Sure, we watched the cast -- especially the kids -- grow up during the show’s seven-season run, which ended in 1992, but trust Us when we tell you that the actors who portrayed the Seaver family have been pretty busy since then.
Let’s take a look at where the actors are today:
Alan Thicke
Thicke, 68, who is dad to “Blurred Lines” singer Robin Thicke, played psychiatrist dad Jason Seaver. He continued his TV career after the ABC sitcom ended, appearing in several TV movies, short-lived shows, and guest appearances. His mockumentary Unusually Thicke -- which featured his wife, Tanya Callau, teen son Carter, and adult sons Brennan and Robin -- debuted on the TVGuide Network in 2014.
Joanna Kerns
The actress, 62, played mom Maggie, a journalist trying to balance work and raising children. Like Thicke, she went on to appear in several TV movies, but chose to focus her career on being behind the camera. Since Growing Pains, she has directed episodes for numerous TV shows, including ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Army Wives, Pretty Little Liars, Jane the Virgin, and more. She is married to architect Marc Appleton.
The Growing Pains cast in 1991.
Credit: ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images
Kirk Cameron
Cameron, the big brother of Full House star Candace Cameron, played eldest child Mike. He went on to star in the short-lived series Kirk, and has had other small television roles. The actor, 44, starred in the critically panned 2014 religious comedy Saving Christmas, and founded the ministry The Way of the Master, which also produces a TV show by the same name and which he hosts. He converted to Christianity while still on the show, and has since become controversial for his inflammatory remarks about homosexuality and evolution. He is married to Chelsea Noble, and has six children.
Tracey Gold
The actress, 46, played middle child Carol and has appeared in several TV movies and shows since Growing Pains ended. Gold, who battled anorexia as a teen and made headlines when she was arrested in 2004 for a DUI, is married and has four sons with husband Roby Marshall.
Jeremy Miller
Miller, 38, played the Seavers’ youngest son, Ben. He continued with his acting career, and appeared in the 2007 film Milk and Fashion. The child star, who says he started drinking at age 4, is a spokesperson for Fresh Start, the rehab company that helped him become sober. Miller is married to wife Joanie.
Ashley Johnson
The young actress, now 32, played the Seavers’ youngest child, Chrissy, who was at first portrayed by twin girls as an infant. She has had a successful career since the show, with roles on The Killing, King of the Hill, CSI, Masters of Sex, and more. Johnson also had a role in the 2012 Avengers film, and is currently starring in the web series Spooked.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Granted, DiCaprio didn’t join the hit show until 1991 and appeared in only 24 episodes, but it would be wrong to leave off Growing Pains’ most successful alum. The actor played Luke, a homeless boy whom the Seavers took in, but by 1992, the actor, now 40, was starring opposite Robert De Niro in This Boy’s Life, and as the show’s theme song goes, the best is ready to begin.
By Nevel