The Outsiders: Tom Cruise, Robert Lowe, and other young 80s' stars

'The Outsiders' (1983) brought forth a generation of talented and popular young actors. As the years went by, these stars had brilliant careers in the world of cinema. How did life treat the boys from the iconic film?

'The Outsiders' is one of the most tender creations of Francis Ford Coppola. In it, he tells us the story of a young orphan who, with his two brothers and four other friends, formed the Greasers gang, which has an intense rivalry with another gang, the Socs. This extraordinary drama explores adolescence, friendship, and social classes.

' The Outsiders' led to the discovery of a large group of promising young actors, who then began to pop up in other films of the era. Here we see Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, and Ralph Macchio on the set of the 1983 movie. 

Some of the young stars, like Emilio Estévez and Rob Lowe, were the "main nucleus" of the so-called Brat Pack, a group of young actors with a promising, great future. (This is Emilio Estevez with Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy.)

Let's have a look at where the boys from 'The Outsiders' ended up. 

He had become known as Tyler in Steven Spielberg's film 'ET' in 1982. A year later, he would confirm his status as an 80s' star with 'The Outsiders.' Howell was cast as the lead in the role of Ponyboy Curtis. Here, he is pictured on the right alongside Ralph Macchio.

Howell's success in those years even led him to be considered for the role of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future', but eventually Michael J. Fox would snatch up that part.

Throughout his career, C. Thomas Howell has worked on more than 90 projects in film, TV, and theatre - much of them acclaimed. He even worked as a director, writer, and producer. Despite this, he's been the least noticed of all the members of Coppola's 'The Outsiders' group.

Most recently, he worked on 'LBJ' (2016) by Rob Reiner and made a cameo in 'The Walking Dead' (2018), 'The Creep Show' (2021), and the 2023 film 'Regan,' where he plays  Caspar Weinberger.

Rob Lowe was one of the most prominent members of the Brat Pack. Even though he had acted in theatre and worked as a model since he was a child, 'The Outsiders' was his first big break.

In 'The Outsiders,' Rob Lowe played Sodapop Curtis, Ponyboy's brother. This role was an excellent jumping-off point for his acting career and earned him handsome heartthrob status.

After some legal problems in 1988 involving a scandalous video, and a few other sketchy issues later in life, Rob Lowe had a hard time returning to his mega-star status from the 80s. However, a magnificent role as Nick Andros in the miniseries 'The Stand' (1994) brought him back to fame.

(In the image: with Melissa Gilbert, 1987)

Later we would see him in other significant roles such as Sam Seaborn in 'The West Wing,' for which he received an Emmy nomination for best actor, as well as 'Parks and Recreation,' '9-1-1' and 'The Grinder.'

Patrick Swayze became one of those legendary stars that left their mark on a whole generation thanks to landing the starring role in two mythical films from the Hollywood factory: 'Dirty Dancing' (1987) and 'Ghost' (1990).

However, this Golden Globe-nominated actor had begun his career much earlier. By playing Darrell Curtis (Darry), the oldest brother in 'The Outsiders,' Swayze earned recognition in Hollywood.

Patrick Swayze's life came to a dramatic end. After years of an excellent acting career, the actor lost his life to pancreatic cancer in 2009. He had suffered from the disease for two years.

Without a doubt, the 80s and 90s were the high points of his career. However, he kept working until the end. When he fell ill, he was working on the television series 'The Beast', which would be his last role.

When Matt Dillon started working on 'The Outsiders,' he certainly wasn't a newbie like some of his fellow actors. Dillon had already been in six other films since 1979.

However, thanks to 'The Outsiders' and 'Rumble Fish' (1984), Dillon became recognized as a talented and promising actor. He played Dallas Winston - a character with a rebellious personality - to perfection in 'The Outsiders'.

In addition to having tried his hand at directing a couple of films, Matt Dillon has starred in more than 50 films over the years. In the 90s he was known for 'There's Something about Mary' (1998), 'Wild Things' (1998), 'In & Out' (1997), and 'All for a dream' (1995).

Dillon was nominated for and won multiple awards for 'Crash' (2004) in the category of best supporting actor at awards galas like the Oscars, Golden Globes, Bafta, and the Screen Actors Guild.

A lot of viewers may have missed the link between the young greaser Johnny Cade from 'The Outsiders' - a brunette with a baby face - to Daniel LaRusso in the next year. Yet, everyone remembers that actor who starred as Professor Miyagi's protegé in 'Karate Kid' (1984, 1986, and 1989).

Ralph Macchio couldn't escape the association with his character Daniel LaRusso from 'Karate Kid.' He would even play him once again in 2018 in the series 'Cobra Kai', based on the John G. Avildsen saga and created by Robert Mark Kamen.

(Image: a scene from 'Cobra Kai,' with Ralph Macchio on the right and Billy Zabka on the left)

Despite eternally being the Karate Kid, Macchio went on to have a full career in both film and television and a successful stint in the theatre world. We can still see him as LaRusso in the Netflix series, 'Cobra Kai.'

This New Yorker with a Spanish name is none other than the eldest son of Martin Sheen, a veteran Hollywood actor - on the right of this photo - whose real name is Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez.

Proud of his origins, Emilio has never wanted to change his name like his father (Martin) and brother (Charlie Sheen).

Emilio Estévez appeared as an extra in 'Apocalypse Now' (1979) under the direction of Francis Ford Coppola. The director would then go on to cast him as Keith 'Two Bit' Mathews in 'The Outsiders.'

During that time, he was considered the Brat Pack leader. He dated Demi Moore (photo) and appeared in famous movies like 'The Breakfast Club' (1985).

As an actor, director, screenwriter, and with his own production company, Emilio Estévez has continued to rule in Hollywood. Nominated for several awards, he triumphed in 2006 as a director at the Venice Film Festival with his film 'Bobby.'

He has also worked as a director on 'The Public' (2018) and as an actor and executive producer on the Disney + series, 'Mighty Ducks: Game Changers' (2020).

Tom Cruise made his debut in the world of cinema in 1981 in Franco Zefirelli's film 'Endless Love,' and played with a young Sean Penn in 'Taps' in the same year.

After those first two steps, 'The Outsiders' would give his jump to fame in 1983. Tom Cruise played the role of Steve Randle. He would become a teen idol in movies like 'Risky Business', also from 1983.

In the early 80s, Tom Cruise participated in films aimed at adolescent audiences. Gradually, he would develop a very successful career with memorable films like 'Rain Man' (1988) and 'Born on the Fourth of July' (1989 - image).

Cruise's career has been much less controversial than his religious life - linked to Scientology - or his love life, with actresses and singers like Cher, Rebecca de Mornay, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes.

A highly acclaimed movie with Cruise and his then-partner Nicole Kidman was Stanley Kubrick's last film 'Eyes Wide Shut' in 1999. He won three Golden Globes in the late 80s to late 90s: one for 'Born on the Fourth of July' (1989), another for 'Jerry Maguire' (1996 - image), and a third for 'Magnolia '(1999), for which he was also nominated for the Oscars.