What The Surviving Stars From The '70s Biggest Shows Look Like Today

Many of Hollywood's most celebrated stars first got their start on the small screen, and the '70s were a transformative time in showbiz that spawned some truly unforgettable shows. From beloved sitcoms like "Happy Days" and "All in the Family" to sci-fi classics such as "The Bionic Woman," the decade introduced a slew of iconic characters and actors that kept audiences hooked on their televisions.

While some cast members from these '70s staples have sadly died in the years since their original runs, others are still thriving and enjoying the fruits of their creative labor. John Travolta first got his big break when he appeared as Vinnie Barbarino in "Welcome Back, Kotter" and swiftly became one of the industry's brightest talents.

Similarly, Lynda Carter became a superhero sensation when she portrayed Wonder Woman in the trailblazing series and has remained synonymous with the DC character. Though many actors from popular '70s TV shows have stepped away from the spotlight or simply retired, others have never left and have continued to amass decorated resumes. 

Lynda Carter became an overnight sensation thanks to her iconic portrayal of the DC superhero in "Wonder Woman," which ran for three seasons from 1975 to 1979. Prior to her star-making performance, Carter had notably been crowned Miss World USA in 1972, and she had just $25 in the bank when she won the coveted role.

Following her work in the hit show, Carter portrayed screen legend Rita Hayworth in "Rita Hayworth: The Love Goddess" and booked subsequent roles in projects like "Hawkeye," "Supergirl," and "The Dukes of Hazzard." In 2020, she delighted devoted fans when she made a cameo in "Wonder Woman 1984" and has remained grateful to the fierce heroine.

"It has meant so much to me to be Wonder Woman — she really is just the best," Carter wrote on Instagram in 2025 after receiving a Paley Center for Media Honors Award for her work in the trailblazing series. "Back then, the executives didn't think a woman could carry a whole TV series ... shows how much they knew! Ha! More than ever, the world still needs Wonder Woman."  

For 11 sensational seasons, Henry Winkler kept "Happy Days" audiences entertained with his portrayal of the lovable greaser Fonzie. Winkler became the face of the sitcom and went on to establish himself as a sought-after character actor, notably appearing in a slew of film and TV roles in the decades since the sitcom, including "Scream," "Arrested Development," "Parks and Recreation," and "Barry."

Winkler has received countless accolades throughout his stacked career, including two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes, enjoying a steady presence in Hollywood. However, Winkler initially worried he would forever be typecast as tough-guy characters. While appearing on Ted Danson's "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, he opened up about the uncertainty he faced after the sitcom ended in 1984.

"After 'Happy Days' finished, I'm sitting in my office. All I'm getting are Fonzi-like [offers]. I have no idea, 'Am I ever going to do anything that is as powerful?' And I went dark. I went dark." He further shared with Danson, "I thought, 'I have no idea what I'm going to do, whether I could do it again, and I'm over." 

Sally Struthers helped make TV history when she portrayed Gloria Stivic on the beloved sitcom "All in the Family," which has since been regarded as one of the greatest shows of all time. Struthers stayed with the show for eight seasons before departing in 1978 alongside co-star Rob Reiner because of her frustration with her character's lack of development.

"I found out life's not a breeze, that you can't bet on anything. I started being treated like I was a newcomer and I had to prove myself all over again. That's a hard thing," she told the Chicago Tribune (via MeTV) of her decision. Despite leaving ahead of its last season, Struthers reprised her role for the spinoffs "Archie Bunker's Place" and "Gloria" and made additional appearances on shows such as "9 to 5," "TaleSpin," and "Dinosaurs."

Struthers went on to reach a new generation of audiences when she starred as the eccentric Babette Dell in "Gilmore Girls" from 2000 to 2007, and she has also enjoyed a decorated stage career with performances in musicals like "White Christmas" and "Young Frankenstein."  

Regarded as one of Hollywood's finest directors, Ron Howard kicked off his career in the '60s as a child actor when he played Opie in "The Andy Griffith Show," before further establishing his star power as Richie Cunningham on "Happy Days." After leaving the sitcom in 1980, Howard shifted his focus to filmmaking and helmed acclaimed hits like "Splash," "Apollo 13," and "A Beautiful Mind." He later made guest appearances on "Happy Days'" 11th and final season.

Howard has since won a whopping seven Emmys, two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globes throughout his enduring career. He has also maintained a close friendship with former castmate Henry Winkler. "We clicked. We — Henry Winkler and I — clicked immediately, on a kind of professional level, but I also looked up to him," he told People of their dynamic.

Winkler also helped shape Howard's filmmaking future when he agreed to star alongside Michael Keaton in the director's 1982 comedy "Night Shift." Howard added that his longtime friend's involvement in the project "played a hand in helping my dream ultimately come true, which was to be a studio, Hollywood, feature director."  

With a revered career spanning seven decades, Alan Alda became a household name when he tackled the complex role of Hawkeye Pierce in the acclaimed war dramedy "M*A*S*H," which ran from 1972 to 1983. Alda won five Emmy Awards (and was nominated for a staggering 21) for his work in the celebrated series, branching out to both write and direct episodes during its 11 seasons.

"Aside from really good writing and good acting and good directing, the element that really sinks in with an audience is that, as frivolous as some of the stories are, underneath it is an awareness that real people lived through these experiences, and that we tried to respect what they went through," Alda told People of why the show has remained a timeless classic.

Alda has gone on to have notable roles in films including "The Four Seasons," "Bridge of Spies," and "Marriage Story," and in 2018, he announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite the health hurdle, Alda has remained busy and appeared in the Netflix TV adaptation of "The Four Seasons" in 2025. 

Shirley Jones starred as devoted matriarch Shirley Partridge in the musical sitcom "The Partridge Family," having previously appeared in films like "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man." Jones shared the screen with her real-life stepson at the time, David Cassidy, and the fictional family released popular singles like the chart-topping "I Think I Love You." 

Jones nearly starred as another iconic TV mom before agreeing to portray the head Partridge. "I took the 'Partridge Family' role because it meant I would be playing the first working mother ever portrayed on TV," she told AARP. "The Partridges took a different look at a mother and family than 'The Brady Bunch,' which I turned down because I didn't want to be seen as the mother at home, taking the roast out of the oven."

After the show concluded in 1974, the acting veteran had guest roles on "The Love Boat," "Murder, She Wrote," "That '70s Show," and "Hot in Cleveland", and she has also remained a staple onstage, performing in theater productions of classics like "The King and I" and "A Christmas Carol."

From 1974 to 1983, viewers watched as Melissa Gilbert grew up on-screen with her performance as Laura Ingalls Wilder in the wholesome classic "Little House on the Prairie." Gilbert subsequently appeared in the TV films "The Miracle Worker" and "The Diary of Anne Frank" during her run on the show. She also remained close to her fictional father Michael Landon until his tragic death in 1991 and honored him by naming her son after him in 1995. 

"The show itself is just so special and so wonderfully well written ... but also because that's my childhood and that's my surrogate family," she told People of the drama's impact. "I have these wonderfully elaborate 'home movies' with many people who are not with us anymore, and I get to revisit them now when I watch a rerun of 'Little House.'"

She became president of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005 and competed on "Dancing With the Stars," while also nabbing roles in "Sweet Justice" and "When Calls the Heart." She made headlines in 2026 when her husband Timothy Busfield was arrested for assault allegations.

Paul Michael Glaser starred as one half of the iconic duo "Starsky & Hutch" when he tackled the role of Detective Dave Starsky in the hit series, which ran from 1975 to 1979. He branched out and both wrote and directed five episodes of the action show, subsequently helming episodes of shows like "Miami Vice" and "Judging Amy."

In 1987, Glaser directed the sci-fi flick "The Running Man," which featured action superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger and became a modest box-office success. He has since had roles on "Ray Donovan," "Criminal Minds," and "Grace and Frankie." Glaser reprised his signature role as Hutch when he appeared alongside David Soul for the 2004 movie remake starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

When Soul died in 2024, Glaser paid tribute to his friend and on-screen partner. "David was a brother, a friend, a caring man. We shall never see his like again," he said in a statement to People. "I find it difficult to comprehend David's passing. Seems only yesterday that we were sharing loving insults on the phone." 

Known for his winning performance as John-Boy Walton in the historical series "The Waltons," Richard Thomas received an Emmy Award for his work and went on to amass an eclectic resume in the ensuing years. Thomas portrayed Bill Denbrough in the 1990 horror miniseries "It" and had notable roles in "The Americans," "Ozark," and "Elsbeth" while also earning a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Elliot Emerson in the Broadway play "The Balusters."

Thomas had shocked fans when he departed "The Waltons" in 1977 after five seasons in an effort to rebrand his acting image. "I figured, I'd been in the show for five years. It was going to take at least five years to sort of do enough work to start to balance the scales," he told Page Six of his efforts to avoid typecasting.

Despite leaving the series early, Thomas reprised the character for three TV movies and holds the classic in high regard. "I have nothing but only incredible gratitude, affection, and fond memories. It was a wonderful piece of television for its time," he further shared. 

Lindsay Wagner starred as Jaime Sommers in the '70s staples "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman," establishing her as a pop culture icon of the decade and nabbing her an Emmy Award. Wagner largely stuck to the small screen following the show's conclusion in 1978 and went on to make appearances in "Warehouse 13," "Grey's Anatomy," and her most recent acting credit, the 2022 action series "Blood & Treasure."

Wagner once again joined forces with co-star and '70s heartthrob Lee Majors for three made-for-TV movies between 1987 and 1994, reuniting their legendary characters. The leading lady still marvels at the legacy of "The Bionic Woman" 50 years after the series made its debut.

"I wouldn't be here in this position without the fans," Wagner told journalist Robin Raven. "I truly am grateful, and I'm very clear about how much my life and my career has been supported by them. One can think it's all you, you know, but it isn't. It's actually 'us.' I can't be me doing what I do without you."

Jimmie Walker became synonymous with the iconic catchphrase "Dyn-o-mite!" while portraying the fast-talking J.J. Evans Jr. in "Good Times," earning him two Golden Globe nominations for his spirited performance. Walker followed up the role with appearances in "The Love Boat," "Bustin' Loose," "Scrubs," and "Funny You Should Ask," and in the '90s, he hosted a series of radio shows.

Walker famously did not get along with his co-stars John Amos and Esther Rolle during the sitcom's run, largely due to his character's massive popularity. This eventually led to their respective departures. He was the only "Good Times" cast member absent from Rolle's funeral in 1998. "I will honestly say, I don't remember ever speaking a word to Esther the whole time she was there," he said in an interview with the Television Academy.

He eventually reconnected with Amos prior to his TV dad's death, and in 2012, Walker penned the autobiography "Dyn-o-mite! Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times — A Memoir", which detailed his many decades in the entertainment industry.  

Before he was one of the cinema's most dynamic movie stars, John Travolta was a Hollywood hopeful who first broke into the industry with his role as Vinnie Barbarino on "Welcome Back, Kotter." The sitcom lasted from 1975 to 1979, and during its run, Travolta became a heartthrob of the decade when he starred in the box-office sensations "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease."

Travolta has since appeared in countless cinema knockouts like "Look Who's Talking," "Pulp Fiction," "Get Shorty," and "Face/Off," winning a Golden Globe and experiencing a resurgence in popularity in the '90s after he portrayed Vincent Vega in the Quentin Tarantino classic. He has been candid about the pressures he faced early in his career.

"One of the hardest lessons came after the success of 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease.' I was being touted as the biggest star in the world since Valentino. Then I did 'Moment by Moment', which was a huge flop," he told Parade. "I learned that you've got to be tough and expect the worst. A lot of times, of course, you get the best instead."

Pam Dawber shared the screen with comedy mastermind Robin Williams when she portrayed the human Mindy McConnell to his alien Mork from the planet Ork on "Mork & Mindy." The sitcom ran for four seasons from 1978 to 1982 and helped kick off both of their illustrious careers. Dawber followed up the role with the show "My Sister Sam."

She has since enjoyed a long and oftentimes sporadic acting career, stepping away from the spotlight to focus on her family with husband Mark Harmon while also appearing in "Life ... and Stuff," "The Odd Couple," and "NCIS." She reunited with Williams in 2014 when she guest-starred in his sitcom "The Crazy Ones," shortly before his tragic death that same year.

"Robin is truly one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever met," she told The A.V. Club of their meaningful reunion. "We were just so happy to see each other, because there's just so much history together. We spent four years together, and those were pretty crazy years."

Comedy legend Carol Burnett is undeniably one of Hollywood's most illustrious superstars, and she kicked off her career when she headlined her sketch comedy series "The Carol Burnett Show" from 1967 to 1978. Burnett became the first woman to host a variety show and has since appeared in a slew of film and TV shows like "The Four Seasons," "Annie," "Mad About You," and "Hacks."

The decorated performer has shown no signs of slowing down and most recently starred in the dramedy series "Palm Royale," for which she earned a Primetime Emmy nomination. Burnett has been the recipient of numerous accolades including five Golden Globes and a Grammy, and she remains appreciative of the lasting legacy of the variety show.

"Our show made people happy when they needed it. When they needed a laugh," she told The New York Post. "I get that a lot in my fan mail. Some people say, you know, sometimes we were having a rough time at home, and we watched your show, and for an hour we could forget our troubles and laugh."

Joyce DeWitt starred alongside John Ritter and Suzanne Somers in the '70s sensation "Three's Company," memorably playing florist Janet Wood for all eight seasons of the show. DeWitt is the last surviving original cast member of the sitcom and went on to appear in episodes of "The Love Boat," "Cybil," and "Living Single" and in films like "Call of the Wild" and "Ask Me to Dance."

DeWitt has been heavily involved in charity work since her time on "Three's Company," working with members of the House and Senate at the Capitol Hill forum in hunger and homelessness and attending the John Ritter Foundation's annual fundraiser in 2026. The seasoned star has since reflected on what it was like creating the transcendent sitcom.

"If, as an actor, you are given the opportunity to do something that will cause laughter, it's a great gift that you get to do this," she shared with People. "We were willing to do any stupid thing we could think of that we thought would make people laugh."