It wasn't a big (or huge) mistake forJulia Roberts, Richard Gere, and their castmates to sign on forPretty Woman. The 1990 romantic comedy puts a darkly entertaining spin on the classic Cinderella story: Gere plays Edward, a corporate raider who hires sex worker Vivian (Roberts) to accompany him for a week of social events. As they get to know each other, deeper feelings start to develop.
The film earned strong reviews and a massive box office haul, grossing a whopping $463.4 million worldwide. Roberts became a superstar overnight, earning a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for her performance, while Gere entered a new phase of his career as a box office draw. With the film now turning 36 years old, we're looking at the careers of the many cast members ofPretty Womanand what they've been up to lately.
Julia Roberts (Vivian Ward)
Julia Roberts flashes her $20 million smile as Vivian, the working woman with a heart of gold who goes from street to chic.
Roberts told EW in 1991 thatshe almost lost out onPretty Womanwhen Disney took over the film. "They were going to have Garry Marshall direct it. And at that point I no longer had anything to do with it," she said. "Garry said to me that half the people at Disney were concerned that you couldn't dress me up — that I could have on jeans and look sort of dirty or whatever but you couldn't dress me up — and the other half were saying the opposite."
After proving them wrong,Pretty Womanmade Roberts a global superstar and earned her a second Oscar nomination. Following box office successes withSleeping With the Enemy(1991) andThe Pelican Brief(1993), she starred in a string of rom-com hits likeMy Best Friend's Wedding(1997),Notting Hill(1999), and — her reunion with Gere and Marshall —Runaway Bride(1999).
The A-lister added Oscar winner to her list of achievements with the dramaErin Brockovich(2000) and was nominated again forAugust: Osage County(2013). She returned to rom-coms alongside George Clooney inTicket to Paradise(2022) and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Luca Guadagnino's college drama,After the Hunt(2025).
Roberts has been in several high-profile relationships with actors like Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, and Benjamin Bratt. She was married to country singer Lyle Lovett from 1993 to 1995 and later wedcinematographer Daniel Moderin 2002. The couple has three children together.
Richard Gere (Edward Lewis)
Richard Gereplays Edward, the cold, dashing businessman who reluctantly falls for charismatic Vivian.
"I'd never done anything so openly charming," Geretold EW in 2012about starring inPretty Woman. "Julia had already been cast. She came to see me in New York and I still hadn't decided [to do the film]. You couldn't meet this girl and not fall in love with her. We got Garry on the phone. She was sitting across from my desk and she starts writing on a piece of paper. She shoves it toward me and it says, 'Please do this movie.' It was like, 'How can you say no?'"
FollowingPretty Woman's box office success, the actor had a career resurgence throughout the '90s, culminating with the title ofPEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alivein 1999. In addition to his reunion with Roberts inRunaway Bride(1999), he starred in the thrillersFinal Analysis(1992),Primal Fear(1996), andUnfaithful(2002). Gere leaped to musicals withChicago(2002) and danced away with a Golden Globe and SAG award for his pitch-perfect performance as slick defense attorney Billy Flynn. He took on a rare TV role in 2024 on the Paramount+ seriesThe Agency.
Gere, a practicing Buddhist, has publicly supported several philanthropic causes throughout his career including HIV/AIDS awareness and human rights organizations like the International Campaign for Tibet. He was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995, andLaw & Orderstar Carey Lowell from 2002 to 2016. He shares a son with Lowell.
He and his third wife, activist Alejandra Silva, have been married since 2018 and share two children. The couple moved to Spain in 2024 to be closer to her family, and Gere has said he doesn't miss Hollywood.
"When I hear the word Hollywood, the first thing I think is that it is something very foreign to me," he said in a chat about the move withVanity FairSpain. "I have not lived in California for a quarter of a century, nor have I filmed a movie in Los Angeles during that period."
Jason Alexander (Philip Stuckey)
Jason Alexandertries to drive a wedge between Edward and Vivian as sleazy lawyer Philip Stuckey.
The actortold PEOPLE in 2020that "it seemed like Julia had a little crush on Richard, which makes sense. I had a little crush on Richard. Richard's very hard to not have a little crush on."
Between 1992 and 1998, Alexander earned eight consecutive Emmy nominations, seven for his iconic work as George Costanza onSeinfeldand one for a guest appearance on the HBO seriesDream On. Despite these achievements, he has never taken home the prize. The actor returned to romantic comedies as another antagonist straight out of the jerk store, this time in the Jack Black–Gwyneth Paltrow movieShallow Hal(2001).
Alexander also brought his musical talents to the Disney animated filmThe Hunchback of Notre Dame(1996) and the TV movieCinderella(1997). He made his directorial debut on Broadway in 2023 with the screwball comedyThe Cottage,whichearned an A from EW's critic.
Alexander and his wife, Daena Title, have been married since 1982 and have two children, Gabriel and Noah.
Laura San Giacomo (Kit De Luca)
Laura San Giacomoplays Vivian's streetwise roommate and fellow sex worker, Kit De Luca.
Looking back on the iconic movie, San Giacomo told PEOPLE in 2020, "I remember filming on Hollywood Boulevard in our fuzzy slippers most of the night, because the high-heel shoes, you can't wear those for too many hours."
The New Jerseyan first worked with Garry Marshall in a Los Angeles production of the playWrong Turn at Lungfishbefore landing her breakout role inSteven Soderbergh'sSex, Lies, and Videotape(1989).
AfterPretty Woman, she starred in the moviesQuigley Down Under(1990),Under Suspicion(1991), and the miniseriesThe Stand. San Giacomo returned to TV as photographer Maya Gallo for seven seasons on the NBC sitcomJust Shoot Me, which earned her another Golden Globe nomination. She then joined Holly Hunter for the TNT fantasy crime dramaSaving Graceand made several recurring guest appearances on shows likeNCIS,Animal Kingdom,Barry, andThe Santa Clauses.
San Giacomo had one son with her first husband, actor Cameron Dye, whom she was married to from 1990 to 1998. She later wed actor Matt Adler in 2000.
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Héctor Elizondo (Barnard "Barney" Thompson)
Héctor Elizondo plays Barney, the compassionate manager of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel who also serves as Vivian's fairy godfather. Despite only having around 10 minutes of screen time, the role nabbed him a Golden Globe nomination.
Elizondo began his career in the early-'60s, eventually appearing in the Garry Marshall comedyYoung Doctors in Love(1982). In fact, following this first collaboration, Marshall cast Elizondo in every one of his films.
Speaking with PEOPLE forPretty Woman's 30th anniversary, the actor reflected on the scandalous premise. "I said, 'Garry, this is a Disney movie? This is very dark.' And he says, 'Don't worry, Hector; we'll make it nice. We'll make it fun.' And I said, 'Good luck with that, pal.'"
AfterPretty Woman, Elizondo reunited with Gere and Roberts inRunaway Bride(1999), and again with Roberts inValentine's Day(2010) andMother's Day(2016). He also played Joe, Queen Clarisse's (Julie Andrews) head of security, inThe Princess Diariesmovies. Aside from his many film roles, he won an Emmy for playing Dr. Phillip Watters on David E. Kelley's medical dramaChicago Hope, portrayed therapist Dr. Neven Bell on the USA detective seriesMonk, and played Ed onLast Man Standing. He reprised hisMonkrole in 2023 for Peacock'sMr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie.
Elizondo was married to Marie Rivera from 1956 to 1957, then to Marie Mandry from 1963 to 1964. He's been with his third wife, actress Carolee Campbell, since 1969. His son Rodd, from his first marriage, died in 2017.
Ralph Bellamy (James Morse)
Ralph Bellamy played James Morse, the owner of a troubled shipbuilding company that Edward wants to acquire.
Bellamy had a long and illustrious Hollywood career that began in the 1930s, including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the screwball comedyThe Awful Truth(1937) with Cary Grant. Throughout his nearly 60-year career, he starred in iconic films such asHis Girl Friday(1940),The Wolf Man(1941),Rosemary's Baby(1968), andTrading Places(1983).
A fierce advocate for actors' rights, he was a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild and four-time president of Actors' Equity. He received a Tony award in 1958 for the playSunrise at Campobelloand was awarded an Honorary Oscar in 1987 for his contributions to the industry, including helping to establish the first pension fund for actors. He made his final onscreen appearance inPretty Woman.
Bellamy was married four times and had two children. He and his fourth wife, Alice Murphy, married in 1949. He died in 1991 at age 87 due to a lung ailment.
Amy Yasbeck (Elizabeth Stuckey)
Amy Yasbeck plays Philip's sour wife, Elizabeth, whose backside Vivian claims, "you could freeze ice on..."
"I was so stunned to be in this movie and working with the beloved Garry Marshall, and to be hanging out with all of those people," Yasbecktold Australia'sThe Morning Showin 2020 about her time onPretty Woman. "He let us improvise, and I was just on cloud nine...I originally went in there and auditioned for one of the shop ladies that's mean to Vivian. Then [Garry] says, 'Can you read this other part instead?' And I did, and it was thrilling."
She has since costarred inProblem Child(1990) — where she met her husband, John Ritter — the Mel Brooks parodiesRobin Hood: Men in Tights(1993) andDracula: Dead and Loving It(1995),The Mask(1994), and the Thanksgiving comedyHome for the Holidays(1995). She also joined the NBC sitcomWingsfor its final three seasons.
In 2003, Ritter died suddenly from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. Following his death, Yasbeck founded the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health and hasdevoted most of her timeto the cause and their son, Noah, writing a book in 2010 calledWith Love and Laughter, John Ritter. Meanwhile, Yasbeck has made a few guest appearances over the years on shows likeThat's So Raven,Pretty Little Liars, andThe Bold and the Beautiful.
Alex Hyde-White (David Morse)
David Morse, the grandson of businessman John Morse, is played by Alex Hyde-White.
FollowingPretty Woman,Hyde-White was cast as Dr. Reed Richards — a.k.a. the elastic hero, Mr. Fantastic — in the infamously unreleasedFantastic Fourmovie (1994). Despite it never seeing the light of day, hedideventually join the MCU as a guest star in season 3 ofAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.in 2015 and played ABC newscaster William Russell inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps(2025). Hyde-White also appeared in the Jordan Peele horror hitNope(2022) and the Netflix limited seriesDahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The actor has worked behind the camera as well, directing the award-winning documentaryThree Days (of Hamlet)(2012).
Hyde-White was married toMary Poppinsactress Karen Dotrice from 1986 to 1992. He and his second wife, Shelly Bovert, have been married since 1997. He has two sons, Garrick and Jackson.
Dey Young (Snobby Saleswoman)
Dey Young plays the small but memorable role of the snobby saleswoman who makes the "Big! Huge!" mistake of refusing service to Vivian during her shopping spree.
"I was only on the set for one day, but Gary became a friend," Young told PEOPLE in 2020. "I know he was really taken with Julia and saw how magnetic she was. It seemed like a very happy set, and I think she and Gary were responsible for that."
After her run-in on Rodeo Drive, she reunited with Marshall for the dramaFrankie and Johnny(1991) starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. In addition to her recurring role onMelrose Place, Young has guest-starred onBones,This Is Us, and made a brief appearance in the Marvel superhero threequelAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania(2023).
Beyond acting, Young is also a sculptor and has exhibited her work at galleries across the country, including the Los Angeles County Museum. Young was married to producer David Ladd from 1982 to 2012. They have one daughter, Shane. Young married Hugo van Seenus in 2021.
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