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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

'Animal House' Cast: Where Are They Now?

Animal House' Then & Now

    The movie that created the mold for every gonzo comedy that followed in its schizoid wake, 'National Lampoon's Animal House' (1978) introduced the world to a bunch of underachieving fraternity brothers (including an iconic John Belushi) with IQs even lower than their GPAs. 'House' turns a dirty 30 this year. Find out where those Delta House frat rats ended up after fleeing Faber. --By Tom Johnson

    Everett Collection | WireImage | ZUMA (2)

    John Belushi
    Then: During hiatus from 'Saturday Night Live,' Belushi took on the beer-guzzling role of John "Bluto" Blutarsky, a Faber College scholar with a 0.00 GPA. Bluto's knack for instigating food fights and squashing Budweiser cans on his forehead created a comedy sensation.

    ZUMA Press

    John Belushi
    Now: Belushi's anarchic antics in 'House,' 'The Blues Brothers' and 'SNL' skits led to enduring fame as a clown prince of comedy. But in 1982, at the age of 33, Belushi's bright light flamed out when he died of a drug overdose -- a heroin and cocaine "speedball" -- in an L.A. hotel.

    Getty Images

    Tim Matheson
    Then: Unctuous and oversexed, Eric "Otter" Stratton, isn't above boffing Dean Wormer's horny wife during a toga party. A showbiz vet since the age of 13, Matheson was the voice of Jonny Quest in the titular 'toon and briefly owned 'National Lampoon' when the mag was in dire financial straits in the late '80s.

    Everett Collection

    Tim Matheson
    Now: Best remembered recently for his role as the deceptively calculating VP John Hoynes in TV's 'The West Wing,' Matheson has acted in more than 100 film and TV projects since his teenage debut. He was the father of the title character in 'Van Wilder' -- a role inspired by "Otter."

    FilmMagic

    John Vernon
    Then: Cast against type as Dean Wormer, Vernon was a frazzled administrator constantly one-upped by the Delta dunces. Known for tough-guy turns in such movies as 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' and 'Topaz,' Vernon's exasperated Dean and his final capitulation ("I really hate those guys") achieved cult status.

    Everett Collection

    John Vernon
    Now: Returning largely to villainous roles, Vernon played lead in the short-lived series 'Acapulco H.E.A.T' and followed that up with voice work as Iron Man and Batman in animated TV shows. The father of actress Kate Vernon ('Falcon Crest') died in 2005 at the age of 72 after undergoing heart surgery.

    Karnbad Michelson, Globe Photos

    Verna Bloom
    Then: Dean Wormer's adulteress wife could almost drink Bluto under the table and was more than a match for horndog Otter in the boudoir. Prior to 'House," Bloom co-starred with Clint Eastwood in 'High Plains Drifter,' in which she was a disillusioned wife who finds understanding in the arms of flinty Clint.

    Everett Collection

    Verna Bloom
    Now: Bloom regained her halo when she appeared as Mary the mother of Jesus in Martin Scorsese's 'The Last Temptation of Christ.' That 1988 movie has been Bloom's last feature film acting job to date, although she's appeared in one-offs of TV shows like 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.'

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images

    Tom Hulce
    Then: In Hulce's second film, as innocent, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth Delta pledge Larry "Pinto" Kroger, he hit the perfect nerdy stance. Six years later, Hulce perfected that goober image when he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as arrested adolescent Mozart in 'Amadeus.'

    ZUMA Press

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