What Happened To The Cast Of The Willow Movie?

It seems odd to refer to 1988's "Willow" as "the Willow movie," but that's because every nostalgic intellectual property is ripe for refreshing in the modern franchise era, and "Willow" finally got a sequel streaming series on Disney+, also called "Willow." Over 30 years passed between the two, and that's a lot of time for actors to change or even pass away. Warwick Davis' passion for his biggest lead role without special effects makeup never waned, and his enthusiasm is palpable still as he struggles to get the series reclaimed from the Disney vault into which it quickly vanished (and we know the annoying reason why).

The original movie, written by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, was an attempt to do for fantasy what "Star Wars" had done for science fiction, and it even featured groundbreaking special effects, like the first use of digital morphing. It was a box office disappointment in its day, but it grew in popularity over the years. In typical Lucas fashion, it featured veteran classically trained actors to give the younger cast a sense of gravitas, and lots of little people — many of whom had previously played Jawas, Ewoks, or Ugnaughts — finally getting to act out of prosthetics.

Not everyone in the "Willow" cast is still around, and of those who are, not all came back for the series, but you may be surprised by how their careers continued after the movie. Here's what happened to the cast of the "Willow" movie.

At 11, Warwick Davis answered a casting call for short actors, and he won the role of a lifetime as Wicket the Ewok in "Return of the Jedi," which he reprised in two TV movies and "Rise of Skywalker." As a young man, he was then cast in "Willow" to literally represent the struggles of the metaphorical little guy against the powerful forces shaping the world. Davis would go on to become a fantasy franchise mainstay, first as the Irish-accented title monster of "Leprechaun," opposite a young Jennifer Aniston. He ultimately quit the "Leprechaun" series after six installments in the franchise (some better than others) when his son was born, and he didn't feel right doing horror any more.

Davis had no shortage of work afterward, doing double duty in the "Harry Potter" films as both Professor Flitwick (whom he felt destined to play) and Griphook the goblin. He provided the physical performance of Marvin the paranoid android in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," though Alan Rickman did the voice, and he was also the dwarf Nikabrik in "The Chronicles of Narnia." Lucasfilm brought him back to play three roles (and double for Yoda) in "The Phantom Menace," but it wasn't until Disney purchased the company that he reliably appeared in every "Star Wars" feature, from "The Force Awakens" onward.

On TV he has frequently worked with Ricky Gervais, first on shows like "Extras" and "An Idiot Abroad," but then he got his own mockumentary series called "Life's Too Short." And of course, he returned for the "Willow" series on Disney+.

Aside from his role in "Top Gun" as Iceman (which almost didn't happen), Val Kilmer was mostly known as a comedy actor from "Top Secret" and "Real Genius" when he was cast in "Willow." His career was only getting started, as he followed with a memorable Jim Morrison in "The Doors," and an all-timer of a Doc Holliday in "Tombstone" opposite Kurt Russell's Wyatt Earp. All of this was preparation for his biggest starring role yet, as Michael Keaton's successor in "Batman Forever." (Some say he was the best.)

Kilmer got a reputation as difficult to work with on the intensely troubled set of 1995's "The Island of Dr. Moreau" and 1997's "The Saint." He also seemed to rebel against the notion of himself as leading man, gravitating towards more character parts in films like "Heat" and "True Romance." Though he voiced Moses in "The Prince of Egypt" and starred in the sci-fi actioner "Red Planet," most of his choices were for less conventional films such as "The Salton Sea," or Francis Ford Coppola's experimental "Twixt." His 14 best movies are a mix of both sorts.

In 2015 he developed throat cancer, which destroyed his voice, but not his career, as his sound-alike son Jack provided his vocals for the "Willow" TV series and the documentary "Val." He returned as Iceman for the Top Gun sequel "Maverick," using a digitally modulated version of his actual voice. Sadly, Kilmer passed away in April 2025. 

Joanne Whalley's Sorsha goes from hating Madmartigan to loving him during the course of the movie. In actuality, romance did blossom, and she wound up marrying Val Kilmer, who had been a fan of hers before they ever met. Their marriage lasted seven years.

Whalley's acting career began as a child actress on British soap operas, and she was also a young pop singer in the bands The Slowguns and Cindy & The Saffrons. As a teen, she played a nameless groupie in both "Birth of the Beatles" and "Pink Floyd: The Wall." She continued to act on TV and the live stage, gaining positive notices for the 1985 series "Edge of Darkness." Following "Willow," she starred opposite John Hurt in the 1989 historical drama "Scandal," and opposite Michael Biehn in the testosterone-heavy "Navy S.E.A.L.s."

Whalley has continued to work steadily on historical prestige TV shows like "The Borgias," "Wolf Hall," "A.D. The Bible Continues," and "The Virgin Queen," though more viewers likely saw her as Sister Maggie on the third season of Netflix's "Daredevil." Alongside Davis and Kevin Pollak, she's one of only three major players from the movie "Willow" to return for the sequel series.

As of this writing, Jean Marsh is 90 years old and still alive, with her final acting role being on the 2014 ITV mystery series "Grantchester," following a minor stroke in 2011. Stateside, and among genre fans, she may be best known from your childhood nightmares as the head-swapping Princess Mombi in "Return to Oz," and multiple roles on "Doctor Who," beginning as Lady Joanna and Sara Kingdom alongside original Doctor actor William Hartnell. She has continued to voice Sara Kingdom on podcasts as recently as 2016 and was married to a pre-Third Doctor Jon Pertwee from 1955 to 1960. 

Marsh cocreated and acted in the acclaimed 1970s UK series "Upstairs, Downstairs," reprising her role of Rose in the 2010 revival/sequel series. Notable movie roles include Octavia in "Cleopatra," and Monica Barling in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy." Her career contains multitudes, and along with being an acclaimed stage actress, she also held the regular role of Roz on the TV sitcom version of "9 to 5." Other U.S. TV appearances have included "The Twilight Zone," I Spy," "Hawaii 5-0," and "Trapper John, M.D."

Marsh is also a novelist, having written four books.

Marsh's fist-fighting foe from the "Willow" finale scored her most notable movie roles late in life. In addition to the good sorceress Raziel, arguably her most memorable movie role, she's a standout in "A Fish Called Wanda" as Eileen Coady, the elderly witness whose pets Michael Palin keeps accidentally killing, and in "The Neverending Story" as Urgl, one half of a gnome couple with Sydney Bromley's Engywook.

Primarily a stage actor, she also steadily appeared in British comedy and variety programs throughout her career, finally winning a BAFTA award for Best Actress in 1971 in the dramatic title role of "Edna, The Inebriate Woman," directed by "First Blood" helmer Ted Kotcheff, for which writer Jeremy Sandford had deliberately lived homeless for two weeks in preparation.

In an in-joke based on her film career, she voiced a character named "Miss Willow" on the radio show "The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue." Her final big-screen role is in the 2002 Golan-Globus modern-day adaptation of Dostoevsky's  "Crime and Punishment." She played Alyonna, the pawnbroker, opposite Crispin Glover as Rodion, Vanessa Redgrave as Rodion's mother, John Hurt as the Chief Investigator, and Margot Kidder as Katerina.

Patricia Hayes died in 1998 at the age of 88.

Probably the most famous little person actor of all time, Billy Barty boasted over 200 total onscreen and voice-over credits when he died in 2000 at the age of 76. He began his career as a child actor opposite Mickey Rooney in the "Mickey McGuire" short films, using the fact that he was small even for his young age to comedic effect. He doubled as a baby in several productions, and frequently worked as clowns, fairies, and other magical creatures, including Sigmund on the Krofft brothers' "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters." 

As he was frequently a guest actor on popular TV shows, from "Little House on the Prairie" to "The Love Boat," his distinctive voice became as familiar as his face and stature, and he most significantly voiced the dragon Figment (slated to get his own movie) on the original version of the popular EPCOT ride "Journey Into Imagination." His roles as Screwball in "Legend" and Gwildor in "Masters of the Universe," both under latex, remain fan-favorites.

In 1957, Barty founded the Little People of America charity (originally known as Midgets of America, until that term was derided as inaccurate and a slur) to help people with dwarfism. It was the first such group in North America.

Barty was 64 years old by the time he played the elder magician High Aldwin in "Willow," with most of his roles afterward effectively cameos and secondary parts, as in "UHF" and Lucasfilm's "Radioland Murders."

The skull-masked villain named after "Star Wars"-hating film critic Pauline Kael was played by a Lucasfilm veteran. Pat Roach squared off against Indiana Jones four times, each time seeming nigh-indestructible. In "Raiders of the Lost Ark," he was a giant Sherpa and the shirtless German mechanic; in "Temple of Doom," the giant Thuggee; and in "Last Crusade," a Gestapo officer whose fight scene was mostly cut for length and pacing. A former Judo champion and boxer, Roach went on to win European and British pro-wrestling championships as "Bomber" Pat Roach. He retained the "Bomber" nickname for his character in the British comedy series, "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet," about UK contractors seeking work in Germany.

Roach had made his movie-acting debut in Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange," as a bouncer. Both he and co-star Dave Prowse would audition for the role of Darth Vader, but in the end, they both played black-clad, sword-wielding, masked Lucasfilm villains. Roach frequently played villains and heavies, in the likes of "Conan the Destroyer," "Never Say Never Again," and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."

Roach's final role was a small one in 2003's "Crust," a comedy about a pub owner who teaches a giant shrimp how to box. He died of esophageal cancer in 2004.

The son of "RoboCop" Old Man actor Dan O'Herlihy, Gavan O'Herlihy first gained notice as eldest sibling Chuck Cunningham on "Happy Days," before infamously being recast and then retconned away as never having existed. Frequently playing obnoxious, unlikable characters, he stood out prior to "Willow" as Brad, Lana Lang's awful suitor in "Superman III."

Though Airk is initially antagonistic towards Madmartigan, the two are fighting together by the final battle, making it one of the few heroic roles O'Herlihy has had — in the sequel series, Madmartigan has named one of his children Airk in tribute. After "Willow," O'Herlihy appeared on "Lonesome Dove" and "Twin Peaks" (which had also featured his father, though he wasn't playing his father on the show). After those, he moved to England and was seen predominantly on UK TV shows like "Sherlock Holmes" (the Jeremy Brett version) and "Jonathan Creek." His last major movie role was in "The Descent: Part 2," and he died in 2021 of unspecified causes at the age of 70.

O'Herlihy has one posthumous role still in the pipeline, as the older version of protagonist John Anderson in "Queen of the Redwood Mountain," a tragic romance inspired by the Beat Generation writers.

Maria Holvöe scored the role of the fairy queen Cherlindrea, who gives Willow his corkscrew wand and sends him off on his quest to find Fin Raziel, after only two credited TV appearances on the original "The Equalizer" and "Spenser for Hire." Following "Willow," she made two more movies: the Gary Graham action film "The Last Warrior," and the Mark Harmon rom-com "Worth Winning."

After nearly 30 years pursuing acting and writing in New York, the Swedish-born Holvöe married Gunnar K. Gouras, took his last name, and returned to Sweden in 2012, where she now pursues outdoor painting. She maintains an Instagram presence where she displays examples of her work and the occasional political post, mostly in support of Ukraine.

She has also noted that Guillermo del Toro is one of her favorite current filmmakers, and "Pan's Labyrinth" in particular is a film she finds haunting.

Yes, indeed, that was Kevin Pollak as one of the French-accented, mouseskin-wearing Brownies, who should have cued us in to George Lucas' evolving love of annoying comedy characters capable of ruining the tone of a scene. As an actual comedian, however, Pollak is genuinely funny, with a talent for impersonations that most notably include William Shatner, Christopher Walken, and Peter Falk. Indeed, his first movie role was an uncredited bit of impersonation: the voice of Dwight D. Eisenhower in "The Right Stuff." "Willow" was only his second onscreen feature, his first being Richard Fleischer's final feature "Million Dollar Mystery." His connection with Lucasfilm went back to some vocal noises he provided for 'Ewoks: The Battle for Endor."

Since "Willow," he has become ubiquitous in movies and on TV. Among his film credits are "L.A. Story," "A Few Good Men," "Grumpy Old Men," "Casino," "The Usual Suspects," "She's All That," and "War Dogs." On TV, he has most recently been seen on "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "What We Do in the Shadows," "Billions," and "The Neighborhood." A skilled poker player, he also briefly hosted "Celebrity Poker Showdown" as himself.

Never one to stay idle for a moment, he also hosts multiple podcasts and continues to do stand-up comedy. Despite everything he does, he still found time to return to the "Willow" universe for the streaming series.

A comedian and writer, and a longtime friend of Robin Williams, Rick Overton won an Emmy for his role as head writer for "Dennis Miller Live," Though he frequently acts, it's usually in small bit parts like "Chairman," "Bank Manager," and "Frantic Man," though his impressive filmography includes "Airplane II: The Sequel," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Eight Legged Freaks," "The Rocketeer," "Cloverfield," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Clueless," and most recently, the family film "Wish Upon a Unicorn." TV credits include "Seinfeld," "NCIS," Veep," "Grimm," "Bones," "True Blood," and many more, though perhaps his most prominent role was stepping into George Carlin's role as Rufus for the "Bill & Ted" animated and live-action TV spinoffs.

Overton is an avid biker and did stunt work in 1985's "Fletch." Another of his hobbies is model building, using parts from other kits to create his own builds. 

Sadly, on his X/Twitter page, Overton frequently retweets the controversial anti-vaccine views of fellow comedian Jimmy Dore.

Tony Cox doesn't even have a proper character name in "Willow," but his face is unmistakable. Also a former Ewok, he eventually became a bona fide movie star in "Bad Santa," playing Billy Bob Thornton's accomplice, robbing department stores while dressed as an elf. He retired from acting after the sequel, "Bad Santa 2," but he has lately been considering a comeback, as original "Bad Santa" director Terry Zwigoff still wants to come up with more projects for the two of them. 

In real life a devoutly religious man, Cox prayed hard for the role of the foul-mouthed, immoral Marcus, prevailing in an uphill casting process to beat out the likes of Peter Dinklage and producer favorite Danny Woodburn. Some of Cox's most famous character parts have him in full costume, and aren't necessarily recognized as him, like Hooter in "Captain Eo," one of the Stations in "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey," or the supernatural wedding minister in "Beetlejuice." 

After "Willow," he gravitated more towards comedy, in films like "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka," "Blankman," and "Me Myself & Irene." He even reunited with Warwick Davis as a rival gold-seeker in "Leprechaun 2." Then "Bad Santa" came in 2003, and Marcus became his defining role.

Cox was inspired to pursue acting by Billy Barty, with whom he appeared in a "Burger Chef" commercial, "Under the Rainbow," and of course "Willow."