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The long-running ABC hit turned Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker into household names — and helped launch one of TV's biggest sitcom spinoffs.
Never underestimate the power of a slapstick buddy comedy. When Perfect Strangers debuted in 1986, no one in the ensemble was exactly a household name. Indeed, most of the cast was known only for supporting roles, including the show's two leads, Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker.
The chemistry between the pair, however, turned the series into one of ABC's biggest hits, and however long you think it ran, we're willing to bet it lasted even longer than that. (You'll find the answer below.) It also helped launch one of TV's biggest sitcom spinoffs. (That answer is also below.)
After Perfect Strangers concluded its run, the cast scattered to a variety of projects, with some finding more success than others. Entertainment Weekly looked back through their careers to see what they've been up to since the sitcom went off the air. Here's where the cast of Perfect Strangers is now.
01 of 08
Bronson Pinchot (Balki Bartokomous)
As Balki, the endlessly optimistic immigrant who travels from the Mediterranean island of Mypos to Chicago to live with his cousin Larry, Bronson Pinchot's exaggerated accent, mangled English, and elastic physical comedy created the character that drove Perfect Strangers and helped keep it on the air for eight seasons.
The Yale graduate got his early off-Broadway break in Paul Rudnick's Poor Little Lambs, after which he made his film debut in Risky Business (1983). He broke through the following year, stealing scenes opposite Eddie Murphy as Serge in Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The flamboyant art gallery clerk became such a fan favorite that he returned in multiple sequels.
Small roles in other high-profile films followed, including The Flamingo Kid (1984) and Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), and he was a series regular on the short-lived Geena Davis sitcom Sara. Then came Perfect Strangers. Creators Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett, and Dale McRaven developed the sitcom around Pinchot after seeing his scene-stealing performance in Beverly Hills Cop.
His indelible performance as Balki earned him an Emmy nomination. When Perfect Strangers concluded in 1993, Pinchot moved immediately into another sitcom, The Trouble With Larry, but it was canceled after just three episodes. Fortunately, only days after its cancellation, he received strong reviews for his subversive performance in True Romance (1993).
Since then, Pinchot has built a steady career of voice work, guest appearances, and supporting film roles. He was a standout in the ensemble comedy The First Wives Club (1996), spent a season as a regular on the TGIF hit Step by Step, recurred on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and locked horns with supermodel Janice Dickinson as a cast member on the VH1 reality show The Surreal Life.
Most recently, he was part of the main cast of Netflix's short-lived The Residence.
02 of 08
Mark Linn-Baker (Larry Appleton)
As Balki's American cousin Larry Appleton, Mark Linn-Baker was the perfect straight man to Bronson Pinchot, usually reacting in exasperation to Balki's latest antics or scrambling to clean up the chaos they caused.
Before moving in front of the camera, Linn-Baker began his acting career onstage, performing with the New York Shakespeare Festival and appearing in productions at the Public Theater, the Astor Place Theater, and the American Repertory Theater. He made his Broadway debut in Doonesbury in 1983.
Before landing Perfect Strangers, Linn-Baker was best known for playing the straight man opposite eight-time Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole in My Favorite Year (1982). But it was the hit sitcom that made him a pop culture fixture for the better part of a decade.
After the series concluded, Linn-Baker continued balancing television, film, and theater, beginning with Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor in 1993, where he performed alongside Nathan Lane, J.K. Simmons, and John Slattery.
His highest-profile film during that stretch was James L. Brooks' How Do You Know (2010), but he's enjoyed an especially prolific run on television. The St. Louis native has appeared in all three original Law & Order series — Law & Order, Special Victims Unit, and Criminal Intent — and had recurring roles on Blue Bloods, Succession, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Ghosts. He memorably played himself on a 2017 episode of HBO's The Leftovers.
Linn-Baker has been married to actress Christa Justus since 2012. He also has a daughter from his previous marriage.
03 of 08
Melanie Wilson (Jennifer Lyons)
Melanie Wilson played Larry’s girlfriend, Jennifer, who was his wife by the end of the series.
Prior to her role on the long-running sitcom, Wilson’s acting career had been limited to one-off appearances on shows like The A-Team and Simon & Simon. The success of Perfect Strangers kept her steadily for the next several years.
Once its run ended, she continued to work in Hollywood — but not always in front of the camera. Wilson shifted to the publicity side of the industry, handling publicity for TV movies including Rescuers: Stories of Courage, Everything That Rises, It Came From the Sky, and A Slight Case of Murder.
She stepped back into acting to appear in the film Facing the Enemy (2001), but her most recent role to date was in Prayers for Bobby (2009).
She did, however, write the screenplay for the 2002 TV movie Just a Dream, directed by Danny Glover and starring Carl Lumbly, Robby Benson, Ally Sheedy, and Amy Madigan.
04 of 08
Rebeca Arthur (Mary Anne Spencer)
Rebeca Arthur played Mary Anne, Balki’s girlfriend and eventual wife. Like costar Melanie Wilson, Arthur had relatively few on-camera credits by that point.
After moving from New York to Los Angeles for pilot season, she was cast in a Vicki Lawrence/Lauren Tewes sitcom pilot, Anything for Love, but it failed to go to series. She found guest-star work on shows like Newhart and Remington Steele until securing her role on Perfect Strangers.
Ninety-five episodes later, Arthur was back in the acting trenches again. She went on to appear in A Dangerous Woman (1993), Get Shorty (1995), and The Watcher (2000), in addition to landing guest spots on Grace Under Fire and The Crew.
Arthur's most recent credited acting role was as a reporter in the sci-fi film The Palmer Supremacy (2014). These days, she's largely retired from acting, though she hasn't ruled out another role. In a 2024 interview, she revealed that she'd recently participated in a play reading for the Cumberland Theatre in Maryland. "If the right opportunity came along," she said, "I wouldn't rule out doing something else in the future."
05 of 08
Ernie Sabella (Donald Twinkacetti)
As Mr. Twinkacetti, Larry and Balki's boss at the Ritz Discount Store, Ernie Sabella quickly became a fan favorite. That probably had something to do with the fact that he was already a familiar face on television, thanks to recurring roles on Newhart and Hill Street Blues, not to mention his regular turn as Lou Donatelli on It's Your Move, opposite Jason Bateman.
Although Mr. Twinkacetti was written out of Perfect Strangers after its second season, Sabella quickly found his next signature role. He landed the voice-acting part of a lifetime when he was cast as Pumbaa in Disney's The Lion King (1994), opposite Nathan Lane's Timon. Sabella has reprised the role many times over the years, most recently in the 2024 video game Disney Dreamlight Valley.
The New York native has remained active onstage, both on Broadway and beyond, while continuing to guest-star on television. His credits include Saved by the Bell, Seinfeld, The Practice, The Good Wife, and, most recently, a 2015 episode of Blue Bloods.
06 of 08
Belita Moreno (Edwina Twinkacetti / Lydia Markham)
Belita Moreno has the unique distinction of playing two characters on Perfect Strangers. After spending the first two seasons as Edwina, Mr. Twinkacetti’s wife, she became advice columnist Lydia, the advice columnist at The Chicago Chronicle, where Larry later worked.
Moreno was already a well-established actress by that time, having appeared in three Robert Altman films — 3 Women (1977), A Wedding (1978), and A Perfect Couple (1979) — the cult classic Mommie Dearest (1981), and Jonathan Demme’s Swing Shift (1984). She had also appeared on Mary Hartman, Lou Grant, and Family Ties.
Playing a recurring character provided her with the opportunity to keep pursuing guest-star gigs on the likes of Full House and The Hogan Family.
There’s no question as to Moreno’s most notable post-Perfect Strangers role: That would be Benny, George Lopez’s mother on his self-titled sitcom, a part she played for the entirety of its six-season run.
More recently, the Dallas native played Mrs. Norton in the first two installments of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film franchise. Her most recent role found her re-teaming with her former TV son for an episode of the NBC sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez.
07 of 08
Jo Marie Payton (Harriette Winslow)
Unless you watched both Perfect Strangers and Family Matters, you might not realize the latter is actually a spinoff of the former.
That's right: Jo Marie Payton's Harriette Winslow began as the elevator operator at The Chicago Chronicle, where Larry and Balki worked. After Reginald VelJohnson was introduced as Harriette's husband, Carl, the couple proved popular enough to earn their own series.
Payton had been a working actress since the 1970s, including a stint with the touring company of the musical Purlie. She also had recurring roles on Silver Spoons, The Redd Foxx Show, and The New Odd Couple.
After spending nine seasons on Family Matters, Payton moved on to recurring roles on Moesha and Will & Grace before landing her next long-running role: voicing Suga Mama Proud on the animated series The Proud Family.
The Georgia native has continued to work steadily, appearing in a variety of television guest roles, a series-regular turn on the short-lived The Rev, and the first two seasons of Mann & Wife. She also had a small role in Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum (2019).
Most recently, Payton has appeared on Tyler Perry's Netflix series Miss Governor.
08 of 08
Sam Anderson (Sam Gorpley)
Once Larry became a writer at The Chicago Chronicle, the producers had to figure out a way to bring Balki along as well. So they gave him a job in the mailroom, where his boss was the frequently awful Sam, played with delicious nastiness by Sam Anderson.
Anderson, who had actually appeared in a season 1 episode as a bank clerk, had been building a formidable filmography since the late ’70s, appearing in episodes of Police Story, WKRP in Cincinnati, St. Elsewhere, T.J. Hooker, Hill Street Blues, Magnum, P.I., and Dallas.
Like Moreno, Anderson's part-time status allowed him to pursue other roles during his stint on the series, including a recurring part as a school principal on Growing Pains, a memorable turn in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Royale,” and guest roles on Cagney & Lacey, 21 Jump Street, and L.A. Law.
After Perfect Strangers wrapped, he played a doctor on ER, a villainous lawyer on Angel, and perhaps most memorably, Bernard on Lost.
As one of Hollywood's quintessential "that guys," Anderson has built such a prolific résumé that it would almost be easier to list the shows he hasn't guest-starred on. Of course, many will also recognize him as the principal in Forrest Gump (1994). His other film credits include Permanent Midnight (1998), Water for Elephants (2011), and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022).
These days, Anderson costars on one of primetime’s most popular series — Matlock, in which he plays Edwin Kingston, the husband of Kathy Bates’ heroine.
Where can I watch Perfect Strangers?
Perfect Strangers is currently available to stream on Tubi.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
