Where are the children from The NeverEnding Story now? Cast of iconic 80s fantasy movie reveal their transformations 42 years on

Fantasy movie The NeverEnding Story captivated the hearts of children everywhere in the 80s. 

It tells the story of grieving, bullied schoolboy Bastian Balthazar Bux, played by Barret Oliver, who steals a mysterious book – only to find himself drawn into the magical realm of Fantastica, or Fantasia. 

The realm then comes under threat from a mysterious force known as The Nothing.

Based on the novel by Michael Ende, the movie was directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen. 

It premiered in 1984, and left an indelible mark on pop culture – catching the attention of critics such as Roger Ebert, who hailed it as proof that 'storytelling is a neverending act of the imagination'.

But the book’s author slammed the production as a 'revolting movie… a gigantic melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic'. He demanded his name was removed from the credits and said the makers 'just wanted to make money'.

Nevertheless, two sequels came after, hitting the big screen in 1990 and 1994, although they never enjoyed the same success as the original.

And a documentary called Life After Atreyu – named for a character in the film – kicked off production in 2020.

Now, more than 40 years on, the children's cast's lives have all gone in different directions. So what do they look like now and what are they doing?

Where are the children from The NeverEnding Story now? Pictured: Bastian and The Childlike Empress in the iconic movie

Barret Oliver who plays Bastian

Barret went up against 200 boys to get the star role in The NeverEnding Story as Bastian 

Now aged 53, and sporting long hairand a long bushy beard, he is a published author on photography and, as of April 2008, was teaching photography in Los Angeles

Barret Oliver went up against 200 boys to get the star role in The NeverEnding Story. 

He was first rejected for being too immature, before being re-called six months later when no other suitable candidate was found. 

As a young boy, he kept his hand in the movie industry and, after playing Bastian, was cast in Tim Burton’s lost short film Frankenweenie, which was shelved by Disney for being 'too dark'. Barret then won roles in Ron Howard’s Cocoon and D.A.R.Y.L.

Barret later decided to step out of the spotlight and has largely avoided public interviews and acting reunions since leaving Hollywood.

He went on to become both a respected photographer and historian specialising in photographic processes from the 19th century. 

Now aged 53, and sporting long hair and a long bushy beard, he is a published author on photography and, as of April 2008, he was teaching photography in Los Angeles.

Barret also wrote a renowned book on photography, A History Of The Woodburytype.

While uncredited, he worked as a stills photographer for Cold Mountain and in 2012, he starred in a short film about his craft called In the Usual Manner.

Noah Hathaway as Atreyu 

Noah Hathaway is best known for his portrayal of brave warrior Atreyu whose job was to save The Childlike Empress

Noah later returned to the career to appear in independent films. He also became a tattoo artist and also got into motorbike racing

Noah Hathaway is best known for his portrayal of brave warrior Atreyu whose job was to save The Childlike Empress.

Without giving away too many spoilers, those who have seen the movie will remember him for the heartbreaking swamp scene with his horse that brought viewers to tears. 

Noah continued to act for a time since the movie's release and starred in Battlestar Galactica. 

He had some minor television appearances on programmes such as Simon & Simon and Family Ties before landing the main role in the 1986 movie Troll. He then largely stepped away from the TV and movie industry for a time. 

Noah said he quit because he just wanted to 'be a regular human being' for a while. 

He later returned to screens to appear in independent films, starring in 2012 movie Sushi Girl, and has since written his own screenplays.

He became a tattoo artist and also got into motorbike racing and has picked up black belts in Tang Soo Do and Shotokan Karate, too.

Now aged 54, Noah is set to lend his voice to Mondo Holocausto!, a movie being written and directed by Anthony Sant’Anselmo, and has also voiced some characters on South Park. 

But he never forgot the movie that made him something of an icon and regularly appears at fan conventions. 

He now looks worlds apart from the young star of the show, sporting an edgy sense of style, multiple tattoos and a mohawk. 

Noah told Remind in 2024 that he can't believe how long it's been since the movie's release date. 

He said: 'I don’t even look 40, so I’m told - fake knock on wood - but I definitely don’t act it or feel it for the most part. My body does though.

'So, some days I gotta go, “Hello?” It’s almost like the reality of the world. Like, I kind of pinch myself. It’s kinda like the same thing. It doesn’t feel like it’s been 40 years, but it has in some ways.'

And talking about how the movie has stood the test of time, he said: 'I think it went through a little period where people were super into the CGI, but it still kept a hell of a fan base.

'It’s got a hell of a cult following. And when those kids [in Stranger Things] did that song, it kind of had this reemergence and another generation found out about it. 

'They don’t make movies like that anymore.'

Tami Stronach as The Childlike Empress 

Tami was just ten years old when she got the role of The Childlike Empress and she has called it a 'fluke' that she was chosen for the role

Tami went on to become a professional dancer and choreographer and co-founded a dance company in New York

Iranian-born Tami was just ten years old when she got the role of The Childlike Empress – and has called it a 'fluke' that she was chosen for the role.  

The daughter of two archaeologists, Tami was just a child in musical theatre in San Francisco when a casting director scouted her and she landed in The NeverEnding Story.

She spent her summer in Bavaria for the three-month shoot, living in a hotel with Noah and Barret. 

She has said they swam in the pool together, raced up and down in the elevators and banged on each other's doors, likening it to summer camp. 

She told Yahoo Entertainment: 'I don't think you could do what we did back then with child labor laws and everything. We were on set ten hours a day. 

'We were there all day. I mean, I loved it. I would wander through the different rooms and talk to the makeup artists. The stuntman and I became friends. 

'I hung out a lot with the artistic behind-the-scenes crew and they would take me to the English beer gardens. I couldn't drink beer because I was ten, but they taught me tricks.'

Tami took something of a break from acting after the movie was released, upon her parents' wishes, taking on only a small role in Czech television film, Feedy a Zlatovlaska.

She told Vice in a 2021 interview that her parents, wary of the pressures of being a child star, impressed on her the importance of focusing on her education. 

Tami went on to become a professional dancer and choreographer, and co-founded a dance company in New York. 

She said: 'I made a decision that I would throw myself into dance and that if I really missed acting, I would return to it as an adult when I was in charge of my life and I wasn’t upsetting my parents, who both had really active full careers and couldn’t just give over all their time to pursue being my manager.

'So that’s what I did and I ended up dancing for 20 years professionally in New York.'

Most recently, Tami, who is now aged 54, has returned to acting, preferring to take on fantasy-themed roles and appearing on stage in New York. 

She has helped to develop the Paper Canoe Company, which performs plays across the country, and she also performs as a musician too.  

In 2024, she returned to the big screen for yet another fantasy film, Man and Witch: The Dance Of A Thousand Steps. 

Tami plays the Witch in a cast including Christopher Lloyd, Sean Astin, Michael Emerson and her husband, Greg Steinbruner, who wrote the screenplay and plays the Goatherd.

She told Yahoo Entertainment: 'It's completely insane to go back to film in your 50s as a woman. 

'It's like everything in our society is telling you that it's the wrong move - but that's the move I'm making,' she laughed.

...And what happened to Falkor? 

The lovable giant 'dog' from the movie is actually meant to represent a magical creature known as a Luckdragon called Falkor.

These days, the original prop is permanently housed at Bavaria Film Studios near Munich, Germany. 

Shortly after filming wrapped in 1985, the puppet was moved to the studio's onsite museum. 

Falkor has experienced wear and tear over the years but was restored in a massive project in 1993. 

Elsewhere, the horses from the movie were rehomed on a ranch in Germany.

The 'dog' from The NeverEnding Story is actually a magical creature known as a Luckdragon called Falkor

Based on the novel by Michael Ende, the movie was directed and co-written by Wolfgang Petersen