Sister Act: Where Are They Now?

It’s been 26 years since Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg, was released. The beloved film not only received a cult-status sequel, it was turned into a stage musical (and is said to be getting a remake too). Running on Broadway for a little over a year, Sister Act the musical garnered five Tony nominations and five Drama Desk nods before ending in 2012. Want to feel even more nostalgic? Check out where the cast of the 1992 film is now.

Comedy legend Goldberg has an incredibly prolific career, which is especially evident over these past 25 years, with roles in favorites like The Lion King (and The Lion King 1 1/2), How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Girl, Interrupted, and Toy Story 3, to name a few. Following her 2002 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Special Class Special—for Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel—and her Tony win—for Thoroughly Modern Millie—the same year, Goldberg became an EGOT (the winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). From 2003-2004, she starred on the sitcom, Whoopi, and went on to appear in several episodes of Glee. Goldberg reprised her role as Deloris in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit shortly after the original was released, and has been a cohost on The View since 2005.

Dame Maggie Smith also appeared in The First Wives Club, Gosford Park (for which she scored an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actress), the Harry Potter franchise, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (and the sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), and the Dustin Hoffman-directed film, Quartet. Smith won multiple Emmys for her turn as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey, which concluded in 2016.

Hocus Pocus hit theaters mere months after Sister Act, and with it, what is probably Najimy’s most notable role as the bumbling witch Mary Sanderson. Najimy reprised her Sister Act role as Sister Mary Patrick in the sequel. From 1997 to 2010, Najimy voiced Peggy Hill on King of the Hill, and has taken on many animated productions. Najimy also had a recurring role on the series Numb3rs, and currently has roles on both Veep and Younger.

Makkena, who also appeared in the Sister Act sequel, has spent more time on television in recent years than in film, though she had roles in Air Bud and State of Play. Makkena appeared in several episodes of Judging Amy, and starred in the series Oliver Beene and Listen Up!—loosely inspired by ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser.

Wickes, who played Sister Mary Lazarus in both Sister Act and the sequel, sadly died in 1995, not long after the latter was released. Her last roles were Aunt March in Little Women, Laverne in The Hunchback of Notre Dame—a posthumous release—and Grandma in the show, Life With Louie. For her role on the series Mrs. G. Goes to College (also known as The Gertrude Berg Show), Wickes was nominated for an Emmy. She had a recurring role on Dennis the Menace, and starred on Temple Houston, Doc, and Father Dowling Mysteries. She also appeared in a variety of roles on Here’s Lucy.

Following Sister Act, Keitel co-starred in the Oscar-nominated The Piano. He would go on to appear in multiple productions written and/or directed by Quentin Tarantino (he had already appeared in Reservoir Dogs by the time Sister Act came out) including cult classic and Best Picture nominee, Pulp Fiction, as well as From Dusk Till Dawn. He even had an uncredited role in Inglorious Basterds. Keitel appeared in both National Treasure and the sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and has collaborated multiple times with Wes Anderson, with roles in Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs. 

After Sister Act, Nunn appeared in films like The Last Seduction and Spike Lee’s He Got Game, before taking on the role of Joseph “Robbie” Robertson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Nunn also had roles on the series The Job and Sirens. Nunn died in September 2016.

Following his turn as Bishop O’Hara in Sister Act, the three-time Tony nominee appeared in the films I.Q., Mars Attacks!, and The Out-of-Towners. He played Chancellor Willoughby on the season-long series Goode Behavior, and Mr. John on Style & Substance. Maher died in 1998.