When Beethoven hit theaters in 1992, every family suddenly started looking to adopt a giant Saint Bernard. The movie made $147 million worldwide and turned one very slobbery dog into a full-on family-movie franchise.
Now, 34 years later, the Newton family has gone in all kinds of directions. Some stayed in Hollywood, some moved on, but they’re still beloved by the fans. Here’s what happened to the cast of Beethoven.
Charles Grodin — George Newton
Charles Grodin played George Newton, the dad who wants absolutely nothing to do with the giant dog drooling all over his nice, cozy house. Of course, George eventually comes around, because how can one say no to Beethoven’s cute face? Before Beethoven, Grodin had already appeared in classics like Rosemary’s Baby, The Heartbreak Kid, and Midnight Run, and later returned for Beethoven’s 2nd in 1993. Sadly, Grodin died in May 2021 at age 86 from bone marrow cancer.
Bonnie Hunt — Alice Newton
Bonnie Hunt played Alice Newton, the mom who’s desperately trying to keep the whole household from collapsing. After Beethoven, she kept getting more roles in movies like Jumanji, Jerry Maguire, and The Green Mile. She also became a voice actress, lending her voice to characters like Sally from Cars, Dolly from Toy Story, and Bonnie Hopps from Zootopia. More recently, we saw her in Red One, which means she still keeps doing what she enjoys.
Nicholle Tom — Ryce Newton
Nicholle Tom played Ryce, the oldest Newton kid, but she became much better known as Maggie on The Nanny. She also built a nice voice-acting résumé, especially as Supergirl in the DC animated universe. Over the years, she appeared in shows like Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, Burn Notice, and Gotham. In 2024, she was a guest on Australia’s The Morning Show and talked about starting Beethoven when she was only 13.
Christopher Castile — Ted Newton
Christopher Castile played the middle Newton kid and also starred as Mark Foster on the sitcom Step by Step. But unlike many other former child stars, Castile eventually quit acting and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University. He now teaches U.S. history at Downey High School in California and also teaches political science courses at Biola University.
Sarah Rose Karr — Emily Newton
The youngest Newton kid, Emily, was the one responsible for making viewers emotionally attached to Beethoven. Sarah Rose Karr had already appeared in Kindergarten Cop and Father of the Bride, then returned for Beethoven’s 2nd. A few years later, Karr quietly stepped away from acting, but we never actually found out why. There are plenty of internet theories about where she went as well, but the safest bet is that she chose a very private life. And that’s fair enough.
Dean Jones — Dr. Herman Varnick
Dean Jones played Dr. Varnick, the bad-guy veterinarian. Before that, Jones was already a Disney legend thanks to movies like The Love Bug and That Darn Cat! Sadly, Jones died of Parkinson’s disease in September 2015 at age 84. Disney’s D23 remembered him as a major live-action Disney star of the 1960s and ’70s.
Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt — Vernon and Harvey
Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt played Dr. Herman’s goons, Vernon and Harvey. Both actors continued their Hollywood journeys and reached the very top. You may remember Tucci from small indie movies like The Devil Wears Prada, Spotlight, The Hunger Games, and countless others, where he walks in and the room instantly goes quiet. His recent roles include Conclave and Netflix’s The Electric State. Platt, on the other hand, has played Dr. Daniel Charles on Chicago Med since 2015 and also stars in The Bear. Not bad for two cronies who once got outsmarted by a dog.
David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton — Brad and Brie
David Duchovny and Patricia Heaton played the smug couple Beethoven ruins during that hilarious barbecue scene. And, as you can probably tell, both actors did just fine afterward. Duchovny became a TV icon as Fox Mulder on The X-Files and later starred in Californication. More recently, he wrote, directed, produced, and acted in Reverse the Curse, based on his own novel. Heaton, meanwhile, became a sitcom queen thanks to Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle, with her more recent work including The Ritual and The Unbreakable Boy.
Chris — Beethoven
The real star, obviously, was Beethoven himself, but sadly, dogs don’t live for 30+ years. The main canine actor was a Saint Bernard named Chris, trained by Karl Lewis Miller. He worked with multiple possible dogs before choosing Chris, who had been adopted as a puppy. The goodest of boys, Chris, also returned for Beethoven’s 2nd, while other Saint Bernards carried the franchise in later sequels. After Beethoven’s 2nd, Chris went to live on a farm — not a euphemism — where trainer Teresa Miller said he enjoyed a long retirement of being lazy and drooly and hanging around the house.
