Meet 'Grace Under Fire' Cast 22 Years after Sitcom Ended

Mar 11, 2021

04:48 A.M.

ABC's sitcom, "Grace Under Fire," was a television hit in its first couple of seasons, and much of the cast has gone on to have stellar careers in films and television. Here's a look at them.

"Grace Under Fire" followed the Carsey-Werner formula of non-nuclear family shows centered around up-and-coming stand-up comedians.

Let us take you down a trip through memory lane with this fun look back at this excellent cast that brought its fans and viewers together throughout the late '90s. Here's the cast of "Grace Under Fire" two decades since the show ended.

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CASEY SANDER

Then: Playing one half of Butler's lovable, happily married best friends and neighbors, the Swobodas is Casey Sander. Before joining the show's cast, he already had a relatively established acting career, appearing in various films and television shows, including "Predator 2" and "Knots Landing."

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Now: Sander has appeared in over 140 acting roles in films and television shows throughout an acting career that spanned over three decades. Some recognize him as Bernadette's father on the hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." He was most recently on Netflix's "The Ranch" with Ashton Kutcher.

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KAITLIN CULLUM

Then: Before coming on the show to play Butler's daughter, Libby, Katilin Cullum already had a print modeling career, starting at four years old. She appeared in Vogue Bambini, British Vogue, and Vanity Fair long before being cast as Libby in 1993. The role would earn her Young Artist Award awards.

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Now: Among her other notable acting credits are the Oscar-nominated "A Little Princess," "Galaxy Quest," "8 Simple Rules," and "Growing Up Brady." Despite her success as a child star, it seems that the actress has decided to concentrate more on her personal life, only appearing in "Jug Face" since 2013.

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DYLAN AND COLE SPROUSE

Then: The Sprouse twins, Dylan and Cole, began acting when they were infants. Due to California child labor laws, there is only so much time allowed to film an infant, making casting twins a good way for more young characters to be filmed.

After appearing in national commercials, they were cast as Butler's youngest child. For most of their time as young actors, the twins would play the same role and switch between takes.

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They made their feature film debut as the same character, supporting Adam Sandler's lead in "Big Daddy." Cole is known for playing the older version of Ben Geller on the hit sitcom "Friends."

The twins became household names after they were cast as the title characters on Disney's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody", and its sequel "The Suite Life on Deck."

Piper's Picks® TV, Dylan and Cole Sprouse with Piper, CC BY 2.5

They also played the characters as a guest on various Disney Channel tv shows like "Hannah Montana" and "Wizards of Waverly Place."

After they had finished with their Disney shows, the brothers studied at New York University, at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, which allowed them to choose their own curriculums. They graduated in 2015 and said they were given each other's diplomas instead.

Daniel Ogren, Dylan Sprouse 2010 2, CC BY-SA 3.0

Now Dylan: Since taking a break from acting in 2011, Dylan studied game design. But in a peculiar twist, the former child star decided to become an entrepreneur and open a bar. All-Wise Meadery has been open since 2017 and is located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.

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Now Cole: Just like his brother, Cole also took a break from acting in 2011. At NYU, he took up humanities and archeology. Since coming out of hiatus, the young man has become a model and photographer.

In 2017, he was cast as Jughead, one of the lead characters on the popular WB/Netflix collaboration, "Riverdale," based on Archie Comics.

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BRETT BUTLER

Then: Playing the title character, Grace Kelly, was comedian Brett Butler. Along with other comedians like Drew Carry and Ellen DeGeneres, she was among the up-and-coming stand-up comedians that were given their own sitcoms by Carsey-Werner.

The comedian turned actress appeared as Grace on "Ellen" and "The Drew Carey Show" as well. The show went off to a great start, with Butler receiving a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series and the show itself receiving an award for Favorite New TV Comedy Series.

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Later on, in 1995, the show would, and its star would receive Golden Globe nominations, with Butler getting nominated again in 1997.

Now: However, the lead actress' errant behavior on and off the set led to ABC losing faith in her ability to lead the show.

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Additionally, ratings started to plummet, which would eventually lead to the show's cancellation. Butler would land on her feet with roles in "Bruno," "Militia," and a quick stint on "The Young and the Restless."

The actress' recent work includes a recurring role on "Anger Management" with Charlie Sheen. She has also had guest roles on popular shows like "How to Get Away with Murder," "The Leftovers," and most recently, a recurring role on AMC's "The Walking Dead."

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DAVE THOMAS

Then: Before being cast on the show, Dave Thomas was already considered a solid comedy actor and writer. He was on the satirical SCTV and SCTV Network with comedy legends John Candy and Rick Moranis.

Before Thomas joining the show, he was on successful comedies like "The Coneheads" and "Strange Brew."

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The actor also wrote for "The Dave Thomas Comedy Show" and "The Dennis Miller Show" and has ventured into voice acting. He voiced characters on "Raw Toonage" and "Catdog" in the 1990s, to name a few.

Now: In the two decades since the show ended, Thomas has continued his screen and voice acting and writing career. He has written for popular shows like "The Blacklist" and "Bones," as well as voiced characters on Disney's "Brother Bear" and "King of the Hill."

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JULIE WHITE

Then: Actress Julie White made up the other half of Butler's on-screen neighbors and best friends, Nadine Swoboda.

The role was only her second significant production part after appearing on a couple of episodes of "Law & Order." She left the show between seasons four and five.

Eva Rinaldi creator QS:P170,Q37885816, Julie White Transformers, CC BY-SA 2.0

For a brief time after leaving the show, she struggled to find significant acting roles with small roles in B comedies like "Say it isn't so" and "Slap her! She's French." She later landed roles on HBO's "Six Feet Under," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and a small part in "War of the Worlds."

Now: White is probably now best recognized for her role as Shia LeBoeuf's mother in the Michael Bay-led "Transformers" franchise. She is also a Tony Award-winning stage actress with two other Tony Award nominations to her name, with the latest coming in last 2019 for "Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus."

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JON PAUL STEUER

Then: After the pilot of "Grace Under Fire" was shot, the studio felt that it needed a few changes. One of those changes was who should play the eldest child and son of Grace Kelly. The role went to child actor Jon Paul Steuer.

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Now: Steuer quit acting after "Grace Under Fire" when he was 12 years old. You might also recognize him for his role as Johnny on "The Little Giants." Sadly on January 1, 2018, the former child star took his life; he was 33.

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PEGGY REA

Then: Originally cast in a guest role, playing Kelly's mother-in-law, Peggy Rea became an integral part of the cast in the latter years of the show. The actress already had a long television and film acting career that dated back to the 1950s, appearing in "I Love Lucy" and "Have Gun - Will Travel."

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Now

: The actress is best known for her role as Lulu Hogg, the wife of Boss Hogg, on the classic "Dukes of Hazzard." She was also on "The Waltons" and "Step by Step." "Grace Under Fire" would be her last acting job as she retired after the show's cancellation and passed away on February 5, 2011, at the age of 89.

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WALTER OLKEWICZ

Then: The stout actor was cast to play Dougie, one of Kelly's blue-collar buddies. Actor Walter Olkewicz was also a fairly established comedy actor during this time.

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Now: The actor was also on "Partners in Crime", but is probably best known for his role as Jacques Renault in the short-lived but much loved "Twin Peaks." The actor even came out of retirement to reprise this role for the tv movie in 2014 and once more for the FX reboot of the show in 2017.

That's all we got for the cast of "Grace Under Fire." Are you surprised at how their lives have turned out thus far? Have you been following any of their careers since?

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