What Happened To The Cast Of 1990's Kindergarten Cop?

“Kindergarten Cop” is the quintessential 90s movie. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, the defining action star of the era, in a role few thought he could pull off, and it’s directed by one of the most prolific filmmakers of the decade. The film also features a cast of young actors just before they went on to achieve major success. Now, we’re looking back at the talent involved in “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman’s popular 1990 comedy to find out what they’re up to these days, mainly because we love reminding ourselves just how old we are. 

For those unaware, “Kindergarten Cop” follows Detective John Kimble (Arnold) as he goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to bust a dangerous criminal. Like “Twins,” Reitman’s previous collaboration with Arnold, “Kindergarten Cop” blends comedy with drama, plus a hefty dose of surprisingly violent action, resulting in the perfect movie to show kids of all ages in school on the day before Christmas break — it’s hardcore enough to satisfy the older crowd, but cute enough to keep the adults happy. Just stay away from its awful, Dolph Lundgren-led sequel. 

But you didn’t come here looking for a deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses of this minor classic, which ranks among Reitman’s best according to our own /Film ranking. So, let’s answer the question keeping you up at night: what happened to the cast of “Kindergarten Cop” after 1990? You are mine now. You belong to me!

Kids today may not understand how popular Arnold Schwarzenegger was during his peak. “Conan the Barbarian,” “The Terminator,” “Commando,” “Predator,” “Twins,” and “Total Recall” are just a few of the hits that turned the muscle-bound Austrian into a megastar. By the time “Kindergarten Cop” rolled around, he was on top of the world and seemingly could do no wrong.

Following his role as Detective John Kimble, Arnold struck gold again, re-teaming with director James Cameron for the iconic 1991 blockbuster “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” He then made a cameo in Reitman’s hit comedy “Dave” and reunited with “Predator” director John McTiernan for “Last Action Hero,” a sizable flop that has since become a cult classic. A year later, in 1994, Arnold starred in “True Lies,” again directed by Cameron, and made arguably his last great movie.

Around this point, however, Arnold’s star power began to wane. “Junior,” “Jingle All the Way,” “Batman & Robin,” and a slew of forgettable action pictures failed to generate much excitement. The big guy stepped away from acting briefly in the late 90s and successfully ran for governor of California before returning to the silver screen for “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.” Since then, his career has produced more misses than hits, including another run at Terminator, but he remains a beloved star, aided by his natural charisma and self-deprecating humor. Time will tell if he has another hit up his sleeve – maybe even a long-awaited reunion with James Cameron.

As the kindhearted teacher Joyce, Penelope Ann Miller shines alongside Arnold, even if her role is markedly more dramatic than others on this list. At this point in her career, the actress was reasonably well-known thanks to head-turning performances in “Adventures in Babysitting” and “The Freshman.” She also appeared in TV shows like “Family Ties” and “Miami Vice,” so “Kindergarten Cop” was a solid stepping stone that paved the way for more prestigious roles a few years later.

Memorably, she starred alongside Sean Penn and Al Pacino in Brian De Palma’s “Carlito’s Way,” for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination, then co-starred with Alec Baldwin in 1994’s “The Shadow,” and Tom Sizemore in 1997’s “The Relic,” both of which garnered her Saturn Award nominations. In 1998, she won the Special Jury Award for her performance in “Rhapsody in Bloom.” From that point on, Miller shifted to television, making guest appearances in everything from “CSI:NY” to “Desperate Housewives,” with the occasional big-screen role in “Flipped” and “The Artist” tossed in for good measure.

Recently, she took home the Family Film Award for her turn as Nancy Reagan in Sean McNamara’s “Reagan,” which features Dennis Quaid as the titular president. 

On a more personal level, Miller married Will Arnett in 1994 and divorced him the following year. She is currently married to James Huggins, who she married in 2000. 

Pamela Reed is one of those actresses you recognize but may have trouble placing, and it’s clear why: IMDb credits her with 76 acting roles dating back to 1976. This means you’ve probably seen her pop up time and again in TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Parks and Recreation” (as Leslie Knope’s mom), and she delivers solid performances every time. However, for 90s kids, Reed will forever be known as Detective Phoebe O’Hara in “Kindergarten Cop,” or John Kimble’s tough-as-nails partner, who memorably beats the living snot out of Eleanor Crisp (Carroll Baker) before quipping, “You’re not so tough without your car, are ya?”

“Kindergarten Cop” wasn’t Reed’s first big gig either. In 1983, she played Trudy Cooper in Philip Kaufman’s space epic, “The Right Stuff,” and appeared alongside Robin Williams and Tim Robbins in 1990’s “Cadillac Man.” Following “Kindergarten Cop,” Reed landed roles in “Bob Roberts,” again starring Tim Robbins, re-teamed with Ivan Reitman and Arnold in “Junior,” and earned a Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination for 2001’s thriller “Proof of Life.”

Reed continues to act, recently notching a credit in the courtroom drama “The Burial,” starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones. She will next star with Burt Young in the comedy “Asleep at the Wheel.” Notably, the actress joined the crew of “Today” in 2020 to discuss her time working on “Kindergarten Cop,” and called the experience (and Arnold) “wonderful.”

Christian and Joseph Cousins memorably portrayed Dominic, the child Detective Kimble goes undercover to protect in “Kindergarten Cop.” The role led to a brief stint in Hollywood for each actor, including a gig in the horror comedy “Critters 3.” Notably, the twins played a prominent role in TV’s “Knots Landing” from 1987-92 as little Bobby Gibson Ewing, a role Joseph described as a great experience in an online forum.

Following their early success, the brothers decided to ditch Hollywood. Joseph’s final credit is the voice of Grandson on “The Best of Dr. Seuss” in 2000, while Christian quit after an appearance on the TV series “Dream On” in 1995. The siblings continue to make the rounds and routinely take time to speak with fans about their work. Christian guest starred on “The Odd Podcast” to discuss “Kindergarten Cop” with Joe Parisi, while Joseph hopped on a Zoom call with his former kindergartners to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary in 2020. Arnold surprised everyone during the event, allowing Joseph to thank the big guy for saving his life so many years ago.

According to Life and Style Magazine, Joseph is a stylist, while Christian is the Director of Sales for Orient Express Furniture in California.  

Like Pamela Reed, Richard Tyson will always be connected to “Kindergarten Cop,” despite a consistent career featuring roles in popular films such as the Farrelly brothers’ “Kingpin,” “There’s Something About Mary,” and “Me, Myself & Irene,” as well as Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down.” Regardless, his lunatic turn as Dominic’s abusive father, Crisp, left quite the impression, thanks to a blood-soaked showdown in a bathroom that scarred any number of children (including yours truly) for life.

Tyson was no stranger to intense roles, having portrayed bully Buddy Revell in the 1987 comedy “Three O’Clock High,” and Joe “Kaz” Kaczierowski in the 1989 TV series “Hardball” alongside John Ashton. After “Kindergarten Cop,” Tyson starred in “The Babe” and the TV series “Red Shoe Diaries” before joining forces with the Farrelly brothers in their late 90s run. Since then, he has kept busy on the independent circuit, most recently co-starring with the late Tony Todd in “Realm of Shadows.”  

Also of note is that Tyson married and later divorced Kris Kristofferson’s daughter Tracy. In 2019, the actor was arrested and charged with public intoxication and harassment, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and later booked on a burglary charge in Mobile, Alabama, per WGNO. 

Of everyone on this list, Linda Hunt, aka Miss Schlowski, has enjoyed the most exciting career. While less popular or well-known than Arnold, the esteemed actress has enjoyed success via a wide variety of film and television roles dating back to 1976. Her big break arrived with 1980’s “Popeye,” where she played Mrs. Oxheart — His Mudder — opposite Robin Williams. A few years later, she was chasing sandworms with Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) in David Lynch’s “Dune,” which was followed by a memorable turn in the Western classic “Silverado.”

Her career continued to flourish after “Kindergarten Cop,” with voice roles in Disney’s “Pocahontas” and the video game series “God of War.” She also appeared in films such as “Yours, Mine & Ours,” and “Stranger Than Fiction” and even voiced the evil Lady Proxima in Ron Howard’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Hunt played Hetty Lange on the television series “NCIS: Los Angeles” from 2009-2023.

Uniquely, rumors abound that Hunt partially inspired the character of Edna Mode in Brad Bird’s “The Incredibles,” as her smallish 4-foot-9 stature, hairstyle, and glasses are nearly lock-in-step with the character’s design.

In 2018, the actress stepped away from “NCIS: LA” for a few seasons to recover from a car accident. In 2008, she married psychotherapist Karen Kline, though, according to The Mirror, the couple have been together since the late 70s. 

For about three years in the early 90s, it felt like Sarah Rose Karr was in everything. As Emma, the adorable, albeit whiny, young girl in Kimble’s class, the actress gets plenty of opportunities to shine — “I’m not a policeman, I’m a princess!” Ivan Reitman recognized her potential and quickly cast her in the 90s family classic “Beethoven” and its 1993 sequel “Beethoven’s 2nd.” However, after a brief foray in the TV movie “The Four Diamonds,” the adorable star practically vanished from the Earth. She doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page!

Trying to find information on Karr is like looking for your car keys before work in the morning – frustratingly elusive. Similarly, Karr did a remarkable job of vanishing from the public eye. According to a Reddit post, she graduated from New College of Florida in 2009 and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, as a psychologist. No verified photo of her exists online, per Honey Celebrity, which is impressive in this digital age. 

Oh well, at least we have “Kindergarten Cop,” “Father of the Bride,” and the “Beethoven” movies to remember her by.

Jason Reitman needs no introduction. Son of director Ivan Reitman, this talented young man popped up in almost all of his dad’s films — memorably telling the Ghostbusters they were full of crap in “Ghostbusters II” — and landed the coveted role of “Kissing Boy” in “Kindergarten Cop,” or the kid making out with another student during the film’s climax, before carving a niche for himself as an accomplished filmmaker.

A series of short films during his time at the University of Southern California eventually led him to direct the critically acclaimed “Thank You for Smoking,” starring Aaron Eckhart, the Oscar-winning comedy “Juno,” and the George Clooney dramedy “Up in the Air.” Memorably, he stepped into his father’s shoes to helm the long-awaited sequel, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which grossed over $200 million worldwide and spawned a sequel. His latest effort, “Saturday Night,” takes a look behind the scenes of the popular comedy skit series, “Saturday Night Live,” and has earned solid reviews.

During an interview with Marc Maron on the “WTF Podcast,” Reitman revealed that he moved in with a much older woman at age 16. Later, he married “Consent” co-writer Michele Lee, but the pair divorced in 2014.

Ross Malinger is another young actor who got a start in “Kindergarten Cop,” except he stuck around for the long haul. His role in Reitman’s picture is small, but he leveraged that into a substantial part in the comedy hit “Sleepless in Seattle” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. From there, he starred as Jean Claude Van Damme’s son in the 1995 action thriller “Sudden Death,” lent his voice to the character Spike in “Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco,” and enjoyed a few brief television stints on “The Simple Life” and “Party of Five.”

However, around 2006, the young star stepped away from Hollywood and, according to The Sun, attended Moorpark College and dove headfirst into a sales career, working at various dealerships in Los Angeles. He was spotted running errands in early 2024 but has otherwise flown under the radar. In 2019, TMZ reported that Malinger separated from his wife. For even more info, check out the former actor’s LinkedIn page, featuring a few positive reviews from clients and co-workers.  

Three years before earning her first Academy Award nomination for her definitive performance in the Tina Turner biography “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Angela Bassett appeared in “Kindergarten Cop” as “Stewardess.” That’s right, a plethora of minor parts in TV shows throughout the 80s helped the actress snag the incredibly tiny part, which, in turn, led to more lucrative roles in “Boyz n the Hood,” “Malcolm X,” and the aforementioned Tina Turner flick. From there, she steadily rose in prominence thanks to substantial work in “Waiting to Exhale,” Robert Zemeckis’ “Contact,” and “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” 

In 2022, she scored her second Oscar nomination for her intense performance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Bassett has 107 credits to her name and is set to appear in 2025’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” Not too shabby.

According to IMDB, Bassett has 62 wins and 131 nominations and remains a prominent Hollywood figure. She married Courtney B. Vance in 1997.  

Few actors get to star in an outright masterpiece in their film debut. Yet, that’s precisely what happened to Cathy Moriarty after Martin Scorsese cast her as Vikki LaMotta, wife of troubled boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert DeNiro) in 1980’s anti-“Rocky” biopic “Raging Bull.” The role earned her an Oscar nomination and led to bountiful opportunities. Coincidentally, Penelope Ann Miller starred in an unofficial sequel to Scorsese’s classic, “The Bronx Bull,” in 2016. How’s that for trivia?

Moriarty plays a small role in “Kindergarten Cop” as a flirty mother attracted to John Kimble, but she still manages to chew plenty of scenery in her limited screen time. In fact, this tendency to steal the show can be seen throughout much of her career, including performances in “The Scout,” Joe Dante’s “Matinee,” Billy Crystal’s “Forget Paris,” the family adventure “Casper,” and James Mangold’s “Cop Land,” among many others.

Moriarty continues to work today, mainly on the independent scene, TV, and digital shorts. Recently, she made waves in The Bent’s production of “I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers,” a one-person play in which she shares an abundance of juicy Hollywood stories — courtesy of John Logan’s script. You can read more about this project here!

The actress also shares the ownership of the Mulberry Street Pizzeria chain with Richie Palmer.

Finally, the other notable celebrity mainstay from “Kindergarten Cop” is Miko Hughes, also known as the “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina” kid. The adorable youngster also stood out in his film debut, 1989’s “Pet Cemetery,” as the little tyke who gets savagely hit by a truck and returns from the grave to wreak bloody mayhem on his parents. He would later battle Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s “New Nightmare,” weep for Tom Hanks in “Apollo 13,” fight alongside “Spawn,” and run from bad guys with Bruce Willis in “Mercury Rising.” He also enjoyed a lengthy stint on TV’s “Full House” — what’s more 90s than that?

In a recent conversation with David Coulier on the “Full House Rewind” podcast (via People Magazine), Hughes discussed his time working with Arnold on “Kindergarten Cop” and explained how his famous line came to fruition. He also explained how he inadvertently became a horror guy after appearing in the aforementioned “Pet Cemetery” and “New Nightmare.” 

Hughes continues to act today in low-budget films like “Night of the Living Dead” and the upcoming dark comedy “Floaty.”