# Last Remaining Cast Members **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464 "2021-01-01T20:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/41 "2021-01-02T04:53:54Z")
As with _ **Combat!** _ and _ **The Untouchables** _, I think there were just too many guest stars on _ **Batman** _ to consider them all here. Some of the Guest Villains appeared often enough to consider them semi-regulars, though. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/42 "2021-01-02T04:59:43Z")
Three of the five _ **Rat Patrol** _ regulars are still alive: the abovementioned Eric Braeden (aka Hans Gudegast), Gary Raymond, and Lawrence Casey (ages 79, 85, and 80, respectively). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/43 "2021-01-02T05:08:21Z")
From _ **Mary Tyler Moore** _, Ed Asner (91), Cloris Leachman (91), John Amos (81), Lisa Gerritsen (63), and of course Betty White and Gavin MacLeod are all still around. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/44 "2021-01-02T05:19:03Z")
Original IMF members Barbara Bain (89), Peter Lupus (88), Lynda Day George (76), Lesley Ann Warren (74), Sam Elliot (76), Barbara Anderson (75), and Lee Meriwether are all still with us. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/45 "2021-01-02T05:43:34Z")
Carol Burnett and Vicky Lawrence are the only two surviving cast members of _The Carol Burnett Show_, if memory serves. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/46 "2021-01-02T06:09:45Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Carol Burnett and Vicky Lawrence are the only two surviving cast members of _The Carol Burnett Show_ , if memory serves. Only if you don’t count the last year when Dick Van Dyke was a regular. ---
**Author:** ![DoubleG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DoubleG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoubleG)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/47 "2021-01-02T06:41:37Z")
From The Andy Griffith Show, only Ron Howard (Opie) and Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) are still alive of people in 14 or more episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/48 "2021-01-02T07:00:05Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Heh…I recently saw tontine used at another board and had to look it up. > > (tips hat) It was a plot device in one M \* A \* S \* H episode: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ize5lZoIlBk/hqdefault.jpg "M\*A\*S\*H! Remarkable, Memorable Scene!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ize5lZoIlBk) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/49 "2021-01-02T07:05:26Z")
There are two actors that I would consider regular cast members of The Andy Griffith Show who are still alive: Ron Howard (age 66) as Opie and Elinor Donahue (age 83) as Ellie Walker, a pharmacist who dated Andy. I think Donahue was featured prominently in the credits of the first season, but she appeared in only 12 episodes before leaving the show. She is probably better remembered for playing Betty, one of the daughters on Father Knows Best. A handful of actors who played recurring characters on Andy Griffith are still alive, notably Clint Howard (Ron’s younger brother) who played peanut-butter loving boy named Leon in a few episodes. The nature of Have Gun, Will Travel is such that there were never many actors you could consider regular cast members. Richard Boone as Paladin and Kam Tong as Hey Boy are both dead. Lisa Lu (age nearly 94) as Hey Girl is the only other regular, and like Donahue she was only a regular for one season. Mitch Vogel (age 64) as Jamie Hunter Cartwright is one of the last regular cast members of Bonanza. He appeared in 51 episodes over the last three seasons. Tim Matheson (73) was a semi-regular as Griff King, appearing in 15 episodes, all in the final season. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/50 "2021-01-02T07:08:56Z")
> [@DoubleG](#): > > From The Andy Griffith Show, only Ron Howard (Opie) and Betty Lynn (Thelma Lou) are still alive of people in 14 or more episodes I missed this post while I was composing mine. I didn’t realize Betty Lynn was still living. Good for her. She’s 94 now. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/51 "2021-01-02T07:22:06Z")
There were only ever three regular cast members on The Incredible Hulk (1978). Bill Bixby and Jack Colvin are dead, but Lou Ferrigno (age 69) is alive. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/52 "2021-01-02T12:59:23Z")
A report from 2013 mentioned that nine of the 39 original (1955-59) “Mouseketeers” of the “Mickey Mouse Club” were still alive. “Those still living include: Sharon Baird (now 70), Bobby Burgess (71), Lonnie Burr (69), Tommy Cole (71), Darlene Gillespie (71), Cubby O’Brien (66), Karen Pendleton (66) and Doreen Tracey (70)”. Missing from this list is Johnny Crawford , who would have been 67 at the time. Still alive in 2019. A 2019 New York Times issue had an obit for Karen Pendleton. Doreen Tracey died in 2018. That leaves seven. Have any others passed on during the intervening years? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/53 "2021-01-02T13:15:56Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > > [@undeuxpaw](#): > > > > Todd Bridges from Different Strokes. > > This one, like a lot of these I’d imagine, depends on who you’re including as being in “the cast.” Mary Jo Catlett – who was a series regular in 81 episodes as Pearl the housekeeper in Seasons 5-8 – is still alive. That’s more than twice as many episodes as Charlotte Rae who played the Drummonds’ housekeeper in the first few seasons. Danny Cooksey is still alive too. He’s only 45. ---
**Author:** ![undeuxpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c6cbf5/32.png) [@undeuxpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/undeuxpaw)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/54 "2021-01-02T15:23:48Z")
Right! I completely forgot about Sam! ---
**Author:** ![TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TiberiusNeroClaudius)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/55 "2021-01-02T15:24:49Z")
Looked up the cast of the 1966 “A Man for All Seasons”…one of the best historical dramas ever. Vanessa Redgrave who appears briefly as Anne Boleyn is alive. The, according to wiki , it’s way down to John Nettleton as the jailer and Matt Zimmerman as the messenger ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/56 "2021-01-02T16:27:59Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > There were only ever three regular cast members on The Incredible Hulk (1978). Bill Bixby and Jack Colvin are dead, but Lou Ferrigno (age 69) is alive. The three member cast of _My Favorite Martian_, on the other hand, are all dead; Bixby in 1993, Pamela Britton in 1974, and Ray Walston in 2001. It’s notable that Walston, who was several years older than his castmates, outlived both of them. Another show that has lost its entire cast is _Green Acres_, despite having a much larger cast. The last surviving cast member was Tom Lester who died last April. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/57 "2021-01-02T16:33:52Z")
Amazing, at least to me, is how many TOS folks are still alive: Kirk, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhuru Brian ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/58 "2021-01-02T16:54:53Z")
_Fantasy Island_ is being discussed in another thread but it fits this one. Wendy Schaal is the only living cast member from that series (assuming we discount the reboot). ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/59 "2021-01-02T16:59:13Z")
It’s also a little interesting that, despite premiering forty years ago and having a fairly large ensemble, the entire cast of _Cheers_ is still kicking (with the exception of Nicholas Colasanto who passed while the series was still airing). I suppose it was a fairly young cast, but you’d think that over forty years one of them would have been in a tragic blimp accident or something. . . ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464/60 "2021-01-02T17:30:23Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Amazing, at least to me, is how many TOS folks are still alive: Kirk, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhuru Compare any Star Trek to Babylon 5. B5 aired in the early 90’s, starting a few years after Next Generation. It has lost: Jerry Doyle Andreas Katsulas Richard Briggs Tim Choate Stephen Furst Michael O’Hare Jeff Conaway It’s stunning how many actors on Babylon 5 have died compared to many recent shows. It still has living: Patricia Talman Claudia Christian Andrea Thompson Jason Carter Bruce Boxleitner Bill Mumy Peter Jurasik Mia Furlan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-remaining-cast-members/929464.md?page=4)