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"The Bad News Bears" was a 1976 comedy featuring Walter Matthau as alcoholic Little League coach Morris Buttermaker and his tomboy pitcher Amanda Whurlizer (Tatum O'Neal) along with a supporting cast of budding child stars. The movie was unconventional in its vulgarity.![Then: Walter Matthau]()
Walter Matthau became famous for his roles in “The Fortune Cookie” (1966) and “The Odd Couple” (1968) before playing an ex-professional baseball player in “The Bad News Bears” (1976).![Now: Walter Matthau]()
Walter continued to make popular films in the following years, including the hits “Grumpy Old Men” and “Grumpier Old Men” with his longtime pal Jack Lemmon. He died of cardiac arrest on July 1, 2000 at the age of 79. (Photo: AP)![Then: Vic Morrow]()
Vic Morrow, 47, starred in a string of successful films before landing the role of Yankees coach Roy Turner in the film.![Now: Vic Morrow]()
Vic continued to work steadily on TV and in films until his untimely death at the age of 53 while shooting the film “Twilight Zone: The Movie” in 1983.![Then: Tatum O'Neal]()
Before starring as Amanda Whurlizer at age 13- a pitcher who feels insecure about her tomboy image - Tatum O’Neal was already on the A-list and in 1974 at 11, she became the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award for her performance in “Paper Moon.”![Now: Tatum O'Neal]()
Tatum, 45, continued to appear in successful films throughout the 70s and 80s, putting her career on hold during her tumultuous marriage to tennis star John McEnroe, in addition to her battle with heroin addiction. In the early 2000s she came back into the spotlight with guest roles on “Sex and the City,” “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter,” and “Law and Order: Criminal Intent. She was also a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2006. She currently has two films in the works. (Photo: AP)![Then: Jackie Earle Haley]()
Jackie Earle Haley, 15, was already a well-known child star when he landed the role of cigarette-smoking troublemaker, Kelly Leak. Jackie also starred in the sequel films, “Bad News Bears in Breaking Training” (1977) and “The Bad News Bears Go To Japan” (1978) and worked steadily on TV and in film throughout the 70s.![Now: Jackie Earle Haley]()
Jackie, 48, hit a bit of a dry spell in the 90s but returned to acting in 2006 with roles in “All the King’s Men” opposite Sean Penn, and “Little Children,” for which her earned an Academy Award nomination. In 2009, he will appear in “Shutter Island” directed by Martin Scorsese and will play Freddy Kruger in the remake of “Nightmare on Elm Street” due to be released in April 2010. (Photo: AP)![Then: David Pollock]()
David Pollock, 15, is best known for his role as Rudi Stein and appeared in all 3 Bad News films.![Now: David Pollock]()
David, 48, is a certified flight and ground instructor and worked as a Strategic Planning Analyst and Flight Scheduler for Flying Tigers in L.A. from 1981-1988 and was a Marketing Planning Specialist for Rocketdyne from 1988-2006. He now works full time for the California School Board Association as senior director of program development.![Then: Brandon Cruz]()
Brandon Cruz, 14, played Joey Turner in the film, the star pitcher for the Yankees. He rose to prominence before this role playing Bill Bixby’s son Eddie Corbett in the TV comedy-drama “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.” He also appeared on “The Incredible Hulk,” reuniting with Bixby.![Now: Brandon Cruz]()
Brandon, now 47, retired from acting in the 80s to focus on music and fronted a hardcore punk band called Dr. Know. He later joined the Dead Kennedy’s replacing their lead vocalist, but quit in 2003 to rejoin Dr. Know. He also produces and edits TV shows in L.A.![The_Bad_News_Bears_Cast]()
Most of the Bad News Bears have left movies - with reports of Engelberg (Gary Lee Cavagnaro) raising a family and Tanner Boyle (Chris Barnes) working in a flower shop in Utah. But they are forever in our hearts as the lovable - though unsentimental - Bad News Bears, one of worst teams ever in the Little League.Then/Now: The Cast of 'The Bad News Bears'
The Bad News Bears all left the diamond in the 70s - let's see what they're up to now.
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- Then/Now: The Cast of 'The Bad News Bears'
