The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Escape From New York
John Carpenter's "Escape From New York" is a cult classic for a reason — it rules. Released in 1981, "Escape From New York" is a down-and-dirty sci-fi action pic in which New York City has become a giant maximum security prison. As bad luck would have it, an attempted hijacking of Air Force One forces the President (Donald Pleasence) to eject from the plane in an escape pod. Guess where he ends up? Yep — NYC, baby! The Big Apple! The militarized government wants to save the President and retrieve a top-secret briefcase he has cuffed to his wrist, but New York is too dangerous to simply enter for your average rescue mission. So the powers-that-be strike upon a simple plan: they force criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) into doing the job.
Snake, a cool dude with an eyepatch and a whispery voice, has no real choice in the matter: a device has been implanted inside his body that will kill him in 22 hours. If he saves the President and brings him home, the device will be de-activated and Snake will live. If he fails the mission, it's bye-bye Snake. And so our anti-hero is dropped into New York, where he must tussle with gangs of weirdos and old acquaintances before his time runs out.
Several of the major players from "Escape From New York" have sadly left us, but a few are still around. So here are the only major actors still alive from "Escape From New York."
Kurt Russell (Snake Plissken)
Kurt Russell stars as Snake Plissken, a mercenary who is forced to save the day in the film. Sporting an eye patch and a Clint Eastwood voice, Russell stayed in character throughout most of the shooting of the film. The actor saw the role as a chance to break away from the more lighthearted Disney parts he had been playing up until then. Russell, one of John Carpenter's best collaborators, began acting as a child. His first role (uncredited) was a small part in "It Happened at the World's Fair," where he was tasked with kicking none other than Elvis Presley, someone he would eventually play in the TV movie "Elvis," also directed by Carpenter.
Russell has been an active actor since 1962 and has been experiencing something of a resurgence in his later years thanks to filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. Some of his notable roles include "Tombstone," where he played Wyatt Earp, the fireman drama "Backdraft," John Carpenter's "The Thing," Carpenter's "Big Trouble in Little China," the underrated '90s thriller "Breakdown," the "Fast and Furious" films "Furious 7," "The Fate of the Furious", and "F9," the Marvel sequel "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," and the Tarantino movies "Death Proof," "The Hateful Eight," and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." He also reprised the role of Snake Plissken in Carpenter's "Escape from L.A." More recently, Russell co-starred with his son Wyatt in the Apple TV+ series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters."
Russell was married to actress Season Hubley (who is also still alive and has a small role in "Escape From New York") from 1979 to 1983. After their divorce, Russell began a relationship with Goldie Hawn, whom he co-starred with in the films "Swing Shift" and "Overboard." Hawn and Russell have never married, but they're still together.
Adrienne Barbeau (Maggie)
In "Escape From New York," Adrienne Barbeau plays Maggie, who gets roped into helping Snake even though she clearly doesn't like him (to be fair, no one really likes Snake). According to Barbeau, she got her start working for "the mob" as a go-go dancer in the 1960s, which is an amazing bit of trivia. After that, she made her way to Broadway, appearing in "Fiddler on the Roof." This would result in Barbeau appearing in at least 25 musicals and plays, including the Broadway production of "Grease," where she played the character Rizzo.
Barbeau was married to director John Carpenter when she appeared in "Escape From New York." She also appeared in Carpetner's "The Fog." She also has a voice cameo in Caprenter's "The Thing," featuring her "Escape From New York" co-star Kurt Russell. Barbeau and Carpenter divorced in 1984. Other notable Barbeau roles include "Creepshow," "Back to School," "The Cannonball Run," and the long-running TV soap "General Hospital." She also provided the voice of Catwoman on the now-classic "Batman: The Animated Series." Most recently, she had a supporting role on the TV series "Harlan Corben's Shelter."
Tom Atkins (Captain Rehme)
Tom Atkins plays Captain Rehme in "Escape From New York." It's not exactly a big part, but you just can't ignore Tom Atkins, a legend of B-movies. Atkins has been actively working since 1963, and at first, he had no interest in being an actor. But in his 20s, Atkins got bit by the acting bug, first starting out on and off Broadway before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the movies. His first film role was opposite the legendary Frank Sinatra in "The Detective."
While Atkins has had a long and varied career (he's even in the original "Lethal Weapon"!) he tends to gravitate towards horror movies and has become something of a legend in the horror movie scene. His film roles include "The Fog," "The Ninth Configuration," "Creepshow," "Halloween III: Season of the Witch," "Night of the Creeps," "Maniac Cop," "My Bloody Valentine 3D," and "Drive Angry."
Charles Cyphers (Secretary of State)
Charles Cyphers has a very small role in "Escape From New York" as the Secretary of State, but he's worth highlighting because of his frequent work with John Carpenter. Cyphers played the skeptical Sheriff Leigh Brackett in the first "Halloween" and returned for the sequel "Halloween II." Recently, he reprised the role in David Gordon Green's legacy sequel "Halloween Kills." Other work with Carpenter beyond "Halloween" and "Escape From New York" includes "Assault on Precinct 13," "Someone's Watching Me!", "Elvis," and "The Fog."
Like most of the actors listed here (other than Russell), Cyphers began a career on the stage before moving into film and TV. Some of his TV work includes "Sliders," "ER," "Seinfeld," and "JAG." His film work includes "Death Wish II," "Major League," "Loaded Weapon 1," and "Murder in the First."