Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a beloved ’80s cult classic that featured a dazzling ensemble cast of up-and-coming Hollywood greats. Depicting the lives of a group of diverse high school students as they experience the highs and lows of growing up and finding romance, the comedy staple helped establish the careers of its stellar cast including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Forest Whitaker.
Amy Heckerling (National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Clueless) made her directorial debut with the celebrated flick, adapting future Oscar winner and esteemed filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s acclaimed book for the premise of the picture. Since its premiere in 1982, the coming-of-age hit has developed a passionate fan following and remains a knockout cinematic feat. Here is a helpful cast and character guide for Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
10 Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli
Before he became a celebrated Oscar winner and esteemed dramatic actor, Sean Penn was setting pop culture trends and rocking checkered Vans and Hawaiian shirts as the lovable stoner Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The laid-back surfing expert is constantly at odds with his stern but dedicated history teacher Mr. Hand and gets himself in quite the pickle when he goes joyriding in Ridgemont’s star athlete’s beloved Camaro. The iconic character remains a beloved fan-favorite and helped popularize the surfer dude persona.
As previously mentioned, Penn is the recipient of two Academy Awards for his roles in Mystic River and Milk and has also starred in a slew of acclaimed pictures like Carlito’s Way, I Am Sam, and 21 Grams. The seasoned performer has also ventured into filmmaking, and has directed four feature-length movies including The Pledge and Into the Wild.
9 Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton
Stacy Hamilton is the 15-year-old younger sister of the popular senior Brad, who loses her virginity to the smooth-talking ladies’ man Mike Damone. Best friends with her opinionated older friend Linda Barrett whom she works with at Perry’s Pizza at the mall, Stacy is trying to embrace her sexuality and figure out who she is in life and the social high school hierarchy. Linda was portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh in the ’80s cult classic, with her performance being singled out by Roger Ebert. The famed critic declared, “Don’t they know they have a star on their hands?”
After skyrocketing to superstardom following her role in Fast Times, Leigh continued taking Hollywood by storm with lauded appearances in Last Exit to Brooklyn, Short Cuts, and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, as well as in television shows like Weeds and Atypical. She once again rose to prominence and earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Daisy Domergue, and is set to star in the upcoming fifth season of Fargo.
8 Judge Reinhold as Brad Hamilton
Brad Hamilton is a likable senior who dreams of having the perfect final year of high school and sets out to break up with his girlfriend Lisa in order to fully embrace being a bachelor before heading off to college. He is caught off guard when Lisa is the one to end things with him and becomes even more sullen and depressed after he is fired from his burger joint job for getting into an argument with a customer. Brad is attracted to his little sister Stacy’s friend Linda and has an extremely embarrassing and downright cringe-worthy moment after catching her swimming in their pool.
Fast Times was Judge Reinhold’s first major leading cinematic role, though he acknowledged the film failed to make him a bona fide star. He retrospectively expressed, “I thought my career would really take off after that role. Instead, Sean’s career took off.” Regardless, Reinhold found major success as Detective Billy Rosewood in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, and in films like Ruthless People, Swing Vote, and The Santa Clause movies. He is set to appear alongside Eddie Murphy in the upcoming comedy Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley.
7 Robert Romanus as Mike Damone
The confident and cool resident Lothario Mike Damone earns his money by taking bets and selling scalped tickets on the down low, catching the eye of the impressionable Stacy after his shy, close friend Mark seemingly snubs her. Damone believes he is quite the catch yet finds himself in a difficult and surprising situation with Stacy after they have an intimate moment together that results in her becoming pregnant. Despite initially wanting to do right and rectify the situation, he ultimately chickens out and is left looking less-than-stellar.
Robert Romanus went on to find success on the small screen following his time as the suave ladies’ man Damone, nabbing the role of Marvin “Speed” Selejko in The Young and the Restless in addition to shows like Fame, The Facts of Life, Will & Grace, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. His other film credits include The Runaways, The Midnight Game, and Voyeur, and he is set to star in Genesis: The Future of Mankind Is Woman.
6 Phoebe Cates as Linda Barrett
The self-assured and bold Linda Barrett is Stacy’s outgoing and confident older best friend, and is above dating high school boys and encourages her younger pal to know her self-worth. Linda frequently teaches Stacy about relationships and sex and takes the freshman under her wing to inform her on how to survive high school and get the upper hand when it comes to romance and men. Her unforgettable scene in the pool in which she sports a red swimsuit has since been dubbed “the most memorable bikini drop in cinema history.”
Phoebe Cates quickly became a worldwide sensation due to her iconic role in the coming-of-age classic, and steadily dominated the screen in films like Private School, Gremlins, Bright Lights, Big City, andalongside her husband Kevin Kline in Princess Caraboo. She stepped away from acting in 1994 to raise her family and officially retired in 2001 following an appearance in her best friend Jennifer Jason Leigh’s dramedy The Anniversary Party. Cates currently owns a well-known New York City boutique, Blue Tree.
5 Brian Backer as Mark “Rat” Ratner
Mark “Rat” Ratner is a shy but sweet guy who works at the movie theater as an usher, and has a large crush on Stacy but is unsure how to express his feelings towards her. Sexually inexperienced in comparison to his best friend Mike Damone, Mark is a bit socially awkward when it comes to talking with the ladies and is just trying to figure out the do’s-and-don’ts of dating and how to let a girl know he likes her.
Before appearing as the sweet but sheepish Mark, Brian Backer had won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his work in Woody Allen’s 1981 Broadway play The Floating Light Bulb. While he hasn’t appeared on-screen since 2012’s Vamps, Backer did go on to star in films like The Money Pit, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Steel and Lace, and Loser before stepping away from acting.
4 Ray Walston as Mr. Hand
The strict, no-nonsense history teacher Mr. Hand is constantly in a power struggle with Jeff Spicoli and the other students at Ridgemont High, and often accuses his pupils of being “on dope.” Mr. Hand and Spicoli battle it out throughout the school year, but the educator ultimately comes out on top when he shows up at the lackadaisical surfer’s house and forces him to make up the eight hours of important class time he wasted during the school year. The two eventually develop a mutual respect for one another by the conclusion of the comedy.
Ray Walston was already a respected and seasoned actor by the time he famously portrayed Mr. Hand, having previously appeared as the titular character in the hit ’60s sitcom My Favorite Martian.He also had memorable roles in South Pacific, Damn Yankees, and Popeye, and after Fast Times he continued working in films like Of Mice and Men and Addams Family Reunion and the shows Picket Fences, Touched by an Angel, and 7th Heaven. He passed away in 2001 at age 86.
3 Forest Whitaker as Charles Johnson
Popular Ridgemont High football star Charles Johnson is the school’s only hope for coming out triumphant against their major rival the Lincoln High team, and he taps into some intense rage when he discovers his beloved Chevrolet Camaro has been badly damaged. Charles’ younger brother and Spicoli were the true culprits who caused the crash but decided to make it look like it was the opposing school to cover their tracks. Charles uses his anger towards Lincoln High to completely dominate the football field.
Forest Whitakermade his film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and quickly established himself as a gifted performer with diverse and lauded roles in Good Morning Vietnam, The Butler, Panic Room, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland and has constantly showcased his versatility. He is set to star in Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming epic sci-fi drama Megalopolis.
2 Amanda Wyss as Lisa
The former girlfriend of Brad Hamilton, Lisa beat her ex-flame to the punch and broke up with him in order to fully enjoy her final year of high school, which is why he originally intended to split up with her. This act causes Brad to spiral and become depressed, and Lisa added insult to injury when she did it after he was fired from his job at All-American Burger.
Amanda Wyss continued to steadily appear in a slew of film and television projects, most notably A Nightmare on Elm Street, Silverado, Shakma, and Son of Darkness: To Die For II. Her most prominent small screen credits include roles in Cheers, Charmed, The Drew Carey Show, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Wyss’ recent acting roles were in 2019 with the legal drama series All Rise and the Western Badland.
1 Vincent Schiavelli as Mr. Vargas
The quirky and pleasantly enthusiastic Mr. Vargas is the opposite of fellow educator Mr. Hand, with the science teacher opting for a more relaxed and charismatic approach to teaching as opposed to Mr. Hand’s stern, hard-nosed style. Despite being a minor character, Mr. Vargas memorably (and hilariously) took his students to the morgue on a field trip they are likely never to forget.
Vincent Schiavelli was an esteemed character actor who was instantly recognizable due to his distinct look and seemingly sad eyes, and he first rose to prominence as Fredrickson in the Oscar-winning drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.His other well-known roles and projects include Ghost, Batman Returns,and The People vs. Larry Flynt,as well as the shows MacGyver, Highlander: The Series, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Schiavelli passed away from lung cancer in 2005 at 57.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
