Sister Act cast: Where are they now?

The cast of the 1992 classic has kept busy. Find out what Deloris and Sister Mary Patrick are up to now.

SISTER ACT, Whoopi Goldberg, 1992. (c) Buena Vista Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection.
Photo: Everett Collection

On May 29, 1992, Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg, was released. The beloved film not only received a cult-status sequel but was also turned into a stage musical (and is said to be getting a third movie). Running on Broadway for a little over a year, Sister Act the musical garnered five Tony nominations and five Drama Desk nods before ending in 2012. Want to feel even more nostalgic? Check out where the cast of the 1992 film is now.

01 of 08

Whoopi Goldberg (Deloris)

Whoopi-Goldberg
Everett Collection; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Oscar-winning comedy legend Whoopi Goldberg has an incredibly prolific career, which is especially evident over the past few decades, with roles in favorites like The Lion King (1994), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999), and Toy Story 3 (2010), to name a few.

Following her 2002 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Special Class Special for Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel and her Tony win for producing Thoroughly Modern Millie the same year, Goldberg became an EGOT (the winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). From 2003 to 2004, she starred on the sitcom Whoopi, and went on to appear in several episodes of Glee, Harlem, and other shows.

Goldberg also reprised her role as Deloris in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit shortly after the original was released—and is slated to return for Sister Act 3 on Disney+. She has been a cohost on The View since 2007.

02 of 08

Maggie Smith (Mother Superior)

Maggie-Smith
Everett Collection; David M. Benett/Getty Images

Dame Maggie Smith was already a legend before taking on the role of Mother Superior in Sister Act. The actress won Oscars for her performances in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) and California Suite (1978), with three additional nominations ahead of the 1992 film.

Smith also appeared in The First Wives Club (1996), Gosford Park (for which she scored a sixth career Oscar nomination), the Harry Potter franchise, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), and the Dustin Hoffman-directed film Quartet (2012).

Smith won multiple Emmys for her turn as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey, which concluded in 2016 and was followed by two movies (Downton Abbey and Downton Abbey: A New Era) based on the series.

03 of 08

Kathy Najimy (Mary Patrick)

Kathy-Najimy
Everett Collection; Santiago Felipe/FilmMagic

Hocus Pocus (1993) hit theaters mere months after Sister Act, and, with it, what is probably Kathy Najimy's most notable role as the bumbling witch Mary Sanderson. Najimy reprised her Sister Act role as Sister Mary Patrick in the sequel.

From 1997 to 2010, Najimy voiced Peggy Hill on King of the Hill and has taken on many animated productions. She also had recurring appearances on Numb3rs, Veep, and Younger. Najimy picked back up her broomstick and reprised the role of Mary Sanderson for the 2022 Hocus Pocus sequel.

She will also lend her voice to Peggy Hill again for the Hulu reboot of King of the Hill.

04 of 08

Wendy Makkena (Mary Robert)

Wendy-Makkena
Buena Vista Pictures; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Wendy Makkena, who also appeared in the Sister Act sequel, had roles in Air Bud (1997), State of Play (2009), and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019).

Makkena appeared in several episodes of Judging Amy, The Mob Doctor, and NCIS, and starred on the series Oliver Beene and Listen Up!—loosely inspired by ESPN's Tony Kornheiser.

05 of 08

Mary Wickes (Mary Lazarus)

Mary-Wickes
Everett Collection; Tim McCleary/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Mary Wickes, who played Sister Mary Lazarus in both Sister Act and the sequel, sadly died in 1995, not long after the latter was released. Her last roles were Aunt March in Little Women (1994), voicing Laverne in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)—a posthumous release—and playing Grandma on the show Life With Louie.

For her role on the series Mrs. G. Goes to College (also known as The Gertrude Berg Show), Wickes was nominated for an Emmy. She had a recurring role on Dennis the Menace and starred on Temple Houston, Doc, and Father Dowling Mysteries. She also appeared in a variety of roles on Here's Lucy.

06 of 08

Harvey Keitel (Vince LaRocca)

Harvey-Keitel
Buena Vista Pictures; Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Following Sister Act, Harvey Keitel costarred in the Oscar-nominated film The Piano (1993). He would go on to appear in multiple productions written and/or directed by Quentin Tarantino (he had already appeared in 1992's Reservoir Dogs by the time Sister Act came out) including 1994's Pulp Fiction, as well as 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn. He even had an uncredited role in Inglourious Basterds (2009).

Keitel appeared in both National Treasure movies and the Disney+ series National Treasure: Edge of History. He has often collaborated with Martin Scorsese, including in 2019's The Irishman, and Wes Anderson, with roles in Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Isle of Dogs (2018).

07 of 08

Bill Nunn (Eddie Souther)

Bill-Nunn
Buena Vista Pictures; Paras Griffin/Getty Images

After Sister Act, Bill Nunn appeared in films like The Last Seduction (1994) and Money Train (1995), before taking on the role of Joseph "Robbie" Robertson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.

Nunn also had roles on the series The Job and Sirens. He died in September 2016.

08 of 08

Joseph Maher (Bishop O'Hara)

Joseph-Maher
Buena Vista Pictures; Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

Following his turn as Bishop O'Hara in Sister Act, the three-time Tony nominee appeared in the films I.Q. (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996), and The Out-of-Towners (1999).

Maher played Chancellor Willoughby on the short-lived series Goode Behavior and Mr. John on Style & Substance. He died in 1998.

Related Articles