‘3rd Rock From the Sun’ Cast: Where Are They Now? Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jane Curtin and More

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'3rd Rock From the Sun' Cast: Where Are They Now? Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jane Curtin and More

Aliens all around us! Between Men in Black, Independence Day, The X-Files, Mars Attacks! and Contact, it's fair to say that Hollywood was obsessed with E.T.s in the '90s, but perhaps nothing reflected the phenomenon so well as 3rd Rock From the Sun. The sitcom, which debuted in January 1996, had one of the strangest premises in TV history. Four extraterrestrial visitors — played by John Lithgow, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart and Joseph Gordon-Levitt — pretended to be a human family living near Cleveland, Ohio, as they conducted research on human society for their home planet. Using the surname Solomon as an alias, the group reported to an off-world boss called the Big Giant Head, who was at first unseen but eventually appeared in the form of William Shatner. They were also friendly with a local anthropologist named Dr. Mary Albright, played by Jane Curtin (who herself played an alien on Saturday Night Live and in the spinoff movie Coneheads). It's weird stuff, but in 1997, the show took home the most Emmys of any show nominated that year, winning in five of eight categories including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Lithgow and Johnston, respectively. The show also won two Screen Actors Guild trophies during its run and took home two Golden Globes in 1996 for its first season. [jwplayer VHnNd92k-zhNYySv2] Though his turn as Dick Solomon garnered a ton of critical acclaim and industry recognition, Lithgow required a tough sell before agreeing to appear on the show. He had already turned down a role on Cheers — instead, Frasier Crane, who later got his own spinoff, was performed by Kelsey Grammer. When husband-and-wife cocreators Bonnie and Terry Turner invited him out to breakfast one day, the Tony winner had no idea they were really trying to convince him to star on 3rd Rock. “I thought, ‘How am I going to say no as graciously as I can and get out of here?’” the actor recalled in a 2012 interview with the Television Academy. However, the pair quickly changed his mind: “Within five minutes, [they’d] persuaded me to be in 3rd Rock From the Sun.” Since the show aired its final episode in May 2001, several of its cast members have gone on to appear in other iconic series, including Sex and the City and The Crown. Keep scrolling to find out what the Solomons and their friends have been up to since the sitcom's end: [podcast_block]

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John Lithgow

As Dick Solomon, Lithgow played the leader of the expedition, also known as the High Commander. The stage and screen veteran has a vast resume of TV, movie and theater credits, but some of the highlights include a 12-episode run on Dexter, guest appearances on 30 Rock and How I Met Your Mother and roles in Interstellar, Pet Seminary and Bombshell. He also delighted fans of The Crown as Winston Churchill in the show's first three seasons. The Harvard grad has been married to Mary Yeager since 1981. They share two children, son Nathan and daughter Phoebe. Lithgow also has one son, Ian, from his first marriage to Jean Taynton. Also an actor, Ian appeared in 48 episodes of the show alongside his dad.

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Kristen Johnston

Johnston played Sally Solomon, the lieutenant of the expedition and Dick's second-in-command. In 2004, the Washington, D.C., native made arguably the greatest guest appearance in Sex and the City history as Lexi Featherston, the aging socialite who fell out a window after screaming, "New York is over! O-V-E-R!" The Emmy winner has also guested on The New Adventures of Old Christine, Ugly Betty and Modern Family, and starred alongside her fellow 3rd Rock alum Stewart in Mom. In 2012, she authored her first memoir, Guts: The Endless Follies and Tiny Triumphs of a Giant Disaster.

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French Stewart

Stewart played Harry Solomon, who was not originally supposed to be part of the alien mission but later became the group's transmitter, receiving messages from the Big Giant Head. He went on to make guest appearances on Ally McBeal, Bones, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and many other series. The Emmy nominee had a main role on Mom for the first two seasons and guest-starred through the show's end in 2021. Stewart was married to actress Katherine LaNasa, who he met on the 3rd Rock set, from 1998 to 2009. He married Vanessa Claire Perkins in 2011. They share one daughter, Helene.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt

As Tommy Solomon, Gordon-Levitt looked the youngest, but his character was actually the oldest of the aliens. The former child star has an impressive roster of roles in movies including Mysterious Skin, Brick, 500 Days of Summer, Inception, Looper, Lincoln, Snowden and The Trial of the Chicago 7. In 2013, he wrote, directed and starred in Don Jon, alongside Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. The SAG Award winner married tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley in 2014. They share one daughter and one son.

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Jane Curtin

The Saturday Night Live legend played Dr. Mary Albright, an anthropologist and Dick's off and on girlfriend. The Massachusetts native has since appeared in I Don't Know How She Does It, The Heat, The Spy Who Dumped Me and Godmothered and has starred in episodes of Broad City, The Good Wife and The Good Fight. She has been married to producer Patrick Lynch since 1975. They share one daughter, Tess.

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Simbi Khali

Khali played Nina Campbell, a professional assistant to Mary and Dick at their university. After 3rd Rock, the actress appeared in episodes of The Bernie Mac Show, Weeds and Better Things and movies including We Were Soldiers and Mississippi Damned. She was married to actor Cress Williams from 2000 to 2011. They share two children, son Elijah and daughter Amika.

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Elmarie Wendel

The late Wendel starred as Mamie Dubcek, eccentric landlady to the Solomons. Before her death in 2018, the actress and singer voiced a character in The Lorax and appeared in episodes of NYPD Blue, General Hospital and The Exes (which also starred 3rd Rock alums Johnston and Wayne Knight). Her daughter, J.C. Wendel, is also an actress.

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Wayne Knight

Jurassic Park's messiest computer scientist played Don Orville, a police officer who dated Sally. The New York native has since provided voices for Kung Fu Panda, Doc McStuffins and Pound Puppies and has starred in Hail, Caesar!, Cheaper By the Dozen, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hot in Cleveland and Narcos. The actor was married to makeup artist Paula Sutor from 1996 to 2003. They share one son, Liam. Since 2006, he has been married to film editor Clare de Chenu.

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Jan Hooks

The Saturday Night Live alum starred as Vicki Dubcek — daughter of Mamie, girlfriend to Harry and later wife to the Big Giant Head. Before her death in 2014, the comedian did voice work in Futurama, The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show and appeared on Primetime Glick and 30 Rock. The Georgia native was never married but briefly dated her SNL costar Kevin Nealon in the mid-1980s.

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Larisa Oleynik

From seasons 4 to 6 of 3rd Rock, the Secret World of Alex Mack alum played Tommy's girlfriend, Alissa Strudwick. Shortly after she began her run on the sitcom, she also played Gordon-Levitt's girlfriend in the 1999 teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. She has since starred in Jessabelle, Pretty Little Liars, Psych, Extant and Trinkets.

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Ian Lithgow

The actor appeared alongside his father as Leon, one of Dick's students. Since 3rd Rock ended, he's popped up in Bull, Tesla, The Blacklist and Perry Mason (which starred his dad too). He's also a practicing psychologist in New York City.

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David DeLuise

A son of the late actor Dom DeLuise, David played Bug Pollone, another of Dick's students. He has since starred in Vampires Suck and Gilmore Girls, and played Selena Gomez's father in Wizards of Waverly Place. The ER alum shares two daughters, Riley and Dylan, with ex-wife Brigitte DeLuise. He has been married to German actress Julia Stoepel since 2019.