'The Princess Bride' Cast: Where Are They Now?

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

What do you mean, it's been 20 years since 'The Princess Bride' came into our lives? Inconceivable! Rob Reiner's adaptation of the William Goldman novel hit theaters in 1987, back when Robin Wright hadn't met future-ex-husband Sean Penn yet and Mandy Patinkin hadn't bailed on a TV show. Want to know where the stars are now? As you wish.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Cary Elwes

Then: The little-known Elwes became a huge star thanks to his role as Westley, a dashing farm boy who assumes the identity of the Dread Pirate Roberts, scales the Cliffs of Insanity, battles Rodents of Unusual Size and outlasts torture in the Pit of Despair -- all to be reunited with his true love Buttercup.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Cary Elwes

Now: The 'Saw' star recently turned up as Lindsay Lohan's stepfather in 'Georgia Rule' and will next appear in the thriller 'Alphabet Killer' and the Jack Black comedy 'Ye Old Times,' about rival medieval shows. He and his wife (whom he met at a chili cook-off) welcomed their first child in April.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Robin Wright Penn

Then: As Robin Wright, she's Buttercup, the love of Westley's life, for whom he'll journey half-way 'round the world and for whom he's willing to fight to the death. It was only Wright's second big-screen role (the first? 'Hollywood Vice Squad') after graduating from soaps ('Santa Barbara') -- but it would prove unforgettable.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Robin Wright Penn

Now: Married to Oscar-winning actor-director Sean Penn for 11 years, the mother of two has plenty to keep her busy. She played Queen Wealhtheow in the fantasy epic 'Beowulf' and will soon co-star alongside Robert De Niro in Barry Levinson's 'What Just Happened?'

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Mandy Patinkin

Then: He played Inigo Montoya, an expert Spanish swordsman who helps kidnap Buttercup but is really only concerned with avenging his father's death. When he finally meets the 11-fingered man responsible, he utters the immortal line, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Mandy Patinkin

Now: In July of 2007, Patinkin announced he would not be returning to the hit TV show 'Criminal Minds' due to creative differences. Instead, the renowned tenor (he's recorded five albums, including one in Yiddish) and Tony Award-winning actor ('Evita') hopes to return to the stage sometime soon.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Chris Sarandon

Now: The 65-year-old thespian -- whose screen debut in 'Dog Day Afternoon' earned him a Best Supporting Actor nod -- has worked steadily since 'Princess,' though mostly on the small screen ('ER,' 'Law & Order: SVU') and Broadway. His first wife, Susan, may be the Sarandon you know better these days.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Chris Sarandon

Now: The 65-year-old thespian -- whose screen debut in 'Dog Day Afternoon' earned him a Best Supporting Actor nod -- has worked steadily since 'Princess,' though mostly on the small screen ('ER,' 'Law & Order: SVU') and Broadway. His first wife, Susan, may be the Sarandon you know better these days.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Christopher Guest

Then: Three years after turning his career up to 11 with the mockumentary 'This Is Spinal Tap,' Guest found a new magic number in 'Princess Bride': six. That's how many fingers his villainous Count Rugen has on one hand. Never before has the medical condition of polydactyly been given such a bad name.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Christopher Guest

Now: Thanks to cultishly revered, ad-libbed mockumentaries like 'Waiting for Guffman' and 'Best in Show,' the term "Christopher Guest movie" might as well be an official subgenre with its own Wikipedia entry. But the director had better hurry up and announce another project, or the cult could get restless.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Wallace Shawn

Then: As Vizzini, the diminutive, lisping Sicilian mastermind behind Buttercup's abduction, Shawn is pure comedic genius; and his showdown of wits with Westley, in which the two face off over poisoned goblets of wine, is the stuff of cinematic legend. Could we ever imagine someone else playing Vizzini? Inconceivable!

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Wallace Shawn

Now: The renowned "that guy" -- turning up in tons of movies and TV shows and always stealing his scenes -- has recently done voice work on 'Family Guy' and will appear with The Rock in 'Southland Tales.' Shawn's also an accomplished writer: The adaptation of his play 'Fever' debuted on HBO in June.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Andre the Giant

Then: The Eighth Wonder of the World, as he was known to those smaller than he (read: everyone), was a WWF star for a whopping 18 years. He won fans outside of the male 14-25 demo when he appeared as lovable leviathan Fezzik in 'Bride,' his second role after playing -- you guessed it -- a circus giant in 'Trading Mom.'

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Andre the Giant

Now: As the Frenchman born André René Roussimoff was one of the first pro wrestlers to act (in a movie, at least), we can thank him for paving the way for The Rock's movie career ... and blame him for Hulk Hogan's. Sadly, he died of congestive heart failure in 1993 at the age of 46.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Fred Savage

Then: The Dakota Fanning of his time, Savage was an old hand at acting (having already starred in 'The Boy Who Could Fly') when he landed the role of The Grandson in 'Bride.' We attribute his maturation in part to being named Fred. But what a little prude he was when it came to the smooching ...

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Fred Savage

Now: After coming of age before our eyes as Kevin Arnold on 'The Wonder Years,' major work eluded him, and it looked as if he were destined to spend his career living off royalties. But he's reinvented himself as a director in both TV (F/X's 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia') and movies ('Daddy Day Camp').

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Peter Falk

Then: By 1987 he'd already charmed fans as the rumpled-trenchcoat-sporting detective 'Columbo', and delighted moviegoers in 'The Cheap Detective' and 'The In-Laws.' Here, he's just Grandpa, the story's narrator, who reads his sick-in-bed grandson the tale that's played out for enthralled viewers.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Peter Falk

Now: The actor, who recently turned 80, has brought out the raincoat as recently as 2003 to play the beloved Columbo in a made-for-TV movie, was a voice in '04's 'Shark Tale,' had a part in the Nicolas Cage actioner 'Next' and has two more movies scheduled through 2008. Hey, that's more than "just one more thing"!

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Billy Crystal

Then: Buried under all that makeup was Crystal as Miracle Max, the kvetching conjurer who revives Westley after diagnosing him as only MOSTLY dead. At the time, Crystal had achieved fame as gay character Jodie Dallas on 'Soap,' "mahvelous" Fernando on 'Saturday Night Live' and a cop in 'Running Scared.'

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Billy Crystal

Now: Any old fool can just act. Crystal's been there, done that ('When Harry Met Sally,' 'City Slickers,' 'Analyze This') -- PLUS he's hosted the Oscars eight times, directed the HBO baseball movie '61*,' won a Tony for his one-man play '700 Sundays' and published a book and two CDs based on the play. What a slacker.

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Carol Kane

Then: By the time she played Valerie, Miracle Max's excitable wife ("LIAR!") who convinces Max to resurrect Westley, the diminutive actress with the distinctive voice had already won two Emmys as Simka Dahblitz-Gravas, wife of Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman) on the sitcom 'Taxi.'

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Carol Kane

Now: So your script calls for a funny, fiesty character with a strange accent? Call Carol Kane. The veteran comic actress, who's enlivened everything from 'Scrooged' to TV's 'Hope & Faith' to Vin Diesel's 'The Pacifier,' is currently terrifying little kids as Madame Morrible in the L.A. production of 'Wicked.'

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Rob Reiner

Then: Reiner had already helmed 'This Is Spinal Tap' and 'The Sure Thing' before bringing 'The Princess Bride' to the screen. But to an earlier generation of TV fans, he's still just a Meathead: Reiner won two Emmys for playing Archie Bunker's idiotic son-in-law Michael "Meathead" Stivic on TV's 'All in the Family.'

Whatever Happened to Westley and Buttercup?

Rob Reiner

Now: After 'Bride' came hits like 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'A Few Good Men' and 'The American President,' but Reiner can't catch a break lately -- 'Alex & Emma' and 'Rumor Has It' went nowhere fast. He fared only slightly better with the 2007 comedy 'The Bucket List,' starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.