The Karate Kid, a 1984 film, significantly influenced the careers of its stars, with Ralph Macchio’s breakthrough role as Daniel LaRusso, a teenager learning karate under the guidance of his teacher, Mr. Miyagi which was Pat Morita’s Oscar-nominated role.
Macchio reunited decades later with his onscreen rival, William Zabka, for the dramedy series aptly titled Cobra Kai. With several cast members returning to wax on and wax off, here’s what Macchio, Zabka, Morita, and more were up to in the intervening years.
1. Ralph Macchio
Daniel LaRusso, a renowned 80s hero, starred in popular movies like The Outsiders and My Cousin Vinny. In the 21st century, he appeared on sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother, Ugly Betty, and Psych. He also appeared on Dancing With the Stars in 2011 with multiple scores of 30. In 2022, Macchio published his memoir, Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me. Macchio married his wife, Phyllis Fierro, in 1987 and have two children.
“The Karate Kid has never gone away, certainly not for me,” he told EW ahead of his memoir’s release. “I kept thinking what a unique story I have, and walking in the shoes of this character, who has become such an inspirational character to so many generations around the world. I felt it was a unique story to tell.”
2. Pat Morita
Pat Morita received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid. Morita also guest-starred in several high-profile television shows, including Baywatch and The Hughleys, following the film’s sequels.
He was also the voice of the Emperor in Disney’s Mulan (1998). Morita died in 2005 at age 73 due to kidney failure. Though Morita is not on Cobra Kai, Mr. Miyagi’s defense-based training methods live on.
3. Randee Heller
Randee Heller played Daniel’s mother, Lucille, in the Karate Kid franchise. Heller, known for her roles in TV shows like Who’s the Boss?, Felicity, ER, Nip/Tuck, and Mad Men, has earned an Emmy nomination for her role in A Crooked Somebody. She also appeared in Cobra Kai and is in a relationship with writer-producer Robert Griffard. She has two daughters.
Heller spoke with Vulture in 2010 about her correspondence with her former movie son. “We’ve been hooking up over emails and texting each other ever since the Karate Kid remake. No, I didn’t see it. But it’s always, ‘Hi, mom!’ He calls me mom.”
4. Elisabeth Shue
Elisabeth Shue, best known for her role as Ali in The Karate Kid, gained fame in the 1980s and 90s. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas. Shue also narrated Tuck Everlasting in 2002 and appeared in Hamlet 2 in 2008.
She has appeared in Battle of the Sexes, Death Wish, and Greyhound. Shue also appeared as Julie Finlay on CSI for four seasons and Madelyn Stillwell on The Boys. She has been married to Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim since 1994.
5. William Zabka
Johnny Lawrence star William Zabka earned a green belt in Tang Soo Do after filming The Karate Kid. He has directed music videos and appeared as a guest star on How I Met Your Mother. Zabka was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004 for Best Live Action Short Film for Most, a Czech short he co-wrote and co-produced. He also appeared in an episode of How I Met Your Mother.
“When I read the Karate Kid script, as I turned the pages, I was like, ‘I’m never getting this part,'” Zabka recalled to EW in 2021. “‘He’s a black belt; I didn’t know karate. He’s a motorcycle gang leader; I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle. He’s mean — the last thing I did was a milk commercial, maybe an M&Ms commercial. They’re never gonna see me as this gang karate guy.'”
6. Martin Kove
As head instructor of Cobra Kai, Martin Kove had quite the memorable turn, reprising his role in the two Karate Kid sequels. Since The Karate Kid, he’s beefed up his résumé with appearances in action-thriller projects, and reprised his role as Kreese on Tosh.0.
“We do a lot of panels and autograph shows and the same three factors as to why people feel such an affinity with the movie always come up,” Kove told Forbes of The Karate Kid in 2018. “The first is that they were being bullied in 1984 and they identify with the resolution of that, the second is they were a fish out of water and were moving around a lot, and the third one is that they had a romance that didn’t work out.”
Kove competed in the 30th season of Dancing With the Stars in 2021, though his run wasn’t as successful as Macchio’s, becoming the first celebrity eliminated. After a season 1 guest appearance on Cobra Kai, Kove became a main cast member on the series.
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