Independence Day Cast & Where Are They Now

Summary

The cast ofIndependence Daywere already big stars, and they’ve only gone from strength to strength in the intervening years. Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi epic made a huge cultural impact on its release in 1996, due to some truly iconic set pieces and an incredible cast that included Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, and Vivica A. Fox.Independence Daytells the story of humanity’s attempts to prevent an alien invasion of Earth, culminating in a daring, multipronged attack against the extra-terrestrial invaders on July 4th.

Independence Dayis unabashed American patriotism, but it still made a massive impact outside the United States. Theiconic White House explosionis an astonishing movie moment that modern blockbuster movies, and Roland Emmerich himself, still struggle to top. Roland Emmerich returned to some of the characters 20 years after theending ofIndependence Dayin the 2016 sequelIndependence Day: Resurgence. However, not every member of the movie’s cast returned.

David and Steven in Independence Day.

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Will Smith as Captain Steve Hiller

Born: 19 August 2025

Will Smith became a household name by playing Will inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Airbetween 1990 and 1996.Independence Dayhad its premiere screening in Westwood, California, exactly 7 days after theFresh Princefinale aired, launching Will Smith’s Hollywood career in earnest. Smith played Captain Steve Hiller in the movie, a pilot and rejected NASA astronaut who finally achieved his dream of space travel when he played a crucial role in defeating the alien invaders.Independence Daywas the first of manyWill Smith sci-fi moviesreleased over the past 28 years.

I am Legend (2007)

Jeff-Goldblum

Richard Williams

King Richard (2021)

Although Will Smith didn’t return forIndependence Day: Resurgence, he continues to play Mike Lowery in theBad Boysfranchise, and played Agent J in the threeMen in Blackmovies released between 1997 and 2012. In 2022, Will Smith won an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as tennis coach Richard Williams inKing Richard. However, the event was slightly marred by his physical attack on host Chris Rock, following a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson

Born: 19 July 2025

After a decade of guest roles on TV and parts in larger ensemble movies,Jeff Goldblum’s breakthrough role was as Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg’sThe Fly. Goldblum’s list of credits is eclectic, taking in big Hollywood studio pictures and smaller indie movies. As chaos theorist Ian Malcom inJurassic Parkand satellite technician David Levinson inIndependence Day, Jeff Goldblum was the star of two of the most influential blockbusters of the 1990s. Goldblum has since reprised both those roles inJurassic World: DominionandIndependence Day: Resurgence, respectively.

D.H.

Igby Goes Down (2004)

In the years sinceIndependence Day, Jeff Goldblum has become part of Wes Anderson’s rolling ensemble, appearing in four of the director’s movies. Most recently,Jeff Goldblum played an alien inAsteroid City. As well as working with Wes Anderson, Goldblum has also worked with fringe comedy icons Tim & Eric, appearing as Chef Goldblum inTim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movieand voicing Bill Joel in their animated seriesTom Goes to the Mayor. Later in 2024, Jeff Goldblum will play Zeus in the upcoming Netflix seriesKaosand The Wizard of Oz in the movie adaptation of the Broadway musicalWicked.

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Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore

Born: 01 August 2025

Bill Pullman’s breakthrough role was Lone Starr in Mel Brooks' classicStar Warsspoof,Spaceballs,so he was no stranger toIndependence Day’s sci-fi hyperbole. As President Whitmore inIndependence Day, Pullman is given the iconic speech that inspires a nation of Americans to fight back against their alien invaders. Pullman later reprised the role of Whitmore forIndependence Day: Resurgence, who provides a stark warning of the second invasion. In the years between bothIDmovies, Pullman appeared in films as diverse as David Lynch’sLost Highwayand David Zucker’sScary Movie 4.

Brian Plummer

The Equalizer (2014) and The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Bill Pullman’s best-known role sinceIndependence Daywas Detective Harry Ambrose inThe Sinner. Across four seasons, Pullman played the unorthodox but empathetic detective to critical acclaim, earning a 2018 nomination for Best Actor In A Movie Made for Television or Limited Series at the Critic’s Choice Awards. Bill Pullman also appeared in another celebrated 1990s monster movie,1999’sLake Placid, in which he played Jack Wells.

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Mary McDonnell as Marilyn Whitmore

Born: 22 July 2025

Playing the First Lady inIndependence Day, Mary McDonnell upgraded to Presidential status with herbest-known role as President Laura Roslin inBattlestar Galactica.BSGwas also about humanity banding together to fight an alien threat, this time from the Cylons. However,BSG’s political commentary was a lot more nuanced and considered thanIndependence Day. McDonnell’s movie career followingIDsaw her play Rose Darko in Richard Kelly’s 2001 cult classicDonnie Darko. Mary McDonnell recently played another matriarch in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix seriesThe Fall of the House of Usher.

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023)

Randy Quaid as Russell piloting a fighter jet in Independence Day

Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson

Born: 21 July 2025

Judd Hirsch became a household name thanks to his role as Alex Reiger in the classic sitcom,Taxi. Decades after playing Jeff Goldblum’s overly supportive father, Julius, inIndependence Day, Judd Hirsch returned to sitcoms, appearing as ‘Pop-Pop’ inThe Goldbergs, Arthur Przybyszewski inSuperior Donuts, and Dr. Alfred Hofstedter inThe Big Bang Theory. As well as reprising the role of Julius Levinson inIndependence Day: Resurgence, Hirsch has recently been working with acclaimed filmmakers like Noah Baumbach, Benny and Josh Safdie, and Steven Spielberg inThe Meyerowitz Stories,Uncut Gems, andThe Fabelmans, respectively.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

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Randy Quaid as Russell Casse

Born: 22 July 2025

Prior to playing heroic Vietnam veteran Russell Casse inIndependence Day,Randy Quaid was best known for his Academy Award nominated performance as Meadows inThe Last Detail. Following the success ofIndependence Day, Quaid appeared in a string of comic and dramatic roles in movies as diverse asKingpin, Disney’sHome on the Range, andEddie Murphy’sPluto Nash. His role as Joe Aguirre inBrokeback Mountainled to a legal dispute with the movie’s producers that was only compounded by otherlegal issues involving Randy Quaidand his wife between 2009 and 2015. These legal disputes largely prevented Quaid from working in Hollywood for over a decade.

Home on the Range (2004)

Vivica A. Fox as Jasmine Dubrow

Born: 02 July 2025

Jasmine Dubrow inIndependence Daywas one of two major breakthrough roles for Vivica A. Fox in 1996, coupled with Frankie in theF. Gary Gray movie,Set It Off. Jasmine was the wife of Will Smith’s Steve Hiller, and Fox reprised the role forIndependence Day: Resurgence, this time as Steve’s widow. SinceIndependence Day, Vivica A. Fox has had a prolific career in film and television, starring in Quentin Tarantino’sKill Billas Vernita Green and having a recurring role inCurb Your Enthusiasmseasons 5 and 6 as Larry David’s girlfriend, Loretta Black.

Brent Spiner as Dr. Brakish Okun

Born: 25 June 2025

Thanks toBrent Spiner’s breakthrough role as Lt. Commander Data inStar Trek: The Next Generation, the actor was a household name when he was cast as Dr. Brakish Okun inIndependence Day. AfterIndependence Day, Brent Spiner continued to play Data, and various members of the Soong family in theStar Trekmovies and TV shows. Compared to the likes of Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner had a small role in the finished movie, but Okun’s role was expanded greatly inIndependence Day: Resurgence, giving Spiner much more to do in theIndependence Daysequel.