HOT GALLERY: Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Look Back at the Film That Made Jeff Spicoli a Household Name

Amanda Wyss as Lisa from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Amanda Wyss as Lisa from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Ah, the 1980s, when young women were embracing their independence and owning their sexuality. Lisa, coworker and girlfriend of Fast Times’ protagonist, Brad (Judge Reinhold), manages to beat him to the punch by dumping him before he dumps her, explaining that “we owe it to ourselves to be free”: the exact line he was planning to use on her. Women’s lib in action.

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Amanda Wyss—Today

Amanda Wyss has been working steadily since Fast Times, appearing in several films, including A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and numerous TV series such as St. Elsewhere, Quantum Leap, Charmed, and Murder, She Wrote. More recently, she’s been featured in hit shows Dexter and CSI.

Anthony Edwards as Stoner Bud from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Anthony Edwards as Stoner Bud from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

As Stoner Bud, one of the generic buddies of Jeff Spicoli, Edwards got an early opportunity to bare his chest and smoke a cigarette inside All-American Burger. This small role led to many bigger ones, such as a spy in Gotcha! (1985) and a tragicomic copilot with Tom Cruise in Top Gun (1986). This Stoner Bud went far in the 1980s.

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Anthony Edwards—Today

Starting in the 1990s, Edwards became a television favorite, first with the role in the quirky, critically acclaimed Northern Exposure, then as Dr. Mark Greene in ER. Most recently, he’s appearing in the upcoming Jack Kerouac film, Big Sur.

Brian Backer as Mark ‘Rat’ Ratner from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Brian Backer as Mark "Rat" Ratner from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Before starring as the love-struck Mark "Rat" Ratner in Fast Times, Backer won the 1981 Tony for Best Actor in The Floating Light Blub, a Broadway play by Woody Allen. In Fast Times, the Rat manages to get the girl, bore her, lose her, and win her back. He comments on his teen life, “I hate working the theater, all the action’s on the other side of the mall.” He does manage some action in the end. Vintage Cameron Crowe.

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Brian Backer—Today

Backer appeared in films such as Moving Violations (1985) and The Money Pit (1986). He worked on the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara. His most recent film appearance was in the 2000 indie film Loser, directed by Fast Times director Amy Heckerling.

Eric Stoltz as Stoner Bud from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Eric Stoltz as Stoner Bud from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

While his big line in the film might have only been about having “uno dinero” when Jeff Spicoli asks how much money he had, Eric "Stoner Bud" Stoltz went on to star in many films, such as Mask (1985) and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), and became a 1980s teen icon. He also dated costar Jennifer Jason Leigh for four years.

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Eric Stoltz—Today

Eric Stoltz is a prolific actor, director, and producer. He went on to star in such films as Pulp Fiction (1994) and Jerry Maguire (1996). In addition, he’s appeared in countless television shows, such as Will & Grace, Medium, Grey’s Anatomy, Leverage, and Wilfred. In 2012, he directed four episodes of Glee and a Californication episode for Showtime.

Forest Whitaker as Charles Jefferson from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Forest Whitaker as Charles Jefferson from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

It wasn’t a big leap for Whitaker to make his film debut as football star Charles Jefferson, who exacts his revenge, mistakenly, against the Lincoln High School football team to avenge the destruction of his Z28 Camaro. He won a football scholarship for his college education before he started acting.

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Forest Whitaker—Today

What hasn’t Whitaker accomplished since his Fast Times at Ridgemont High gig? He made his mark in films such as The Color of Money (1986), Platoon (1986), Bird (1988), and The Crying Game (1992). He won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for his performance as the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. He just finished executive-producing the 2012 documentary Rising from Ashes.

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Stacy Hamilton, the girl who can’t lose her virginity fast enough, somehow learns after an abortion that what life is all about is the romance. As if any 15-year-old is that enlightened. Lucky for the audience, they can enjoy Jackson Browne’s popular hit “Somebody’s Baby” every time Stacy decides she’s getting lucky, because it sure doesn’t look like her life is actually all that fun.

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Jennifer Jason Leigh—Today

Jennifer Jason Leigh has not stopped since her success as the hot-to-trot Stacy Hamilton. She’s starred in the thriller Single White Female (1992), played Dorothy Parker in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), and played alongside Alan Cumming in The Anniversary Party (2001). She can currently be seen on Weeds, playing Jill Price-Gray, the twisted sister of Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker).

Judge Reinhold as Brad Hamilton from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Judge Reinhold as Brad Hamilton from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Brad Hamilton—the guy who couldn’t hold a fast-food job or a girlfriend and got caught in one major embarrassing position—still manages to be a decent brother and a hero when he douses hot coffee on a would-be convenience store robber and finally gets a promotion at work. Who can blame him for tossing the Captain Hook Fish & Chips uniform out the car window? He’s so much more distinguished in a convenience store uniform.

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Judge Reinhold—Today

The 1980s were a prolific decade for Reinhold. He went on to star in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, Gremlins (1984), and Ruthless People (1986). He followed up with the Santa Clause holiday films beginning in the 1990s. His latest starring role is in the independent film Comics Open (2012), currently in post-production.

Nicolas Cage as Brad’s Bud from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Nicolas Cage as Brad’s Bud from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Before Nicolas Cage broke out in the role of teen heartthrob Randy in Valley Girl (1983), he landed the role of Brad’s Bud in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Most of his part was cut, but we do get a quick glimpse of him as Brad’s coworker at All-American Burger. By the next year, he would be a rising star.

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Nicolas Cage—Today

While he might have gotten credited as Nicolas Coppola (yes, that Coppola) for his role as Brad’s Bud, he changed his name to Nicolas Cage and the rest is history. He’s become one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, starring in films such as Moonstruck (1987), Raising Arizona (1987), Face/Off (1997), Adaptation (2002), the National Treasure franchise, and the upcoming thriller Stolen.

Phoebe Cates as Linda Barrett from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Phoebe Cates as Linda Barrett from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Cates’s film career was launched as Linda Barrett, the "experienced" girl who had all the right moves with a carrot in the cafeteria and coming out of a pool in her bikini. All she really did was manage to give a bunch of bad advice to Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh). At least she defended Stacy’s tarnished honor when Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) bailed on her—which was really the least she could have done if you really think about it…

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Phoebe Cates—Today

Cates went on to star in Gremlins (1984, with Fast Times alum Judge Reinhold), the 1980s TV miniseries Lace, and Drop Dead Fred (1991). She also appeared with Jennifer Jason Leigh, her best friend, in The Anniversary Party (2001). Cates married actor Kevin Kline and not only appeared in numerous plays, she opened her own boutique in 2005 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Blue Tree.

Ray Walston as Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Ray Walston as Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Before he was the very disagreeable high school history teacher Mr. Hand, Ray Walston was a television institution, known for his 1960s sitcom My Favorite Martian. Mr. Hand became a memorable fixture from the film, reminding everyone how important his time was and enjoying his highly antagonistic relationship with one Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) just a bit too much.

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Ray Walston—1994

In the 1990s, Walston had another generation engaged in his cantankerous personality in the critically lauded TV series Picket Fences as Judge Henry Bone. He also appeared in popular shows such as Ally McBeal and Star Trek: Voyager. He never stopped acting. His last role was an uncredited appearance in 7th Heaven (2001). Sadly, Ray Walston passed away in 2001 at the age of 86.

Robert Romanus as Mike Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Robert Romanus as Mike Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Romanus owned his first starring role in the teen comedy playing a ticket-scalping sleaze who betrays his best and only friend for a fast chance with Jennifer Jason Leigh. He used his own advice to size her up at the restaurant: “A girl decides how far she’s gonna let you go in the first five minutes.”

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Robert Romanus—Today

Romanus peaked with his role as Mike Damone. He has worked steadily on 1980s shows such as Fame and The Facts of Life. More recently, he’s guest-starred on Cold Case, and his most recent role was in the Fox series Touch.

Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Sean Penn’s classic role of Jeff Spicoli might be summed up in his line at the end of the film: “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” That line epitomized not only California surf culture but also generations of basic stoner philosophy. One of Penn’s best, and few, comic roles.

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Sean Penn—Today

Sean Penn is not the same laid-back dude from the film. His dark side comes out in the many films he’s acted in and directed over the past 30 years. He’s won Oscars for his performances in Mystic River (2003) and Milk (2008). He’s also done a great deal of humanitarian work, most notably in Haiti and dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.