The Only Major Actors Still Alive From The Graduate
Nothing defined New Hollywood quite like "The Graduate," and for very good reason. The film was chock full of innovation, from the salacious script to the ground-breaking cinematography, but the movie might be best remembered for its incredible cast. The coming-of-age classic features career-defining performances from Anne Bancroft, already a huge star at the time, and Dustin Hoffman, the best actor ever, in one of the first major roles of his long and storied career.
The 1967 film follows Ben, a recent college graduate (as the film's title implies) with an uncertain future and a community of expectant WASPs to answer to. In his summertime languor, he finds his way into the waiting arms of Mrs. Robinson, a middle-aged family friend who persistently pursues our passive hero into his sexual awakening.
Quite a lot of time has passed since 1967. The world is almost unrecognizable now, and yet, today's 20-somethings can still see themselves in Ben's post-graduate lamentation. But as younger and younger generations are exposed to the graduate, the cast grows older and older, and not all of them have lived to see 2023. So, which of these incredible actors are still alive, and are any of them still working today? I dug for answers so you don't have to.
Dustin Hoffman
"The Graduate" was Hoffman's breakout role and remains one of his most respected roles to date. After starring in Mike Nichols' magnum opus as the titular graduate, Hoffman became a '60s-'70s it-boy in New Hollywood classics like "Midnight Cowboy." The actor's star continued to rise in the '80s with unforgettable roles in "Tootsie" and "Rain Man." The latter earned him his second Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, less than a decade after his first win for "Kramer vs. Kramer." He has had one of the most wildly successful film careers in cinematic history, and it all started with "The Graduate."
Hoffman is alive and well in 2023 at age 86 and still working today. He is slated to reprise his voice-acting role as Shifu in the upcoming animated movie "Kung Fu Panda 4," but he isn't limiting himself to animation. Hoffman also starred opposite Candice Bergen in Mayim Bialik's 2022 family drama "As They Made Us." The Academy Award winner will additionally be featured in Francis Ford Coppola's star-studded upcoming film "Megalopolis," which finally wrapped up a lengthy and troubled production in March 2023, per Indiewire.
Katharine Ross
Katharine Ross got her start with small TV parts in series like "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" before starring in "The Graduate." She starred in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" two years later as Etta Place and continued acting for many decades, including her small but unforgettable role as Dr. Lilian Thurman in "Donnie Darko."
Her performance in "The Graduate" earned her an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA award, but it was not the only role that earned impressive accolades. "Butch Cassidy" earned her another BAFTA award, and her performance in "Voyage of the Damned" snagged her a Golden Globe in 1977. The actress' incredible cinematic achievements in the late '60s and '70s solidified her as a golden girl of New Hollywood.
Ross acted up until 2019, most recently starring in the comedy "Attachments" as Eileen. She is still alive in 2023 at age 83 but has seemingly retired from the entertainment business at long last. It's safe to say she has a strong legacy to be proud of.
William Daniels
Mr. Braddock might not have had a lot of screen time in "The Graduate," but he is a huge presence in Ben's life, just as William Daniels was on American television. From the '80s hospital drama "St. Elsewhere" to the '90s coming-of-age staple "Boy Meets World," Daniels was an actor to remember. His performance in "St. Elsewhere" even earned him two Primetime Emmy wins and several more nominations.
Daniels' role as Mr. Feeny in "Boy Meets World" introduced him to a whole new generation of viewers who grew to love him just as much as their parents. The acclaimed actor almost turned the role down at first because he didn't like the way that it portrayed teachers, he told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. Thankfully, after rejecting the offer two times, he agreed to take the part, and one of the most iconic roles of his career was born.
Daniels retired from acting in 2020 but is still alive today at 96, making him the oldest surviving cast member from "The Graduate."