Big news has come out of Paramount this month, as Tony Scott’s Tom Cruise-led 1986 classic “Top Gun” is getting a re-release as part of the studio’s impressive 2026 slate (which also includes new “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movies, incidentally).
Variety were the first to report it â and it could see 1986’s highest-grossing film add a significant figure to its $357 million worldwide haul (per The Numbers). The film will hit theaters again on May 13 next year to celebrate what will be its 40th anniversary.
It got us thinking, that movie had such a great cast; Cruise, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, and several other great names. While we got to see some of them in 2022’s outstanding belated sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” it’d be great to see them all as they are today.
With that in mind, here are the core cast members of “Top Gun” then and now…
Tom Cruise (Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell)
Tom Cruise played the iconic Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun.” Maverick was, of course, a United States Navy aviator assigned to the Fighter Weapons School, otherwise known as the eponymous Top Gun.
Cruise was just 23 at the time of the movie’s release, with only seven movie credits to his name. That being said, they were pretty memorable and included the likes of 1983’s coming-of-age crime drama “The Outsiders,” 1983’s coming-of-age teen comedy “Risky Business,” and 1985’s epic dark fantasy movie “Legend” (per IMDb).
GettyCruise is now 63 and in the kind of shape a man one-third of his age would be proud of. He’s one of the biggest movie stars on the planet (if not the biggest) and recently received an Academy Honorary Award at the November 16 Governors Awards. His filmography is among the finest of any actor or actress in film history.
Some of his many notable movie credits after “Top Gun” include 1988’s road comedy-drama “Rain Man,” 1994’s gothic horror “Interview with the Vampire,” 2002’s sci-fi action flick “Minority Report,” 2005’s sci-fi action-thriller “War of the Worlds,” 2008’s satirical action-comedy “Tropic Thunder,” 2014’s sci-fi action movie “Edge of Tomorrow,” the iconic “Mission Impossible” franchise, and, of course, 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.”
GettyVal Kilmer (Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky)
Val Kilmer was 25 when he played Maverick’s rival turned wingman and friend in “Top Gun.”
Per IMDb, it was only his third movie role, after he had appeared in the 1984 action comedy “Top Secret!” and 1985’s sci-fi comedy “Real Genius.”
GettyTragically, after a long battle with throat cancer, Kilmer passed away at the age of 65 on April 1, 2025. The actual cause of his death was specified as pneumonia, with contributing underlying factors including two forms of respiratory failure, cancers on the base of his tongue, malnutrition, and tracheocutaneous fistula.
After his appearance in “Top Gun,” Kilmer enjoyed a superb Hollywood career, with many notable movie appearances. Some of his most memorable credits include 1988’s epic high fantasy adventure movie “Willow,” 1991’s biographical musical “The Doors,” 1993’s Western “Tombstone,” 1993’s romantic crime drama “True Romance,” 1995’s superhero movie “Batman Forever,” 1995’s epic crime drama “Heat,” 2005’s neo-noir black comedy crime movie “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” and, of course, a truly memorable final cameo in 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick.”
GettyKelly McGillis (Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Blackwood)
Kelly McGillis, who was 28 when “Top Gun” released, played Top Gun instructor and Maverick’s beautiful love interest Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Blackwood in the movie.
It was only her third movie role, having previously appeared in 1983’s comedy-drama “Reuben, Reuben” and 1985’s neo-noir crime thriller “Witness.” McGillis had also appeared in a few minor television roles at the time (per IMDb).
GettyIt’s probably fair to say McGillis’ career peaked with “Top Gun,” but she has enjoyed a steady career in acting since its release. Some of her most notable subsequent movie roles include 1988’s neo-noir film “The House on Carroll Street,” 1988’s legal drama “The Accused,” and 1998’s drama “Painted Angels.” On television, her credits include animated series “The Wild Thornberrys,” sci-fi anthology show “The Outer Limits,” drama series “The L Word,” and horror series “Z Nation.”
Now 68, recent public appearances show McGillis is ageing extremely gracefully, and she hasn’t acted on screen in a few years.
GettyAnthony Edwards (Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw)
A then-23-year-old Anthony Edwards played Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw in “Top Gun.” Goose was Maverick’s radar intercept officer and best friend.
Edwards was by no means a newcomer to acting at the time. He’d appeared in several television shows, including a main role in the sitcom “It Takes Two,” as well as five movies, including 1982’s coming-of-age comedy “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” 1984’s comedy “Revenge of the Nerds” (per IMDb).
GettyNow 63, Edwards has enjoyed a stellar post-“Top Gun” career on both the big and small screen.
Movie-wise, his credits include the likes of 1992’s supernatural horror “Pet Sematary Two,” 1994’s legal thriller “The Client,” 2004’s sci-fi action-adventure “Thunderbirds,” 2007’s mystery thriller “Zodiac,” and 2013’s animated sports comedy “Planes.”
However, it’s on television that he’s flourished most. His prominent roles have come in shows like comedy-drama series “Northern Exposure,” medical drama “ER,” conspiracy series “Zero Hour,” true crime anthology series “Law & Order True Crime,” and political drama-thriller series “Designated Survivor.”
GettyTom Skerritt (Mike ‘Viper’ Metcalf)
Tom Skerritt played Mike ‘Viper’ Metcalf, the commanding officer and instructor of the eponymous school, in “Top Gun.” He was 53 when the movie released.
Skerritt had already enjoyed a career spanning three decades at the time, with notable credits on television and in films.
Some of his notable television credits included war drama series “Combat!,” Western series “The Virginian,” Western anthology series “Death Valley Days,” military drama series “12 O’Clock High,” Western series “Bonanza,” Western series “Gunsmoke,” police procedural “The F.B.I.,” and detective series “Cannon.”
His biggest movie credits included 1970’s black comedy war movie “M*A*S*H,” 1975’s supernatural horror “The Devil’s Rain,” 1978’s buddy stoner comedy “Up in Smoke,” 1979’s sci-fi horror “Alien,” and 1983’s sci-fi thriller “The Dead Zone” (per IMDb).
GettySkerritt is now 92 and, since “Top Gun,” his prolific acting career has continued virtually uninterrupted.
On television, his prominent subsequent credits include sitcom “Cheers,” family drama “Picket Fences,” family drama “Brothers & Sisters,” and action crime drama “Leverage.”
Movies he’s since appeared in include 1988’s supernatural horror “Poltergeist III,” 1989’s comedy-drama “Steel Magnolias,” 1997’s sci-fi drama “Contact,” 2010’s independent drama “Redemption Road,” and his most recent role in the 2025 Western drama “Broke.”
GettyMeg Ryan (Carole Bradshaw)
Meg Ryan only had a minor role in “Top Gun,” as Goose’s wife, Carole Bradshaw, but she’s too big a name to leave out of this list.
Ryan was 24 when the movie released, with a fledgling acting career behind her. She had only appeared in two movies at the time. They were 1981’s drama “Rich and Famous” and 1983’s supernatural horror “Amityville 3-D.”
She had, however, appeared fairly extensively on television, with roles in the likes of soap opera “As the World Turns,” sitcom “One of the Boys,” sitcom “Charles in Charge,” and Western series “Wildside” (per IMDb).
GettyRyan is now 64 and has enjoyed a brilliant movie career dominated by, but not exclusively comprising, iconic rom-coms.
Her credits since “Top Gun” include 1987’s sci-fi comedy “Innerspace,” 1989’s romantic comedy-drama “When Harry Met Sallyâ¦,” 1990’s rom-com “Joe Versus the Volcano,” 1991’s biographical musical “The Doors,” 1993’s romance movie “Sleepless in Seattle,” 1998’s romantic comedy-drama “You’ve Got Mail,” and 2001’s sci-fi rom-com “Kate & Leopold.”
GettyMichael Ironside (Rick ‘Jester’ Heatherly)
Michael Ironside played Navy aviator and Top Gun instructor Rick ‘Jester’ Heatherly in “Top Gun.” Ironside was 36 when the film was released.
The star had around a decade of acting experience at the time, with close to 20 movies credits and a handful of television appearances to his name.
Movies he’d been in included 1981’s sci-fi horror “Scanners,” 1982’s psychological slasher “Visiting Hours,” 1984’s erotic thriller “The Surrogate,” and 1985’s spy drama “The Falcon and the Snowman.”
On television, his credits had included children’s drama “The Littlest Hobo,” action-adventure series “The A-Team,” police procedural “Hill Street Blues,” and sci-fi show “V: The Series” (per IMDb).
Ironside is now 75 with an amazing career to his name. Since “Top Gun,” he has continued to prolifically perform on both the big and small screens.
His movie credits now include 1990’s sci-fi action flick “Total Recall,” 1991’s action war movie “McBain,” 1993’s family drama “Free Willy,” 1997’s sci-fi action movie “Starship Troopers,” 2004’s psychological thriller “The Machinist,” 2009’s sci-fi action movie “Terminator: Salvation,” 2011’s superhero movie “X-Men: First Class,” and 2023’s independent supernatural horror “Late Night with the Devil.”
He’s been equally active on television, with prominent roles in the likes of medical drama “ER,” sci-fi series “seaQuest 2032,” animated superhero series “Superman: The Animated Series,” action series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” superhero series “Smallville,” historical fantasy series “Young Blades,” and animated superhero show “Wolverine and the X-Men.”
GettyTim Robbins (Sam ‘Merlin’ Wells)
Tim Robbins played radar intercept officer Sam ‘Merlin’ Wells in “Top Gun” and was 27 when the film was released.
His filmography at the time was relatively modest, with a handful of minor appearances on television, and five movies to his name. The movies in question were 1984’s action movie “Toy Soldiers,” 1984’s comedy-drama “No Small Affair,” 1985’s teen comedy “Fraternity Vacation,” 1985’s Christmas rom-com “The Sure Thing,” and 1986’s superhero comedy “Howard the Duck” (per IMDb).
Since “Top Gun,” Robbins, now 67, has had a hugely successful acting career that includes winning a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in 2003’s neo-noir mystery drama movie “Mystic River” (he’s also been nominated for a Best Director Oscar for 1995’s crime drama “Dead Man Walking”).
Other notable movie credits include 1988’s sports rom-com “Bull Durham,” 1990’s psychological horror “Jacob’s Ladder,” 1994’s exquisite drama “The Shawshank Redemption,” 1999’s neo-noir mystery thriller “Arlington Road,” 2005’s sci-fi action-thriller “War of the Worlds,” 2011’s superhero movie “Green Lantern,” and 2007’s sci-fi drama “Marjorie Prime.”
Subsequent television credits include animated sitcom “The Simpsons,” comedy series “The Brink,” drama series “Here and Now,” supernatural horror series “Castle Rock,” and dystopian sci-fi drama series “Silo.”
GettyWe’ll be looking forward to seeing “Top Gun” in theaters again next year, when it’s re-released to celebrate its 40th birthday.
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