From tragedy to successful careers: What happened to The Addams Family cast over the years?

The black-and-white spooky sitcom first haunted our screens in 1964, but whatever happened to the original cast of The Addams Family?

Below, we take a very creepy, kooky and altogether ooky look at the actors who first brought these deliciously dark characters to life, along with the stars of the iconic 1991 movies and the new cast of the Netflix smash-hit series Wednesday.

Stream episode of The Addams Family series for free on 9Now.

1. John Astin as Gomez Addams

John Astin played the original quirky and passionate Gomez Addams in the 1960's series.

Now age 95, Astin went on to have a successful TV, directing and teaching career until his retirement in 2021. Tragically, Astin is the only original cast member among us today.

"I'm really lucky that's what I ended up doing because many things have happened to me that are good as a result of The Addams Family," he said in a 2015 interview with the Television Academy Foundation.

He went on to voice Gomez Addams in the 1992 animated series The Addams Family, and returned as Grandpa Addams in the 1998 TV series The New Addams.

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Fans might remember him from the 1976 film Freaky Friday, before he lent his voice to several animated series.

This includes Disney's Aladdin and Recess, Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys, and Cartoon Network's Johnny Bravo and Pinky and the Brain.

Gomez Addams in 1991

Puerto Rican actor Raul Juliá took on the role of Gomez Addams in the 1991 film.

Following his role in both Addams Family films, Juliá revealed that Gomez was by far his favourite role, and he loved to hear from fans.

Tragically, the actor died in 1994 after suffering a stroke at the age of 54. It was reported Juliá had been battling stomach cancer for three years before his death.

Gomez Addams today

The kooky patriarch in Tim Burton's Netflix series Wednesday is currently played fellow Puerto Rican actor Luis Guzmán.

Fans might remember him from Journey 2: The Mysterious Island alongside Dwayne Johnson.

2. Lisa Loring as Wednesday Addams

Lisa Loring was just six years old when she burst onto screens as the unforgettable Wednesday Adams.

The young actress made pop culture history as the first to don the iconic pigtails, white collar and black dress embraced by her character.

Following her time as Wednesday, Loring made regular TV appearances. She passed away at age 64 in 2023, it was reported from a stroke, but her legacy lives on.

In fact, keep on reading to find out how Jenna Ortega paid homage to Loring in the new adaptation Wednesday.

Loring is survived by her two adult children, Vanessa and Marianne, who reportedly held her hands in her last moments.

Wednesday Addams in 1991

Christina Ricci's performance as 1991's Wednesday Addams is still one of her most memorable roles as a child actress.

She was just 10 when the movie was filmed, and blew audiences away with her impressive ability to be as detached, dark and sardonic as the iconic Wednesday.

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Now 45, Ricci made a return to the Addams Family universe, much to the delight of fans. The actress took on a regular role as teacher Marilyn Thornhill in the Netflix series Wednesday.

Wednesday Addams today

Leading that Netflix series is 22-year-old actress Jenna Ortega, whose reimagining of Wednesday has led her to receive a Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.

Through her role, Ortega paid homage to the first Wednesday Addams, Lisa Loring, in Season 1's kooky yet now iconic dance scene.

"I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does. Of course, they cut [it] out of camera when I did do it, but it's there, I know it is," she told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

In between seasons of the hit franchise, Ortega returned to screens with executive producer Tim Burton in long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

3. Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester

Coogan's acting career spans an incredible six decades.

Long before he was Uncle Fester, Coogan was one of the first child stars in Hollywood history. His credits go back to the 1920s as the title role in Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid.

As a young boy, he led many other notable films including Oliver Twist (1922), and Tom Sawyer (1930) only to reprise his role as Tom Sawyer in 1931 film Huckleberry Finn.

Following his role as Uncle Fester, Coogan made regular appearances in iconic TV sitcoms such as I Dream of Jeannie (1969), The Brady Bunch (1971) and Here's Lucy (1973).

Coogan sadly passed away in 1984 at age 69, reportedly from a heart attack.

Uncle Fester in 1991

Christopher Lloyd truly proved the span of his acting range when he played the role of Uncle Fester in The Addams Family movies.

Lloyd took on the role after his Back To The Future hey-day. Now age 86, Lloyd is still acting!

In welcome shock to fans, Lloyd returned to the Addams Family universe for Season 2 of Tim Burton's Wednesday. He played Nevermore Professor Orloff, who is just a head and ironically just as wacky.

Uncle Fester today

Comedian and actor Fred Armisen lights up the screen as Uncle Fester in Wednesday. Fans would recognise him as SNL royalty.

4. Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams

Carolyn Jones brought the hauntingly beautiful Morticia Addams to life in 1964.

After two seasons of the spooky series, she landed the role of Marsha, Queen of Diamonds in the 1966 Batman series.

Jones was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1981, she sadly passed away in 1983 at age 53.

Morticia Addams in 1991

Anjelica Huston gave an iconic performance as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family movie.

Huston is now 74 and has an extraordinary film and modelling career behind her. Most recently, Huston starred as The Director in John Wick: Chapter 3 and its spin-off Ballerina.

Morticia Addams today

In Netflix series Wednesday, Morticia is played by none-other than Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones.

5. Pugsley Addams

Ken Weatherwax was the first to play the young Addams son in the 1960's series. His character is still rocking the trademark striped shirt and mischievous smile 60 years on.

Weatherwax went on to play Pugsley Sr. in 1977's Halloween with the New Addams Family, and after that went back to school. The actor sadly passed away in 2014 at age 59. It is reported he passed from a heart attack.

Taking over the role of Pugsley Addams was Jimmy Workman in the 1991 movie, who after the film didn't progress much in the acting world.

Quite notably, Workman's younger sister is Modern Family actress Ariel Winter, with whom he is estranged.

Young Isaac Ordonez, now 16, plays Pugsley in the Netflix comedy-horror series.

6. Grandmama Addams

Grandmama takes on a glamourous new role in Netflix's reimagining. But she was first played by Marie Blake, also known as Blossom Rock, who had quite the acting career from the 1930s to the 50s.

She passed away in 1978 at 82 years old after suffering a stroke.

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Legendary actress Judith Malina played the loveable Grandmama in 1991's The Addams Family. Malina sadly died in 2015 at the age of 89.

Grandmama returns as an incredibly wealthy and successful business woman in Season 2 of Wednesday, played by British actor and presenter Joanna Lumley.

7. Lurch

"You rang?" that was Lurch's most famous line, ad libbed by actor Ted Cassidy who towered an impressive six foot and nine inches tall.

And while we didn't hear much of his deep voice on The Addams Family, Cassidy went on to have a successful voice acting career in animations such as The Fantastic Four (1978), Godzilla (1978), and The Incredible Hulk (1978).

Cassidy passed away at age 46 in 1979 following complications from open-heart surgery.

Carel Struycken played the gaunt and gangling house butler Lurch in 1991.

Romanian actor George Burcea portayed the role of Lurch in Season 1 of Wednesday.

The character was re-cast in Season 2 to Finnish actor and former professional basketball player Joonas Suotamo, who famously played Chewbacca in the most recent Star Wars saga.

Impressively, Suotamo stands at six foot, 11 inches tall.

Stream episode of The Addams Family series for free on 9Now.

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