It’s been nearly three decades since Twister took the world by storm, captivating audiences with its story of rival Oklahoma tornado chasers. The film featured a beloved ensemble cast that included Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as an ex-couple forced to work together again in the fight against a severe storm outbreak.
Twister became the second-highest-grossing movie of 1996, behind Independence Day, and earned Oscar noms for special effects and sound. The Hollywood Reporter critic Duane Byrge praised the movie, in particular the performances of the main cast, calling it “crisp and full of heart.”
Now, a stand-alone sequel — Twisters — follows up the film with a cast that includes Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Brandon Perea. As the new movie touches down, take a whirl down memory lane below. The original Twister cast: Where are they now?
Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton was a familiar and beloved face to movie audiences of the 1990s. Beyond Twister, he also had roles in 1995’s Apollo 13, 1997’s Titanic and 1998’s Mighty Joe Young and A Simple Plan. He played Dr. Bill Harding in Twister, the storm chaser turned weatherman whose relationship with his ex-wife, Jo, takes the movie by storm, so to speak. Paxton continued a storied career after the movie and well into the 2010s but died of a stroke in 2017 following complications during heart surgery. His family settled a wrongful death lawsuit in 2022.
Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt played Dr. Jo Harding in Twister, the tornado-obsessed meteorologist whose stormy relationship with her ex-husband, Bill, captured hearts of the movie’s audiences. Hunt was well-known as Jamie Buchman in the 1990s sitcom Mad About You, for which she won several Emmy Awards. After Twister, Hunt won an Oscar for her performance in 1997’s As Good As It Gets. Hunt said in 2021 that she once pitched a Twister sequel herself, which would have featured her as a director and “all Black and brown storm chasers.” The idea was rejected, though, and Hunt is not connected to 2024’s Twisters.
Jami Gertz
At the time of Twister‘s release, Jami Gertz was known as a frequent guest star of popular television shows and for her roles in Crossroads (1986), Quicksilver (1986), The Lost Boys (1987) and Less Than Zero (1987). She played Dr. Melissa Reeves in Twister, an out-of-place therapist engaged to storm chaser Bill. Though THR praised Gertz’s performance (“her terrified reactions to the fearless actions of the team mirror our own reactions,” Byrge wrote), she was nominated for the Golden Rasberry award for worst supporting actress that year. She has since appeared in several films and television shows, most recently in 2022’s I Want You Back.
Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes was best known as Westley in 1997’s The Princess Bride when he joined the 1996 Twister cast. He also played Robin Hood in 1993’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights. In the tornado classic, Elwes appeared as Jonas Miller, a rival storm chaser who steals Bill’s idea for a weather-sensing device. His character meets an untimely end when he and his assistant are swept away in the final tornado. After Twister, Elwes went on to appear in the Saw franchise that started in 2004, and has appeared consistently in film and television since then.
Lois Smith
Lois Smith played Aunt Meg in Twister, the beloved matriarch whom the storm chasers ultimately rescue after a tornado flattens her home. Smith began her career in the 1950s, making her screen debut in East of Eden. She has steadily appeared in films since then, more recently in movies like 2017’s Lady Bird and 2021’s The French Dispatch.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman played storm chaser Dusty Davies in Twister. Hoffman was relatively early in his career at the time but would land his big breakout role the following year in 1997’s Boogie Nights. He went on to earn an Academy Award for best actor for 2005’s Capote. He was also nominated for his performances in 2007’s Charlie Wilson’s War, 2008’s Doubt and 2012’s The Master. Hoffman died at age 46 in 2014 as a result of acute mixed drug intoxication, which was ultimately ruled an accident.
