Forty Years Since ‘Top Gun’: Where Are the Pilots Today?
In 1986, moviegoers flocked to theaters to see Top Gun, which became one of the decade’s most successful films. Released on May 16, 1986, the Tony Scott film became the No. 1 movie at the domestic box office that year, grossing $176,781,728 in its original run and making Tom Cruise a true star. Decades later, Top Gun: Maverick returned to theaters and became another massive hit, earning nearly $1.5 billion worldwide. In honor of the film’s 40th anniversary, here is what the original cast is up to today, and those who have sadly left us.
Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (63)
Everett Collection; Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection
Maverick is the talented but reckless Navy pilot who is sent to TOPGUN (the commonly used name for the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program) with his best friend, radar intercept officer Goose. He has the skill to be one of the best, but his ego makes him a challenge for almost everyone there.
Before Top Gun
Cruise had already been building momentum before Top Gun, with roles in Endless Love, Taps, The Outsiders, All the Right Moves, Risky Business, and Legend.
After Top Gun
Cruise’s career only grew after Top Gun. He earned Oscar nominations for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia, and later became the face of the Mission: Impossible franchise. He returned to the role of Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick, which was nominated for Best Picture, with Cruise nominated as a producer. In 2025, he received an honorary Oscar at the Governors’ Awards.
Kelly McGillis as Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (68)
Everett Collection; Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Charlie is the civilian instructor who does not let Maverick charm his way out of being challenged. She becomes his love interest throughout the story. She was based on Christine Fox, who was employed at Naval Air Station Miramar.
Before Top Gun
McGillis had appeared in Reuben, Reuben, and on One Life to Live before Top Gun. She also earned major attention for Witness, which brought her Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations before she played Charlie.
After Top Gun
After Top Gun, McGillis appeared in films such as Made in Heaven, The Accused, The Babe, and At First Sight. She later appeared on The L Word and in horror films including Stake Land, The Innkeepers, and We Are What We Are.
Val Kilmer as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (d. 2025)
Everett Collection; Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Iceman is Maverick’s rival at TOPGUN, and their tension drives the story forward.
Before Top Gun
Kilmer had only a few screen credits before playing Iceman. He had appeared in Top Secret!, Real Genius, and an episode of ABC Afterschool Specials, but Top Gun introduced him to a much wider audience.
After Top Gun
Kilmer went on to star in Willow, The Doors, True Romance, Tombstone, Heat, Batman Forever, The Saint, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He was later the subject of the 2021 documentary Val, which looked back at his career and his health struggles after throat cancer. Kilmer returned as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick, giving the sequel one of its most emotional scenes. Sadly, Kilmer died on April 1, 2025, at age 65 from pneumonia.
Anthony Edwards as Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (63)
Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Goose is Maverick’s radar intercept officer, as well as his best friend. His death is still one of the film’s most emotional moments.
Before Top Gun
Edwards had been acting for years before playing Goose. His earlier credits included Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Heart Like a Wheel, Revenge of the Nerds, The Sure Thing and the sitcom It Takes Two.
After Top Gun
After Top Gun, Edwards appeared in projects including Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, Pet Sematary II, The Client, The Forgotten, and Zodiac. His biggest television role was as Dr. Mark Greene on ER, for which he earned multiple Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. He later appeared in shows such as Billions and Inventing Anna, and won an Emmy as an executive producer on Temple Grandin.
Tom Skerritt as Mike “Viper” Metcalf (92)
Paramount/Everett Collection; Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
Viper is the calm, experienced TOPGUN instructor who knows more about Maverick’s father than Maverick realizes.
Before Top Gun
Skerritt already had a long career before Top Gun. His earlier credits included M*A*S*H, Fuzz, Thieves Like Us, The Turning Point, Up in Smoke, Alien, and The Dead Zone.
After Top Gun
After Top Gun, Skerritt appeared in Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, Singles, Contact, The Other Sister, and Tears of the Sun. On television, he won an Emmy Award for his role as Sheriff Jimmy Brock on Picket Fences. He also appeared in later projects, including Brothers & Sisters, The Good Wife, Ted, A Hologram for the King, and East of the Mountains.
Michael Ironside as Rick “Jester” Heatherly (76)
Paramount/Everett Collection; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for ReedPop
Jester is one of the TOPGUN instructors who pushes Maverick and the other pilots during training.
Before Top Gun
Ironside had already appeared in Scanners, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, The Falcon and the Snowman, V, and Hill Street Blues before Top Gun.
After Top Gun
Ironside went on to appear in Total Recall, Free Willy, Starship Troopers, The Perfect Storm, The Machinist and Terminator Salvation. He also did voice work in several Transformers projects and continued appearing on television in shows including The Alienist, This Is Us, and The Dropout.
John Stockwell as Bill “Cougar” Cortell (65)
Francisco Roman/Anchor Bay Films/Everett Collection
Cougar is the pilot who loses his nerve early in the movie, which opens the door for Maverick and Goose to be sent to TOPGUN.
Before Top Gun
Stockwell had already appeared in Losin’ It, Eddie and the Cruisers, Christine, Radioactive Dreams and My Science Project. He also appeared in the miniseries North and South before playing Cougar.
After Top Gun
After Top Gun, Stockwell moved more into writing and directing. He wrote the TV movie Cheaters, which earned him an Emmy nomination, and later wrote Rock Star and Blue Crush. As a director, his credits include Cheaters, Crazy/Beautiful, Blue Crush, Into the Blue, Turistas, and Middle of Nowhere.
Whip Hubley as Rick “Hollywood” Neven (68)
Universal Television/Everett Collection; Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Visionaire Screening Series
Hollywood is one of the pilots in the TOPGUN program and later takes part in the film’s final mission.
Before Top Gun
Hubley appeared in St. Elmo’s Fire and on shows like Magnum, P.I. and North and South before Top Gun.
After Top Gun
Afterward, Hubley appeared in Life Goes On, Murder, She Wrote, Coneheads, Species, Executive Decision and A Very Brady Sequel. He also had guest roles on shows including The Practice, Charmed, The District and CSI: Miami. EW reported that, as of 2022, Hubley was living in Maine, working in construction, and moonlighting.
Barry Tubb as Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe (63)
Everett Collection; Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Wolfman is Hollywood’s radar intercept officer and one of the young officers moving through TOPGUN.
Before Top Gun
Before the film, Tubb had appeared in Mask, The Legend of Billie Jean, Bay City Blues, The Mississippi and Hill Street Blues.
After Top Gun
Tubb later played Jasper Fant in Lonesome Dove and Return to Lonesome Dove and appeared in Guilty by Suspicion, American Outlaws, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Friday Night Lights and Revolution. In 2024, Tubb sued Paramount over the use of his image without permission in Top Gun: Maverick.
Rick Rossovich as Ron “Slider” Kerner (68)
NBC/Everett Collection
Slider is Iceman’s radar intercept officer and one of the guys who makes Maverick and Goose feel like outsiders at first.
Before Top Gun
Rossovich had appeared in The Lords of Discipline, Streets of Fire and The Terminator before Top Gun. He had also appeared on shows including Fantasy Island, B.J. and the Bear, and Eight Is Enough.
After Top Gun
After Top Gun, Rossovich appeared in The Morning After, Roxanne, Navy SEALs, and Truth or Consequences, N.M. He also had a recurring role on ER as Dr. John “Tag” Taglieri and later starred as Lt. Anthony Palermo on Pacific Blue. He stepped back from acting for a time before returning for smaller projects in the 2010s.
Tim Robbins as Sam “Merlin” Wells (67)
Buena Vista/Everett Collection; Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
Merlin is Cougar’s radar intercept officer and later flies with Maverick during the final mission.
Before Top Gun
Robbins was still early in his screen career when he appeared in Top Gun. His earlier credits included No Small Affair, The Sure Thing, Fraternity Vacation, and episodes of St. Elsewhere, The Love Boat, and Hill Street Blues.
After Top Gun
Robbins later became known for Bull Durham, Jacob’s Ladder, The Player, The Shawshank Redemption, and Mystic River, for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He also directed Dead Man Walking, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. More recently, he has starred in the Apple TV+ series Silo.
Clarence Gilyard Jr. as Marcus “Sundown” Williams (d. 2022)
Viacom/Everett Collection
Sundown flies with Maverick after Goose’s death, though the partnership is strained by what has happened.
Before Top Gun
Before Top Gun, Gilyard had appeared in episodes of Diff’rent Strokes, CHiPs, and The Duck Factory.
After Top Gun
Gilyard went on to play Theo in Die Hard and became well known on television as Conrad McMasters on Matlock and James Trivette on Walker, Texas Ranger. He later taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Gilyard died on November 28, 2022, at age 66 after a long illness.
James Tolkan as Tom “Stinger” Jardian (d. 2026)
Everett Collection; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Stinger is Maverick and Goose’s commander.
Before Top Gun
Before Top Gun, Tolkan had appeared in Serpico, Love and Death, The Amityville Horror, Prince of the City, WarGames and Back to the Future.
After Top Gun
After Top Gun, Tolkan returned as Mr. Strickland in Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III and appeared in Masters of the Universe, Dick Tracy, Problem Child 2 and Bone Tomahawk. Tolkan died on March 26, 2026, at age 94.
Meg Ryan as Carole Bradshaw (64)
Everett Collection; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Carole is Goose’s wife, and even though Ryan has little screen time, she makes Goose’s home life feel real.
Before Top Gun
Before Top Gun, Ryan had appeared on As the World Turns, ABC Afterschool Specials, and Charles in Charge.
After Top Gun
After the film, Ryan became one of the biggest romantic comedy stars of the late ’80s and ’90s with When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail. She later directed and starred in Ithaca and co-wrote, directed, and starred in What Happens Later with David Duchovny.
Adrian Pasdar as Charles “Chipper” Piper (60)
Samuel Goldwyn/Everett Collection; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Chipper is one of the young pilots in the TOPGUN program.
Before Top Gun
Top Gun was Pasdar’s film debut. He was still a teenager when he made the movie, and the role gave him his first major screen credit.
After Top Gun
Pasdar followed Top Gun with roles in Solarbabies, Near Dark and Carlito’s Way. On television, he became known for Mysterious Ways, Judging Amy, Desperate Housewives and Heroes. He also voiced Tony Stark and Iron Man in several animated Marvel projects.
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