Where are 'Family Ties' stars now?
With "Family Ties" star Justine Bateman celebrating her 47th birthday on Feb. 19, take a look at where she and the rest of the Keaton family are today.
More than 20 years after its last curtain call, America continues to be fascinated by the Keaton family from "Family Ties" and its cast.
More than 20 years after its last curtain call, America continues to be fascinated by the Keaton family from "Family Ties" and its cast.
The show bridged the gap between two generations with its interplay between hippie parents Steven and Elyse Keaton and their young Republican son, Alex.
It won the Fan Favorite category at the TV Land Awards in 2011, and many of the former cast members showed up to accept the honor.
Some members of the cast went on to become superstars.
Meredith Baxter-Birney (at left) played Elyse Keaton, Alex's liberal mother. In reality, she's only 14 years older than Michael J. Fox, who played Alex.
She removed the Birney from her name when she divorced her second husband more than 20 years ago and now just goes by Meredith Baxter. She married for a third time in 1995 but divorced again in 2000 and then came out as a lesbian in 2009. She now lives with her partner, Nancy Locke, a general contractor, with whom she has been since 2005. She continues to act today, voicing a character in the animated sitcom "Dan Vs." and appearing in guest spots in shows such as "Cold Case," "Brothers" and "Switched at Birth." She also appeared in the Hallmark Channel movie "Naughty or Nice" in 2012.
Michael Gross (on right) played Alex's ex-hippie Dad on the show. The sketch of the Keaton family during the show's opening sequence was drawn by Gross.
Gross is also well known for playing the character Burt Gummer in the "Tremors" movies and subsequent TV series. Since "Family Ties" he has guest-starred on many TV shows, including Michael J. Fox's former show "Spin City" and other shows such as "Psych," "Parks and Recreation" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." In 2012, he co-starred with Baxter in the Hallmark Channel movie "Naughty or Nice," once again playing husband and wife, as they did on "Family Ties." He's also an avid model railroader and is the "celebrity spokesman" for the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.
Michael J. Fox's (on right) conservative character, Alex, ended up becoming a central part of the show. Fox won three Emmys for his work.
Fox later became a superstar after the runaway success of the "Back to the Future" trilogy. He went on to star in other movies such as "Teen Wolf," "The Secret of My Success," "Bright Lights, Big City," "Doc Hollywood" and "The Frighteners" and then starred in the sitcom "Spin City" from 1996 to 2001. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 and semi-retired from acting after leaving "Spin City." However, he's recently played recurring characters on the TV shows "Boston Legal," "Rescue Me" and "The Good Wife." He's also now an activist for research toward finding a cure for Parkinson's.
Justine Bateman (on right) played Mallory Keaton, who was often portrayed as an airhead and was fodder for jokes by Alex.
Bateman has made many TV guest appearances, including on her brother Jason Bateman's show, "Arrested Development." She has also recently appeared as a guest star on shows such as "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior," "Private Practice," "Psych," "Californication" and "Desperate Housewives." For a while she ran a production and consulting company named SECTION 5, but in the fall of 2012 enrolled in computer science courses at UCLA.
Tina Yothers (at left) played Jennifer Keaton, Alex and Mallory's younger sister and the baby of the show until Andrew, played by Brian Bonsall, was born.
Yothers has had only a handful of acting roles since "Family Ties" ended in 1989. She played the lead in "Lovelace The Musical," a 2004 stage show based on the life of former porn actress Linda Lovelace. She also appeared on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp." In January 2012 she was featured on the ABC show "Celebrity Wife Swap," where she traded places with Niecy Nash of "Reno 911!" and "Clean House" fame.
Brian Bonsall portrayed Andy Keaton, the family's youngest child, from 1986 through the show's finale in 1989.
Bonsall also had a recurring role in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," appearing in seven episodes in 1992-94 and then appeared in two TV movies, "Father and Scout" with Bob Saget and "Lily in Winter" with Natalie Cole, both in 1994. Since retiring from acting in 1995, Bonsall has had a number of run-ins with the law, including a 2001 DUI conviction and assault convictions in 2007 and 2010.
Marc Price played the nerdy, dim-witted next-door neighbor Irwin "Skippy" Handelman. One of Alex's best friends, Skippy had a constant crush on Mallory.
Price, seen here at the 2011 TV Land Awards, has done little acting since the show ended, instead hosting The Disney Channel's "Teen Win, Lose or Draw" from 1989-1992, working as a stand-up comic and producing TV shows.
Scott Valentine played Mallory's artist boyfriend, Nick Moore. Nick was introduced in 1985 and he became a recurring character for the rest of the series.
Valentine has continued to act, mostly in TV shows and direct-to-video movies, since the show. In 2010 he starred in "Airline Disaster" as an the pilot of a hijacked airliner who also happens to be the brother of the U.S. president, played by his "Family Ties" co-star Meredith Baxter.
Tracy Pollan (left, in 1988's "Bright Lights, Big City" with Fox) was only on "Family Ties" for one season as Alex's squeeze, Ellen Reed. But it was enough to make an impact on Fox. The two married in 1988 and are still together.
Fox and Pollan have had four children. Pollan also has guest-starred on many TV shows, including Fox's former show, "Spin City," as well as "Medium" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
Another of Alex's girlfriends, Lauren Miller, was played by Courteney Cox from 1987 to 1989.
But of course Cox went on to become a superstar herself, spending a decade on one of TV's biggest hits, "Friends." She also starred in the "Scream" movie series and currently stars in the sitcom "Cougar Town."
Tom Hanks guest-starred in three "Family Ties" episodes as Elyse's brother, Ned Donnelly.
Hanks, seen here with wife Rita Wilson, had just wrapped up "Bosom Buddies" at the time and would go on to an Oscar-winning career.
But Cox and Hanks are hardly the only future stars who made an appearance on "Family Ties." Timothy Busfield appeared in three episodes as Alex's friend "Doug."
Geena Davis portrayed an inept housekeeper in three episodes.
Before going on to play Fox's father in "Back to the Future," Crispin Glover played one of Alex's friends on the episode "Birthday Boy."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus portrayed a lawyer in the two-part episode "Read It and Weep" and would later star in the "Family Ties" spin-off "Day by Day."
Corey Feldman played a seventh grade classmate of Jennifer who was a nominated to win the best student achievement award on the episode "The Disciple."
Christina Applegate played Kitten, a member of Jennifer's band, on the episode, "Band on the Run."
And "Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Looper" star Joseph Gordon-Levitt played Dougie, a kindergarten friend of Andrew's in two episodes, "Sign of the Times" and "Father Can You Spare Me a Dime."
