorteaux as Ram Sweeney

The classic jerky jock may have met an unfortunate end in the movie, but Patrick Labyorteaux would go on to reprise his earlier role as Andy Garvey from Little House on the Prairie on The Last Frontier in 1996. He played Bud Roberts on JAG from 1995 to 2005. Labyorteaux's other TV credits include guest appearances on American Crime Story, Scandal and NCIS, among other shows.