‘The Karate Kid’ starring Ralph Macchio, William Zabka turns 40: The cast then and now

“The Karate Kid” is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The movie starred Hollywood newcomers Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, as well as seasoned veterans, such as Pat Morita and Martin Kove.

Originally released in 1984, the movie follows the new kid in town, Daniel LaRusso, as he struggles to find his footing and accidentally steps on the toes of the town’s biggest bully, Johnny Lawrence. He then finds himself taken under the wing of the older and wiser Mr. Miyagi, who teaches him how to defend himself, and when to use his fists.

In the 40 years since its release, the movie has spawned three sequels, a remake and a television series starring many of the film’s original cast. Here is what they have been up to since 1984.

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Ralph Macchio

Macchio played Daniel LaRusso in “The Karate Kid.” (Getty Images)

Ralph Macchio got his big break in Hollywood with his role in “The Outsiders” before playing Daniel LaRusso in “The Karate Kid.” He went on to star in two of the franchise’s sequels.

In addition to the sequels, Macchio starred in “Crossroads,” going on to star in the Broadway play “Cuba and His Teddy Bear,” alongside Robert De Niro that same year. Later, he starred alongside Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei in the comedy “My Cousin Vinny,” and then landed the starring role in the 1996 Tony Award-winning revival of the Broadway musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

He would go on to appear in “Ugly Betty,” “Hitchcock” and “The Deuce.” Since 2018, Macchio has been starring in the Netflix reboot of the movie, called “Cobra Kai,” which follows former enemies Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence as they open rival dojos. The show was renewed for a fifth and final season.

“Season 5 ends in a way where it seems like everything is OK, but being we are in a karate soap opera, which is what ‘Cobra Kai’ is. Anything can happen,” he told USA Today in October 2022. 

Macchio met his wife when he was 15 years old, and they have two kids together. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)

Macchio met his wife, Phyllis Fierro, when he was 15 years old, and they have been married since 1987. They have two kids, Julia and Daniel. 

Pat Morita

Morita received an Academy Award nomination for his role in “The Karate Kid.” (Getty Images)

Pat Morita made many appearances in both film and television throughout the ‘60s and ’70s, most notably in “Sanford and Sons,” “Mr. T and Tina” and “Happy Days,” before starring as Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” and its sequels, a role that earned him an Oscar nomination.

Following the success of the movie, Morita starred in “Ohara,” “Collision Course,” “Bloodsport 2” and “The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.”

Later, he starred in “Inferno,” “Adventures with Kanga Roddy,” “The Boys of Sunset Ridge” and voiced the emperor of China in the animated movie “Mulan,” and its sequel.

Morita was married to Kathleen Yamachi from 1953 to 1967, and they had one daughter, Erin. Later, he married Yukiye Kitahara from 1970 to 1989, and they had two daughters, Aly and Tia. ​He then married Evelyn Guerrero in 1994. 

Macchio called his relationship with Morita “special.” (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

He passed away in November 2005 at the age of 73, due to kidney failure. He appeared in a few roles posthumously, including an episode of “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and the film “Rice Girl.”

‘MR. MIYAGI’ DIES AT 73

“On screen, it was magic. I call it soulful magic. He and I were close, friendly,” Macchio told USA Today in October 2022 about their relationship. “He was an actor. I was an actor. He lived in California, Hawaii and Vegas, and I lived in New York, and we went on with our lives. But there was that special relationship/connection that, when I looked at him, it was nothing but love. From the aspect of understanding, we had something special.” 

William Zabka

Zabka played Johnny Lawrence in “The Karate Kid.” (Columbia Pictures/ Getty Images)

William Zabka’s breakout role was playing Johnny Lawrence in “The Karate Kid,” returning to the character in the film’s first sequel. Later, he appeared in “Just One of the Guys,” “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and episodes of “The Equalizer.”

He continued to act in several films, including “High Voltage,” “Anti-Body” and “Hot Tub Time Machine,” later appearing in multiple episodes of “How I Met Your Mother,” playing a fictional version of himself.

Later, he starred in “Where Hope Grows,” voiced a character in “The Dog Who Saved Summer” and appeared in the miniseries, “To Appomattox.” Zabka returned to the role of Johnny Lawrence in the Netflix show, “Cobra Kai,” starting in 2018.

“Every time we’re together, there’s nostalgia, whether it’s a fighting scene or it’s REO Speedwagon, bopping our heads in the car,” Lawrence told Men’s Health in January 2021. “One of my favorite scenes with Martin Kove, who plays Kreese, is in Season Two when he tells me he’s staying at some fancy hotel, and Johnny follows him home, and he’s staying at a shelter for vets.”

Zabka and his wife were married in 2008, and they have two kids. (Barry King/FilmMagic)

“I love those moments to get to act with him, and that’s nostalgia in a new way because it’s the characters today and how they react, interact as adults instead of an 18-year-old to a man,” he continued.

Zabka married Stacie Zabka in 2008 and they have two children.

Elizabeth Shue

Shue played Ali in “The Karate Kid.” (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Shue’s big break was playing Ali in “The Karate Kid.” Following her breakthrough in Hollywood, she starred in “Call to Glory,” “Adventures in Babysitting” and the two “Back to the Future” sequels.

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Between her performances on screen, Schue made her Broadway debut in 1990 in the play “Some American Abroad,” later starring in “The Marrying Man” and “Soapdish.” Her role in “Leaving Las Vegas” earned her an Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe nomination, and following that performance she had roles in “Molly,” “Hide and Seek” and “Dreamer.”

She went on to star in “House at the End of the Street,” “Chasing Mavericks” and “Hope Springs.” She also joined the cast of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” which she starred in for 71 episodes.

Most recently, she’s appeared in “The Boys,” “Cobra Kai,” “On the Verge” and “The Good Half.”

Shue was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in “Leaving Las Vegas.” (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Shue married film director Davis Guggenheim in 1994, and they have three children, Miles, Stella and Agnes.

Martin Kove

Kove played the villain John Kreese in three Karate Kid movies. (Getty Images)

Martin Kove had been working in television for years before landing the role of John Kreese in “The Karate Kid,” and was most known for playing Victor Isbeki for 128 episodes in “Cagney and Lacey” from 1982 to 1988.

He would go on to reprise the role of Kreese in the first two “Karate Kid” sequels, and also starred in “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” later returning to the role of Isbeki in various TV movies. He continued to appear in several smaller projects throughout the years, including, “American Gun,” “Glass Trap,” “The Ascent” and “Red Sky.”

In 2018, he appeared in the season finale of the first season of “Cobra Kai,” returning to the role of John Kreese, explaining he only wanted to return to the role if the show runners would bring in more of Kreese’s background in the Vietnam War.

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“I had all these notes because I had met with some people, mercenaries, soldiers of fortune, I had met with people who represented John Kreese would have led over 30 years prior to doing Cobra Kai, and they were miles ahead of me,” he told “The Cobra Kid” podcast in July 2023.

Kove was married to Vivienne Kove from 1981 to 2005. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

“They had all their own notes, duplicating mine,” he continued. “They had thought of all of this a year ago, and they knew exactly what they wanted to do with this character, and it was what I wanted to do with this character. Making him multifaceted, giving him a lot of vulnerability, and yet he’s still tough. He’s still a monster at times.”

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Kove was married to Vivienne Kove from 1981 to 2005. They share twins, Jesse and Rachel.