Known for: Beetlejuice
Net worth: $18 million
The darling of the 1980s grew up on a Northern California commune with no electricity during the 1970s. Winona Horowitz’s parents were friends with Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary who is her godfather. When she was ten, the family moved to Petaluma, and she enrolled in acting classes. In 1985 she auditioned for a movie by sending a VCR recording of herself reciting a monologue she found in a J.D. Salinger novel. She didn’t get the part, but the director was impressed and cast her in Lucas . It was then she decided on “Winona Ryder.” The movie was her breakout film, co-starring with Charlie Sheen.
Her goth-chick performance in Beetlejuice was undeniably lovable. In Reality Bites, she nailed eighties attitudes. She was the perfect “Jo” in Little Women. She won an Oscar nomination for The Age of Innocence and Little Women. Audiences still adore her in the sci-fi, horror, Web/TV Netflix series, Stranger Things. Ryder dated Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, and Soul Asylum’s frontman Dave Pirner. Today she’s, like, married to Keanu Reeves. Philanthropically, she’s been active supporting indigenous people’s rights.
Marisa Tomei
Known for: My Cousin Vinny
Net worth: $20 million
Another “totally ’80s” actress is Marisa Tomei. The girl with an Italian background and a Brooklyn accent so pronounced her mom had to remind her to tone it down, simply enamored audiences. The adorable accent came in handy playing Mona in, My Cousin Vinny . Tomei was funny as heck and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
In 1984, she had a role in The Flamingo Kid with verifiable “Brat Packer,” Matt Dillon from The Outsiders. It was a small part with one line, but it got her recognized, as did the 1980s TV shows, A Different World and the daytime soap opera, As the World Turns. Though co-starring with Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny (1992) was a high point, she earned a SAG nomination for Unhook the Stars. And was listed as one of the twelve most “Promising New Actors of 1991.”
Richard Dreyfuss
Known for: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and What About Bob?
Net worth: $5 million
Richard Dreyfuss has had an astounding career in the film industry. He debuted in The Graduate, but he had a tiny part. It was only one line! After that, it’s a list of blockbuster hits. He scored a role in American Graffiti , Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jaws . A drug habit veered him off course for a few years, but he came back strong with memorable roles in comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills , Stand by Me , and the hilarious, What About Bob? And, of course, we recall his fabulous performance in Mr. Holland’s Opus .
Brooklyn-born and Queens-raised, Richard Dreyfuss was brought up by a Jewish family with a father who was an attorney and a mother who was a peace activist. His father wasn’t fond of New York, so they moved to Europe and then to Los Angeles. Dreyfuss found himself in the Hollywood area, attending Beverly Hills High School. He began acting at the Temple in Beverly Hills and soon picked up small acting parts. Dreyfuss is very active politically, so much so that he founded his own non-profit called The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative to improve such involvement in high school. He’s savagely opposed to a Trump presidency but is vexed by Hollywood liberals and regrets his vote for Hillary.
Madonna
Known for: “Borderline” and “Like a Virgin”
Net worth: $590 million
Madonna, the primo diva of the Eighties, single-handedly made glam rock mainstream while inventing the hippest fashion trends. She was the real deal. I mean, who else would’ve thought shearing the fingertips off of lacy black gloves would create a “cool” new accessory? Her “look” and her catchy chart-busting pop songs played continuously on the radio, but more significantly, the material girl entertained over a brand-new medium. MTV. Decked out in rank new styles, Madonna’s lively singing and playful dancing to electronic-pop songs lit up the tube.
MTV and Madonna materialized during this decade of rapid technological change. Her second album, Like a Virgin, sold a record-breaking 21 million copies worldwide. On the Virgin Tour, N.Y.C. colleagues, the Beastie Boys opened up for her. Today, she’s the wealthiest woman in the music business. Madonna proved her talent on the big screen as her career progressed. She starred in Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985, a film which portrays her image. By 1992, A League of Their Own was a number-one box-office hit. Madonna played the title role in Evita (1996), for which she won many accolades and a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Jennifer Grey
Known for: Dirty Dancing
Net worth: $10 million
Jennifer Grey was not an official “Brat Packer,” but she was an Eighties movies superstar. Besides the Dirty Dancing sensation starring opposite Patrick Swayze ( Outsiders ), Grey also starred in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , a 1986 teen comedy. One of those era-defining flicks that continues to generate a following. During the filming, she was secretly dating Matthew Broderick (Ferris). She also dated other Eighties celebs like Johnny Depp and Michael J. Fox.
She starred in It’s Like, You Know for one season. On season eleven of Dancing With the Stars , she and her partner won the competition. In a medical exam prior to taping the show, her doctor found a suspicious mark on her thyroid. It turned out to be malignant. She had it removed immediately and has been cancer-free. Born in Manhattan to a Hollywood family, she’s the daughter of Academy Award-winning actor Joel Grey and former actress and singer, Jo Wilder, both from Jewish backgrounds. Not only that, but her grandfather was comedian and musician Mickey Katz. As a student, Jennifer Grey attended a prestigious dance and acting school located on N.Y.C.’s Upper East Side.