The Cast of 1994's The Flintstones: Where Are They Now?

Re-meet the stars of the Flintstones — a.k.a. John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Rosie O'Donnell and more — as the live-action film turns 30

The Flintstones; Rosie O'Donnell, Rick Moranis
The cast of 1994's 'The Flintstones'. Photo:

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock

It was a yabba-dabba-doo time when The Flintstones premiered in 1994.

The live-action remake of the beloved 1960s cartoon series made more than $340 million at the box office, despite a rocky reception from critics. PEOPLE praised the work of stars John Goodman and Rosie O'Donnell and said the film had "enough special effects and slapstick to keep children amused," but likened the adult viewing experience to "taking apart a pile of pebbles, stone by stone, and then built another identical one two feet away."

Regardless, it highlighted the big stars of the time — including Rick Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, Halle Berry, Kyle MacLachlan and Elizabeth Taylor — and gave summer audiences a reason to hit the theaters.

Here, as the film turns 30, catch up with the cast of the live-action Flintstones, then and now.

01 of 08

John Goodman as Fred Flintstone

The Flintstones; John Goodman attends the "John Goodman" photocall during the 62nd Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 19, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
John Goodman in 1994's 'The Flintstones' and in 2023.

Universal/Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

In a catchup after The Flintstones' 1994 premiere, John Goodman joked to PEOPLE of his prehistoric ensemble, "I must admit that I don't look very good in a dress. I have rather knobby knees, and brown suede really isn't my color." Despite that, PEOPLE said the actor captured the spirit of the cartoon Fred.

Goodman was already a household name by the time the film premiered, thanks to his extensive movie work and his Emmy-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning role as Dan Conner on Roseanne.

In the years since, Goodman has appeared in everything from Coyote Ugly, Monsters, Inc. and Princess and the Frog to Argo, The Righteous Gemstones and the Roseanne reboot, The Conners, in addition to Broadway.

Now 71, Goodman has been married to wife Anna Beth Goodman since 1989; together, they have one daughter, Molly.

02 of 08

Elizabeth Perkins as Wilma Flintstone

Elizabeth Perkins in The Flintstones; Elizabeth Perkins arrives for the season two premiere of "The Afterparty," at the Regency Bruin Theater in Los Angeles, California, on June 28, 2023.
Elizabeth Perkins in 1994's 'The Flintstones' and in 2023.

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty

Elizabeth Perkins had also been working steadily in film when she stepped into the iconic white dress and stone necklace of Fred's steady wife, Wilma Flintstone.

On a 2019 episode of Watch What Happens Live, Perkins recalled her time on set, sharing a story of the day costar Elizabeth Taylor brought friend Michael Jackson to visit. "I had my picture taken with the two of them and I was in way over my head," she said. "It was like, fan freakout."

Following The Flintstones, Perkins built a successful television career that has included Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for Weeds, plus acclaimed parts in This Is Us, Barry, The Afterparty and Minx, among others.

Perkins, now 63, is married to cinematographer Julio Macat. She has one daughter from a previous relationship.

03 of 08

Rosie O'Donnell as Betty Rubble

The Flintstones; Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell in 1994's 'The Flintstones' and in 2024.

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty

Rosie O'Donnell shared her own Elizabeth Taylor story with PEOPLE in 1994.

"Someone had to break the ice," she said of meeting the screen legend on set, "so I went up to Liz and said, 'I really love your perfume.' " The next day, a crate of Elizabeth Taylor fragrances was delivered to O'Donnell's trailer. "She's such a sweet woman," she added.

O'Donnell was another well-known name prior to playing Flintstone friend Betty Rubble in the movie, having just starred in 1992's favorite A League of Their Own after establishing herself in the comedy world. She went right from The Flintstones to Broadway's Grease, and has returned to the stage several times since.

Two years after the film, she launched her popular daytime talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which ran until 2002 and won 11 Daytime Emmy Awards. She followed up with a stint on The View in 2006, plus endless roles and cameos on series including The Fosters, Empire, Mom, SMILF and Russian Doll. Next up, she's joining And Just Like That ... in season 3.

O'Donnell, 62, has five children — ParkerChelseaBlakeVivienne and Dakota — in addition to four grandchildren. She was married to Nickelodeon executive Kelli Carpenter until 2004 and wed her second wife, Michelle Rounds, in 2012. The two finalized their divorce in March 2016 before Rounds died of apparent suicide in 2017.

04 of 08

Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble

Rick Moranis in The Flintstones; Rick Moranis and Sheri Fink attend the Dave Thomas And The Second City Present 'Take Off, EH!' An All-Star Benefit after party for Jake Thomas And Spinal Cord Injury Ontario held at Wayne Gretzky's on July 18, 2017 in Toronto, Canada.
Rick Moranis in 1994's 'The Flintstones' and in 2017.

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; George Pimentel/Getty

An alumnus of the Canadian sketch series SCTV, Rick Moranis was another favorite in the comedy and film worlds before playing Barney Rubble in The Flintstones, with standout roles in Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Parenthood and My Blue Heaven on his résumé ... just to name a few.

In a chat promoting the film, Moranis said "every day was great," on set. "If it wasn't John, it was Rosie O'Donnell. It was like living in a cartoon for three months. The people were great, the material was fun to play, the whole thing was a highlight."

Not long after the film debuted, Moranis took a step back from acting following the death of his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky.

"I took a break, which turned into a longer break," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. "Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, move to another city. Really, that's all I did."

Moranis, now 71, has made a few cameos in recent years, and was slated to star in a 2020s Honey I Shrunk the Kids reboot that was ultimately scrapped.

The actor has two grown children with Belsky.

05 of 08

Kyle MacLachlan as Cliff Vandercave

The Flintstones; Kyle MacLachlan attends the pink carpet during the 7th Canneseries International Festival - Day Two on April 06, 2024 in Cannes, France.
Kyle MacLachlan in 1994's 'The Flintstones' and in 2024.

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

Twin Peaks and Dune had first launched Kyle MacLachlan's star in the 1980s, prior to his part in The Flintstones as Fred and Barney's no-good boss, Cliff Vandercave.

"I got to create him completely fresh, which was great," MacLachlan shared at the time. Watching his castmates play the cartoon characters, though, was a treat, he added: "My gosh they pulled it off."

Following the film, the Golden Globe-winning star continued working hard on movies and TV, earning SAG Award nominations for his contribution to Desperate Housewives and taking a notable turn as Charlotte's first husband on Sex and the City, in addition to joining the 2017 Twin Peaks reboot. More recently he appeared in Portlandia and Carol's Second Act, and reprises his role as Riley's dad Bill in this summer's Inside Out 2.

MacLachlan, 65, is married to publicist Desiree Gruber and the two share one son, Callum.

06 of 08

Halle Berry as Miss Stone

The Flintstones;Halle Berry
Halle Berry in 1994's 'The Flinstones' and in 2024.

Moviestore/Shutterstock; Brenton Ho/Variety via Getty

Halle Berry was fresh off of Living Dolls and Knots Landing when she stepped into the role of Cliff Vandercave's naughty-turned-nice secretary, Miss Stone.

In 2022, the actress reflected on her character in a tweet.

"Everyone said, 'oh why would you want to do a movie based on a cartoon?' " Berry wrote alongside a clip of herself in the film. "To see 28 years later, that this character has become so beloved and has resonated with so many of you is so gratifying. draped in brown, but Miss Stone is still the blueprint."

In the years since, Berry hasn't stopped, most notably becoming the first (and still only) Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar, for 2002's Monster's Ball. She has also earned accolades for her work in Their Eyes Were Watching God and Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, and has starred in blockbusters including several X-Men and James Bond films.

Berry, 57, has two children: daughter Nahla, with ex Gabriel Aubry, and son Maceo-Robert, with ex Olivier Martinez. She is currently in a relationship with musician Van Hunt.

07 of 08

Elizabeth Taylor as Pearl Slaghoople

Elizabeth Taylor in The Flintstones; Dame Elizabeth Taylor attends Macy's Passport 2009 Fashion Show at Barker Hangar on September 24, 2009 in Santa Monica, California.
Elizabeth Taylor in 1994's 'The Flintstones' and in 2009.

Amblin/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor's final movie role was that of Wilma Flintstone's mom, Pearl Slaghoople, in The Flintstones.

Many costars have shared their memories of working with her on the set over the years, with Perkins telling Andy Cohen in 2019 that Taylor always wore her White Diamonds perfume and asked that "everything" be violet.

Taylor, of course, was a Hollywood icon when she joined the film, with five Oscar nominations and three wins under her belt in addition to endless credits on films including Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Butterfield 8.

She first started working at 9 years old, in the 1942 comedy There's One Born Every Minute, before she moved on to 1943's Lassie Come Home and her breakout, 1944's National Velvet.

Famously married eight times, she was the mother of four children, the grandmother of 10 and the great-grandmother of several prior to her death in 2011 at the age of 79. She was also revered for her charity work, most notably for those living with HIV and AIDS, receiving the Presidential Citizen's Medal from President Bill Clinton in 2001. Her work lives on through the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and amfAR.

08 of 08

Elaine & Melanie Silver as Pebbles and Hlynur & Marino Sigurdsson as Bamm-Bamm

The Flintstones; THE FLINTSTONES AMBLIN/ UNIVERSAL ELAINE OR MELANIE SILVER, HLYNUR OR MARINO SIGURDSSON
Elaine and Melanie Silver, and Hlynur and Marino Sigurdsson in 1994's 'The Flintstones'.

RGR Collection / Alamy Stock Photo

The young children who played the Flintstones' daughter Pebbles and Rubbles' son Bamm-Bamm were actually played by two sets of twins: Elaine and Melanie Silver and Hlynur and Marino Sigurdsson, respectively.

Related Articles