Where is the cast of Saving Private Ryan now? A look back at the sprawling ensemble cast on the film’s 25th anniversary
The iconic war film Saving Private Ryan celebrated its 25th anniversary this week, and we are taking a look back at what the cast has been up to since its release.
The film is set in 1944 France during World War II, following a battalion lead by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) to find Private James Ryan, after it was learned his three brothers had been killed in action.
Saving Private Ryan is considered to be one of legendary director Steven Spielberg’s best films, and one of the best war films ever made, nominated for 11 Oscars and winning six, including Best Director for Spielberg.
However, many pundits believe Saving Private Ryan losing Best Picture to the Harvey Weinstein-produced Shakespeare in Love is among the biggest Oscar upsets.
Here, DailyMail.com takes a look back at the stars of this classic war movie, and where they are now, plus some famous faces who were just starting out with small roles in the film…
Then: The iconic war film Saving Private Ryan celebrated its 25th anniversary this week, and we are taking a look back at what the cast has been up to lately
Tom Hanks (Captain John Miller)
Hanks had already won two back-to-back Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump when he was cast as John Miller, a U.S. Army Captain suffering from PTSD.
The film opens with a glimpse into the mayhem on June 6, 1944 at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, which would come to be known as D-Day.
Miller was able to command a small group and survive the battle, leading them behind enemy lines, before he gets his mission to save Private Ryan.
Hanks won universal critical acclaim for his performance and his fourth Oscar nomination, though he ultimately lost to Life Is Beautiful star/writer/director Roberto Benigni.
Hanks already was, and continues to be, one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars, earning another Oscar nomination two years later for Cast Away and in 2020 for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.
He’s coming off a strong 2022, playing Colonel Tom Parker in Elvis, Geppetto in Pinocchio and the title character in A Man Called Otto.
Hanks can currently be seen in theaters in Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City, which debuted last month.
The actor is set to star in director Robert Zemeckis’ Here, alongside Robin Wright, Kelly Reilly, Paul Bettany and Michelle Dockery
Now: Hanks (seen above in June 2023) can currently be seen in theaters in Wes Anderson’s new film Asteroid City, which debuted last month
Matt Damon (Private James Ryan)
While he’s only in the movie for a few fleeting scenes at the end, Damon’s Private James Ryan is still the driving force of the movie, even though he’s unseen for most of it.
When Miller and his group finally locate Ryan, he refuses to abandon his post, Miller – as the only officer present – takes command of Ryan’s small group and prepares them for battle against the Germans.
While other in the small group do die during the battle, Ryan survives, as the mortally wounded Miller tells Ryan to, ‘Earn this, earn it,’ before dying, asking him to honor the sacrifices made for him and return home.
The touching final scene fast-forwards to Ryan as an old man, visiting the grave of Miller at Arlington National Cemetery, saying he has tried to live his life the best he could and that he hoped it was enough to earn the sacrifices made for him.
Damon had just come off his breakthrough role in Good Will Hunting (which he won an Oscar for writing with Ben Affleck) when he was cast in Saving Private Ryan.
Damon’s career continued to soar after the one-two punch of Good Will Hunting and Saving Private Ryan, and he hasn’t stopped working since, while also transitioning to producer as well.
He most recently starred as Nike salesman Sonny Vaccaro in the hit biopic Air and he can currently be seen in theaters as Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer.
The actor will next be seen in Ethan Coen’s new comedy-thriller Drive-Away Dolls, in theaters September 22 and he lends his voice to director John Krasinski’s Imaginary Friends, set for release on May 24, 2024.
Few scenes: While he’s only in the movie for a few fleeting scenes at the end, Damon’s Private James Ryan is still the driving force of the movie, even though he’s unseen for most of it
Oppenheimer: He most recently starred as Nike salesman Sonny Vaccaro in the hit biopic Air and he can currently be seen in theaters as Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer
Vin Diesel (Private Adrian Caparzo)
Long before he was a stalwart of the Fast & Furious franchise, Vin Diesel (born Mark Vincent) was a struggling New York City bouncer who had wrote, directed and starred in two low-budget indie films dubbed Strays and Multi-Facial.
While Multi-Facial was selected for Cannes and Strays selected for Sundance, neither film earned major distribution, though director Steven Spielberg did take notice.
Diesel recalled in a 2017 Yahoo! interview that Spielberg enjoyed Multi-Facial so much he wrote a role for him in Saving Private Ryan, Private Adrian Caparzo.
Caparzo was part of Miller’s detachment that went out searching for Ryan, though he was killed in a small French town by a German sniper, as he was trying to rescue a young French girl.
Though the role was quite small, it paved the way for bigger and better things, landing the role voicing the title character in 1999’s Iron Giant, a role in the 2000 indie drama Boiler Room and his 2000 breakthrough role as Riddick in Pitch Black.
Just one year later, he was cast as Dominic Toretto in the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious, which launched his career into the stratosphere.
Diesel is coming off Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (where he voices Groot) and Fast X, the penultimate film in the Fast & Furious saga.
Fast X: Part Two is set for release in 2025, while he’s attached to return as Riddick in Riddick: Furya, and as Xander Cage in xXx 4.
Role: Diesel recalled in a 2017 Yahoo! interview that Spielberg enjoyed Multi-Facial so much he wrote a role for him in Saving Private Ryan, Private Adrian Caparzo
Vin now: Diesel is coming off Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (where he voices Groot) and Fast X, the penultimate film in the Fast & Furious saga
Tom Sizemore (Sergeant Mike Horvath)
Sizemore established himself in the early 1990s as a talented character actor with roles in Point Break, Passenger 57, True Romance, Natural Born Killers and Heat, leading to his first major leading role in 1997’s The Relic.
He plays Sergeant Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan, a longtime friend of Miller and his second-in-command on their journey to Ryan.
Horvath is one of the final ones killed in the final battle with the Germans, before waves of reinforcements arrive.
The actor never stopped working, showing his versatility in several different genres including thriller (Enemy of the State), comedy (Big Trouble) and biopic (Hustle, where he played controversial baseball icon Pete Rose).
He also made headlines for his off-screen troubles as well, including battles with drug addiction and his 2003 of domestic violence against his then-girlfriend, the ‘Hollywood madam’ Heidi Fleiss.
While he largely worked in low-budget indie movies for the last several years, he was seen in the 2017 version of Twin Peaks and the 2017 movie Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House.
He most recently was featured in a 2023 episode of Cobra Kai, though in February he suffered a brain aneurysm and was hospitalized in critical condition.
His family announced that after consulting with doctors, they recommended to pull the plug, with the actor passing on March 3 at the age of 61.
Tom as Mike: He plays Sergeant Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan, a longtime friend of Miller and his second-in-command on their journey to Ryan
R.I.P.: His family announced that after consulting with doctors, they recommended to pull the plug, with the actor passing on March 3 at the age of 61
Edward Burns (Private Richard Reiben)
Burns burst onto the indie scene a few years earlier, self-financing, writing, directing and starring in his 1995 debut The Brothers McMullen, which became the first ever film released under 20th Century Fox’s indie label, Fox Searchlight.
He followed that up in 1996 with She’s The One, starring alongside Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz, with Saving Private Ryan the first film he acted in that he didn’t write and direct himself, playing Private Richard Reiben.
The actor told The Dan Patrick Show in 2015 that his agents suggested that he try acting in some studio films to raise his profile and help get his own films made easier.
‘One of the first scripts I get is Private Ryan and they originally told me to look at the part of the Sarge, that Tom Sizemore played. There was another part of the wise-a** from Brooklyn, and I was like, “I don’t think I have the chops for the Sarge, but I can definitely handle the wise-a** from Brooklyn,’ Burns said of his character, Private Richard Reiben.
Burns would continue acting in other directors’ films such as 15 Minutes, Confidence, The Holiday, 27 Dresses, Alex Cross and the TNT series Mob City, where he played gangster Bugsy Siegel.
He also continued making his own films as well, including No Looking Back, Sidewalks of New York, The Groomsmen, Nice Guy Johnny, Newlyweds, Summer Days, Summer Nights and Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies.
The multi-hyphenate most recently starred in, created and directed the TV series Bridge and Tunnel on Epix.
The dramedy series is set in 1980, following a group of college graduates pursuing their dreams in Manhattan while clinging to their life at home in Long Island.
Private: He followed that up in 1996 with She’s The One, starring alongside Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz, with Saving Private Ryan the first film he acted in that he didn’t write and direct himself, playing Private Richard Reiben
New series: The multi-hyphenate most recently starred in, created and directed the TV series Bridge and Tunnel on Epix
Barry Pepper (Private Daniel Jackson)
Saving Private Ryan was one of two breakout movies for Pepper that both debuted in 1998, with the other being Enemy of the State.
The British Columbia native played Private Daniel Jackson, a sniper who was also devoutly religious, and part of Miller’s party.
He was also one of the last characters killed in the war epic, with the role helping him lander bigger and bigger roles.
Pepper played Dean Stanton in The Green Mile a year later and portrayed baseball legend Roger Maris in the HBO TV movie 61, which earned him an Emmy nomination, and he’d later get his first Emmy win for playing Robert F. Kennedy on The Kennedys.
Other notable roles included The 25th Hour, Knockaround Guys, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, We Were Soldiers, Flags of our Father, Seven Pounds, True Grit, The Lone Ranger and many more.
He most recently lent his voice to the hit sequel Creed III, voicing Showtime All-Access.
He also has the upcoming TV series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, where he plays Esau Pierce, debuting on Paramount Plus later this year.
The actor also has Solitary with Olivia Washington and David Oyelowo and Bring Him To Me with Sam Neill and Rachel Griffiths in post-production.
Breakout: Saving Private Ryan was one of two breakout movies for Pepper that both debuted in 1998, with the other being Enemy of the State
Coming soon: He also has the upcoming TV series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, where he plays Esau Pierce, debuting on Paramount Plus later this year
Giovanni Ribisi (Irwin Wade)
Ribisi, a Los Angeles native, was born into showbiz, with his father Al a musician and his mother Gay a manager, and he started acting at a very young age.
He starred on the sitcom My Two Dads as a teenager and became well-known for playing Frank, the half-brother of Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe on Friends.
The young actor had also been featured in a handful of movies such as That Thing You Do!, Suburbia, Lost Highway and The Postman before playing Irwin Wade in Saving Private Ryan.
Irwin was the combat medic for Miller and his small envoy of soldiers, and he chastises a number of soldiers for pilfering the belongings of the dead.
The medic was killed after the group discovered a German gun nest, before they all reached Private Ryan.
Ribisi has not stopped working on both films and television shows since he was a teenager, starring alongside his co-star Vin Diesel in the cult classic 2000 indie Boiler Room, loosely based on the life of Jordan Belfort, before he wrote his book The Wolf of Wall Street.
He also starred in Gone in Sixty Seconds, Lost in Translation, Public Enemies, Avatar, Ted and his Amazon series Sneaky Pete that ran three seasons.
The actor can currently be seen in the Showtime series Waco: The Aftermath and he also stars in Kevin Costner’s sweeping Western epic Horizon: An American Saga.
Irwin: Irwin was the combat medic for Miller and his small envoy of soldiers, and he chastises a number of soldiers for pilfering the belongings of the dead
Giovanni now: The actor can currently be seen in the Showtime series Waco: The Aftermath and he also stars in Kevin Costner’s sweeping Western epic Horizon: An American Saga
Adam Goldberg (Private Stanley Mellish)
Goldberg broke out with his role in 1993’s Dazed and Confused as the nerdy Mike Newhouse, followed by roles as David Isaacs in the 1995 John Singleton film Higher Learning and Doug in the short-lived 1997 series Relativity.
He played Private Stanley Mellish, a Jewish soldier who was also close friends with Private Caparzo, in Saving Private Ryan.
He died in the climactic battle scene against the Germans, though his death was particularly haunting.
After a brutal struggle, viewers saw the German soldier slowly drive a knife through his body… while the terrified Upham (Jeremy Davies) listened on downstairs.
Like many of his co-stars, the multi-faceted Goldberg would go on to star in several different types of projects including comedies like Edtv, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and the title character in The Hebrew Hammer, dramas like The Salton Sea and Deja Vu and much more.
He also starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the 2019 film Running With the Devil and the TV series God Friended Me.
Goldberg also stars in the upcoming film The Georgetown Project with Russell Crowe and Sam Worthington, arriving in theaters December 14.
The actor also has Messy with Thomas Middleditch, Ione Skye, Jack Kilmer and Mario Cantone in post-production.
He can currently be seen on The Equalizer TV series as Harry Keshegian, starring alongside Queen Latifah.
Mellish: He played Private Stanley Mellish, a Jewish soldier who was also close friends with Private Caparzo, in Saving Private Ryan
New series: He can currently be seen on The Equalizer TV series as Harry Keshegian, starring alongside Queen Latifah
Jeremy Davies (Corporal Timothy Upham)
Davies had starred in Spanking the Monkey, Nell and Twister before taking on the role of the terrified Corporal Timothy Upham.
While Upham had absolutely no combat experience, he was recruited to the team by Miller himself as a French and German interpreter.
Upham listened on while Mellish was killed, and even let a German soldier walk by him unscathed, too scared to even raise his run at him.
Upham finally finds his courage when he confronts a prisoner they had previously let go at his insistence, nicknamed Steamboat Willie, who ultimately returns and fires the shot that killed Miller… leading Upham to kill Willie himself.
Davies continued to work regularly in indie films like The Million Dollar Hotel, CQ, Secretary, Solaris and Rescue Dawn before he was cast as Daniel Widmore in the last two seasons of Lost.
He followed that up with a beloved role as Dickie Bennett in the critically-acclaimed FX series Justified.
Davies most recently starred in the thriller film The Black Phone and the crime drama Bitcon.
He’ll next be seen in The Naked Umbrella with Tom Arnold and Taryn Manning and Dark Harvest with Elizabeth Reaser.
Upham: While Upham had absolutely no combat experience, he was recruited to the team by Miller himself as a French and German interpreter
Follow-up: He followed that up with a beloved role as Dickie Bennett in the critically-acclaimed FX series Justified
BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS
Andrew Scott (Soldier on the Beach)
Before starring in Sherlock, Andrew Scott played an unnamed Soldier on the Beach during the D-Day invasion opening scene in Saving Private Ryan.
He revealed in a 2022 interview that he originally had a much larger role but he was also cast in a Disney film and they, ‘wouldn’t let me out.’
‘And so they ended up giving me this much, much smaller part where Tom Hanks basically rolled over me, and I just [muffles voice] ‘I’m so sorry about that!’ And the completely indistinguishable line that I had. But it was still an extraordinary experience just to be on this extraordinary, long stretch of beach,’ he added.
Scott will next be seen in the mini-series Ripley, and he has Back in Action and Strangers in post-production.
Ryan Hurst (Paratrooper Michaelson)
Before playing Opie Winston on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Ryan Hurst played Paratrooper Michaelson in a memorable scene in Saving Private Ryan.
He was in just one scene where he’s brought to Miller and company to see if he knows where Private Ryan is, though he can barely hear since a grenade detonated by his head.
Michaelson says he knows him but they missed their drop zone, and he points Miller in the right direction, where he ultimately finds Ryan.
Hurst would go on to star in Patch Adams, Rules of Engagement, Remember the Titans, We Were Soldiers and The Ladykillers before landing the Opie role on SOA, and he can currently be seen on CBS’ S.W.A.T.
Trooper: Before starring in Sherlock, Andrew Scott played an unnamed Soldier on the Beach during the D-Day invasion opening scene in Saving Private Ryan
Coming soon: Scott will next be seen in the mini-series Ripley, and he has Back in Action and Strangers in post-production
Paratrooper: He was in just one scene where he’s brought to Miller and company to see if he knows where Private Ryan is, though he can barely hear since a grenade detonated by his head
New roles: Hurst would go on to star in Patch Adams, Rules of Engagement, Remember the Titans, We Were Soldiers and The Ladykillers before landing the Opie role on SOA, and he can currently be seen on CBS’ S.W.A.T.
Nathan Fillion (Minnesota Ryan)
Fillion had just one indie movie and two small TV roles to his credit when he was cast as Minnesota Ryan in Saving Private Ryan.
Minnesota Ryan was one of the few other Private Ryan’s that Miller and his group were lead to, before they ultimately learn he’s not the man they’re looking for.
That same year Fillion starred alongside Ryan Reynolds in the 1998 sitcom Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place before his breakout role as Captain Mal Reynolds on the cult classic series Firefly.
Fillion currently stars on ABC’s The Rookie and he was recently cast as Guy Gardner in Superman: Legacy.
Minnesota Ryan: Minnesota Ryan was one of the few other Private Ryan’s that Miller and his group were lead to, before they ultimately learn he’s not the man they’re looking for
Cast: Fillion currently stars on ABC’s The Rookie and he was recently cast as Guy Gardner in Superman: Legacy
Colonel: He was the one-armed colonel who ultimately makes the case that Private Ryan should be rescued in just a handful of scenes at the beginning of the film, that sets the story in motion
New film: He landed his first breakthrough in Malcolm in the Middle before Breaking Bad, and he currently stars in the new Wes Anderson film Asteroid City
Bryan Cranston (War Department Colonel)
A decade before his iconic role as Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston played an unnamed War Department Colonel in Saving Private Ryan.
He was the one-armed colonel who ultimately makes the case that Private Ryan should be rescued in just a handful of scenes at the beginning of the film, that sets the story in motion.
Cranston had been toiling away for years before that, with a slew of guest-starring roles and smaller roles in films like Dead Space and That Thing You Do.
He landed his first breakthrough in Malcolm in the Middle before Breaking Bad, and he currently stars in the new Wes Anderson film Asteroid City.
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