Decades have passed since little Bastian Books immersed himself in “The Neverending Story” and watched the fairy tale characters battle the Nothing to save a child empress and her kingdom from certain doom, but the movie is still going strong. The 1984 fantasy family movie demonstrated the power of imagination, courage, and perseverance and introduced unforgettable characters. What became of the actors? Here’s a look at what the cast of The Neverending Story looks like (and does) today.

Barret Oliver – Bastian Balthazar Books

This is an updated photo of Barret Oliver, which you can see on the right. Oliver is now a historian of photography specializing in nineteenth-century photographic technology and wrote the book on the Woodburytype printing process of that era. Hence, his public portrait reflects the sepia tones of his profession. 

After the 1989 publication of Scenes of Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, Oliver stepped away from the spotlight and pursued more academic interests. However, his experience in front of the cameras came in handy: in 2012, he starred in a short film about his craft called In the Usual Manner.

Noah Hathaway – Atreyu

In The Neverending Story, Atreyu was a comeback kid – he survived the depressing death of his horse. Still, he managed to fight back against the forces of existential destruction. His real-life counterpart, Noah Hathaway, shares resilience: the actor has returned to Hollywood after nearly 20 years out of the spotlight.

By the time Hathaway became a movie character, he had already made a name for himself: to his credit, 1978’s Battlestar Galactica and its television sequel, as well as appearing in several then-popular series such as Mork and Mindy, Chips, Eight is Enough and Laverne and Shirley. However, after starring in the 1986 movie “Troll,” he retired from film because, as he said in an interview with The News Tribune, he “just wanted to disappear off the radar for a while and be a regular person.” After a childhood of working in finance and tattooing, Hathaway decided to get back into the business in 2012 after landing a role in the movie “Sushi Girl” and has been writing his screenplays ever since.

Deep Roy – Teeny Weeny

Deep Roy’s career in showbiz has been a long and fruitful one. The Kenyan-born actor who played the snail Teeny-Weeny in “The Neverending Story” is better known for his roles in other TV and movies, such as Mr. Sin in “Doctor Who,” Mr. Soggibottom in “Big Fish,” Oompa Loompa in Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” or Kinser in the “Star Trek” films. Before Roy starred in The Neverending Story, his career had been going on for almost a decade, but it was one of his first significant movie roles.

Alan Oppenheimer – Rockbeater, Falcor, and Gmork

The voice of most of the most memorable non-human characters in “The Neverending Story,” including Rockbeater, Falcor, and GMork, was handled by Alan Oppenheimer, who has a brilliant career in front of the microphone and camera. His screen roles include “Hogan’s Heroes” and a guest role on the TV series “Murphy Brown,’ ‘ but his voice credits are far more numerous. He is best known for his work in Flash Gordon, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Ghostbusters, The Legend of Prince Valiant, and Transformers.

Moses Gunn – Cairon

Actor Moses Gunn was already critically acclaimed before playing Empress Kairon’s champion in The Neverending Story. The actor didn’t limit himself to genres after that, starring in projects ranging from “Roots” to “Little House on the Prairie,” from “Firestar” to “Shaft,” and his career continued to evolve until he passed away in 1993 at the age of 64.

Sidney Bromley – Engywook

By the time Sidney Bromley played the role of the punchy dwarven scientist Engywook and helped Atreyu through the Gate of Enigma to reach the Southern Oracle, his career had already spanned four decades. The actor had previously starred in Dragon Slayer, An American Werewolf in London, and many other movies and TV shows, and he considered Infinite History to be one of his last movie projects. Bromley passed away in 1987 at the age of 78.

Tami Stronach – Childhood Empress

Childhood Empress may have relied on the boy(s) in her life to give her a name, but Tami Stronach has no such identity crisis. The actress had no prior screen experience when she landed the role, and as she explained to Slashfilm, the fact that she was offered the movie was a “happy accident.” Stronach has subsequently had several other jobs, but now she is professionally involved in dance. The girl studied dance in college and graduate school and now runs her own company in New York City. Her decision to lead a life outside of Hollywood was a conscious one.

” It became clear why so many children of Hollywood actors become Hollywood actors because it’s not even about acting. It’s understanding the system’s mechanics and navigating it so you’re not exploited. I think it takes a lot of savvy. It’s real business skills,” Stronach explains. “I made the decision that I would dive headfirst into dance, and if I missed acting, I would return to it as an adult, when I would be in charge of my own life and not upset my parents, who were both busy with active careers and couldn’t just give all their time to being my manager. That’s exactly what I did, and I danced professionally in New York for 20 years.”