The Cast of 'Armageddon', Then and Now

Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in Armageddon.Photo: Frank Masi/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock

Armageddon, the star-studded thriller about a brave group of men who save Earth from the potential destruction of a giant asteroid, premiered on June 30, 1998, grossing more than $550 million worldwide and cementingAerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” in our minds forever. Decades later, catch up with the starry cast of the quintessential summer blockbuster.

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Bruce Willis as Harry S. Stamper

Now:TheEmmy-winning father of five (to three adult daughters with exDemi Mooreand two young girls with wifeEmma Hemming) andnewly minted grandfatherhas theDie Hardfranchise under his belt and released a slew of movies over his career. In March of 2022, his family announced he was stepping away from acting afterbeing diagnosed with aphasia,which has affected his cognitive abilities. In 2023, wife Emma shared an update on a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, though the entire familycontinues to post photos of loving momentsfeaturing the star.

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Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost

Then:Just off hisGood Will Hunting(1997) buzz,Affleck"demonstrates that he has the right stuff to play an action hero," read PEOPLE’s review. As Frost, he flew under Stamper’s wing — and was in love with his mentor’s daughter.

Now:Justice League’sBatman, and anOscar- andGolden Globe-winning actor and director, he is divorced fromJennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children. Affleck hasrekindled his early ’00s-era romancewithJennifer Lopez;the two got married in August 2022.

03of 10Liv Tyler as Grace StamperFrank Masi/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty ImagesThen:As Grace Stamper, she watched the men she loved (her boyfriend and her father) head to space — and broke hearts as she watched one choose to never return.Liv Tyler’s real-life dad,Steven Tyler, also provided some of the movie’s soundtrack with his band, Aerosmith.Now:On-screen, she played paramedic Michelle Blake in9-1-1: LoneStar’s first season.Off-screen, she’s a mom of three with her longtime partner, sports agentDavid Gardner.

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Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper

Frank Masi/Touchstone/Kobal/Shutterstock; JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images

Then:As Grace Stamper, she watched the men she loved (her boyfriend and her father) head to space — and broke hearts as she watched one choose to never return.Liv Tyler’s real-life dad,Steven Tyler, also provided some of the movie’s soundtrack with his band, Aerosmith.

Now:On-screen, she played paramedic Michelle Blake in9-1-1: LoneStar’s first season.Off-screen, she’s a mom of three with her longtime partner, sports agentDavid Gardner.

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Steve Buscemi as Rockhound

Then:One of Stamper’s sidekicks,the esteemed actorprovided some comic relief with his one-liners.

Now:What hasn’t he done? Buscemi has had continued success in Hollywood, most notably on HBO’sBoardwalk Empire,for which he won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe, and on TBS’sMiracle Workers. He has one adult son with his late wife,Jo Andres.

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Owen Wilson as Oscar

Then:Another member of Stamper’s crew, his character met an untimely end in a crash related to the mission.

Now:The movie was actually one ofWilson’s first big roles; he’s since gone on to cement his places in the comedy world, the realm of directorWes Andersonand the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+‘sLoki, and is rumored to be bringing back hisWedding Crashers(2005) characterfor a sequel. He has three children.

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William Fichtner as Col. Willie Sharp

Then:He played tough guy and bomb diffuser, Colonel Sharp.

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Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman

Then:His NASA executive Truman helped direct the mission, watching the drama unfold from the ground.

Now:Thortonhas an eclectic collection of hit films to his name, an Emmy nomination forFargo,an Oscar for writingSling Blade(1996) and two Golden Globes. Married toConnie Angland, he has four children.

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Will Patton as Chick

Then:Not only a member of Stamper’s team, he was also his best friend.

09of 10Michael Clarke Duncan as BearTouchstone Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection;Then:Relatively new on the scene,Duncanplayed Bear, one of the surviving members of Stamper’s crew at the end of the mission.Now:After racking up endless credits — including inThe Green Mile(1999),for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination — Duncan died of complications of a heart attack on Sept. 3, 2012. He was 54 years old.

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Michael Clarke Duncan as Bear

Touchstone Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection;

Then:Relatively new on the scene,Duncanplayed Bear, one of the surviving members of Stamper’s crew at the end of the mission.

Now:After racking up endless credits — including inThe Green Mile(1999),for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination — Duncan died of complications of a heart attack on Sept. 3, 2012. He was 54 years old.

10of 10AerosmithAlex Berliner/BEI/ShutterstockThen:The band — here at the film’s premiere, with frontman Steven Tyler’s daughter, Liv — provided a portion of the film’s soundtrack, includingDiane Warren’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” which earned Oscar andGrammynominations and was the band’s biggest hit.Now:Together formore than 50 years, the band returned to theirsuccessful Las Vegas residencyin September 2022 afterTyler continued treatmentfollowing a relapse.

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Aerosmith

Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock

Then:The band — here at the film’s premiere, with frontman Steven Tyler’s daughter, Liv — provided a portion of the film’s soundtrack, includingDiane Warren’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” which earned Oscar andGrammynominations and was the band’s biggest hit.

Now:Together formore than 50 years, the band returned to theirsuccessful Las Vegas residencyin September 2022 afterTyler continued treatmentfollowing a relapse.

source: people.com