Twenty-four years ago, Canadian filmmaker James Cameron told the tragic history of the RMS Titanic — a British passenger ship operated by the White Star Line — which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, UK, to New York City.
Released in 1997,Titanic was one of the first major box-office movies to go over the approximate standard runtime for movies — usually about two hours — with its 3 hour and 14 minute runtime. For modern context, that’s longer than Avengers: Endgame, which clocked at 3 hours and 2 minutes. Despite its sprawling narrative, Titanic quickly became the highest-grossing movie of that year, raking in over $2 billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
Not only was the film a historical landmark for its cutting edge special effects, lengthy runtime, and comprehensive account of the historic tragedy, it also helped boost the careers of some of the biggest Hollywood stars today. But no matter where they are now, members of Generation Z will never forget the roles these famous stars played in the epic film. Here’s a look at what the Titanic stars have been up to since the film’s release.
Leonardo DiCaprio
The iconic actor starred as Jack Dawson, the talented artist who Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) falls in love with aboard the Titanic. As with many of the other passengers, Dawson dies tragically near the end of the movie. His portrayal is considered one of the most memorable and saddest in the film. Although his character suffered a tragic demise, the role helped boost DiCaprio’s career to unprecedented heights.
Since then, DiCaprio has starred in dozens of incredible and iconic movies including Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, The Departed, The Aviator, Inception, Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street, and the list goes on.
During his long and versatile career as an actor, DiCaprio has won an Oscar for his performance in 2016’s The Revenant. In recent years, DiCaprio has also starred in Quentin Tarantino’s most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and just appeared in the Netflix original film Don’t Look Up, alongside stars Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep. Despite his onscreen death, it’s safe to say that DiCaprio is Titanic‘s most lasting star.
Kate Winslet
Performing opposite DiCaprio as the legendary Rose DeWitt Bukater, Kate Winslet earned an Oscar nomination and international fame. Since the film, the actress has built an exceptional career and resume with a plethora of movies, including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Children, The Holiday, Revolutionary Road, Steve Jobs, and more.
So far, Winslet has earned an Oscar for Best Actress thanks to her performance in The Reader. Her most recent projects also include the HBO limited series Mare of Easttown and the romantic drama Ammonite, alongside actress Saoirse Ronan. Winslet is also slated to reunite with Titanic director James Cameron for his much anticipated Avatar 2 which is currently slated for release sometime this year.
Billy Zane
Well known for his role as Rose’s fiance, the villainous Cal Hockley, Billy Zane has had a reasonable career since the Titanic. In 1996, Zane starred as the lead role in Simon Wincer’s superhero flick, The Phantom. He then made the transition to the small screen as he starred as Marc Antony in the 1999 Cleopatra miniseries.
Zane also went on to nab an array of small roles and cameos in films including Zoolander, Holmes and Watson, Mad Dogs, and the popular sitcom, Community.
Over the years, Zane has continued to star in various films and TV shows including Charmed, Guilt, Deception, and the Amazon Prime original series, The Boys. He can be seen most recently in the Netflix original miniseries True Story starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes.
Frances Fisher
The now 68 year old actress played Ruth DeWitt Bukater, the uptight social-climbing mother of Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic. Since the film, Fisher has gone on to star in films like True Crime, Laws of Attraction, The Kingdom, Jolene, The Lincoln Lawyer, and The Roommate.
Her most recent projects include her roles as Jane Crawford in the critically acclaimed limited superhero series Watchmen in 2019 and Elaine in the Netflix holiday film, Holidate.
Currently, Fisher has been working on a slate of new films which are currently in the post production phase including Awake, This Is Not a War Story, and The Potters.
Kathy Bates
At 72, Kathy Bates has had a long and successful career in Hollywood. Before her role as Molly Brown in Titanic, Bates had already won an Oscar for her chilling performance in the thriller Misery, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. After Titanic, Bates continued to win Oscar nominations for her performances in Primary Colors, About Schmidt, and Richard Jewell. The actress is also we known for her roles in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy, The Blind Side, On the Basis of Sex and Rumor Has It. Bates has also been working on a new set of films, one of which, The Miracle Club, will star the acting talents of Maggie Smith and Laura Linney.
The iconic actress has also had a productive career on the small screen, appearing in numerous TV shows. She won an Emmy for her role on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, before appearing in five seasons of the FX original series American Horror Story as Madame Delphine LaLaurie, for which she earned another Emmy. In fact, Bates recently returned to the hit horror series for its 10th season.
Bates is also quite the influential celebrity, as she holds an esteemed title in Hollywood as the Executive Committee Chair of the Actor’s Branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Board of Governors — a title befitting her long, storied career, even if it is a mouthful that no one will ever try to say three times fast.
Victor Garber
Though not as well-known as his co-stars, Victor Garber played an important, even if tragic, role within the film as the ship’s architect and builder, Thomas Andrews. Since Titanic, Garber has appeared in several major films including Legally Blond, Milk, Argo, and the Happiest Season.
Garber also starred as Jack Bristow alongside Jennifer Garner for five seasons of the ABC series Alias. The actor has also appeared in several other TV shows including Modern Family, The Orville, Glee, Damages, and Schitt’s Creek.
Younger fans most likely remember Garber as Dr. Martin Stein — one half of the metahuman superhero Firestorm — in the CW superhero series, Legends of Tomorrow.
So far, Garber has been working on several projects in both film and TV. He’s currently slated to appear in the film The Gettysburg Address and can be seen playing Harry Svensson in the legal drama Family Law on the Global Television Network
Bill Paxton
One of Hollywood’s most successful actors — even before his time on the Titanic as the treasure hunter Brock Lovett — Bill Paxton was well-known for his roles in major movies like Twister, Apollo 13, and True Lies.
After Titanic, Paxton continued to star in movies like Mighty Joe Young, Edge of Tomorrow and Nightcrawler. However, Paxton’s biggest role to date came when he starred as Bill Hendrickson in the HBO series Big Love from 2006 to 2011.
Unfortunately, Paxton’s storied Hollywood career ended when died suddenly after suffering a stroke on February 25th 2017.
Suzy Amis Cameron
After playing Lizzy Calvert, Rose DeWitt Bukater’s granddaughter, in Titanic, Suzy Amis only appeared in three more films before retiring from acting altogether in 1999 and marrying Titanic director James Cameron a year later.
Since her acting days, Suzy has become an activist and is the founder of Verdient Foods, Cameron Family Farms, Food Forest Organics, and Plant Power Task Force. She’s also launched Red Carpet Green Dress, which focuses on producing sustainable fashion.
Gloria Stuart
A seasoned veteran who had been acting since the 1930s, Gloria Stuart played the older version of Rose DeWitt in Titanic.
Stuart earned an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actress when she was 87 years old. She remains the oldest ever woman nominated in an acting category for an Oscar.
After the film, Stuart continued to act, with her last role being the 2004 film Land of Plenty. The famed actress died in her sleep of respiratory failure in 2010 at the age of 100.
Danny Nucci
Remembered for his memorable role as Jack Dawson’s best friend and traveling companion, Fabrizio, Danny Nucci has had a fairly successful acting career on the small screen since the iconic film. Moviegoers may remember him for his role as Officer Giraldi in the 2006 film, World Trade Center.
Since his role on the Titanic, Nucci has appeared on several TV shows including NCIS, CSI, Arrow, and Castle. In 2013, he was cast as Mike Foster in the Free-Form series, The Fosters.