Mrs. Doubtfire is a timeless classic, and the Robin Williams-lead cast stole the hearts of audiences everywhere. The film follows Daniel Hillard (played by Robin Williams) a fun-loving yet immature father of three who is more interested in being the life of the party than honoring his responsibility as a parent. After finding out that Miranda is seeking a new housekeeper, Daniel, in a desperate attempt to spend more time with his children, decides to apply for the job himself under the false identity of Mrs. Doubtfire, an elderly Scottish woman. With great performances and an emotional story, Mrs. Doubtfire is widely considered one of the best comedies of all time.
Mrs. Doubtfire, easily one of Robin Williams’ best movies, was a hit and remains a beloved classic 30 years later, There is even a Mrs. Doubtfire stage adaptation on Broadway that ran from 2020-2022. While a few of the film’s stars have sadly passed on, some are still acting to this day, while others have long left the industry.
9 Robin Williams As Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire
Passed Away in 2014
Already an established comedian and actor with three Academy Award nominations, Robin Williams really brought his A-game to Mrs. Doubtfire. He managed to take on two main roles–both the titular Mrs. Doubtfire and the man beneath the disguise, Daniel Hillard–and executed both characters flawlessly. Throughout the film, Williams alternates between Daniel, a goofy voice actor and devoted yet unreliable father, and the strict yet nurturing caretaker, Mrs. Doubtfire.
Mrs. Doubtfire went on to become one of his most famous roles, and Williams continued to demonstrate his wide variety of talents in films such as Jumanji, Aladdin, and Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Sadly, Robin Williams passed away on August 11, 2014, at the age of 63. Williams had battled depression and addiction for many years and was very open about his struggles.
8 Sally Field As Miranda Hillard
Still Acting as of 2023
Sally Field already had two Oscars and almost 30 years of acting experience under her belt by the time she starred in Mrs. Doubtfire as Miranda Hillard, Daniel Hillard’s estranged wife and mother to their three children. Miranda is a workaholic and portrayed as Daniel’s opposite, proving to be the more responsible parent who is unfairly viewed as an uptight party-pooper. With “Mrs. Doubtfire” around and her kids thriving, Miranda, completely oblivious that her new nanny is her estranged husband in disguise, learns to loosen up a bit.
After Mrs. Doubtfire, Field went on to star in a number of major films, including Forrest Gump the following year with her former Punchline co-star, Tom Hanks, and The Amazing Spider-Man films as Aunt May. In 2012, She was nominated for another Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mary Todd Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. Most recently, she starred alongside fellow film legends Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Rita Moreno in 80 for Brady, a sports comedy about four elderly best friends and Tom Brady superfans.
7 Pierce Brosnan As Stuart Dunmeyer
Still Acting as of 2023
Before becoming the fifth actor to play 007, Pierce Brosnan starred in Mrs. Doubtfire as Miranda’s coworker and rebound boyfriend, Stuart “Stu” Dunmeyer. Well-meaning and friendly, Stu gets along well enough with the kids but is despised by “Mrs. Doubtfire,” which confuses him since he has no idea that she is really Miranda’s ex-husband, Daniel. Two years after Mrs. Doubtfire, Brosnan made his James Bond debut in Goldfinger as the charming secret agent. Pierce Brosnan went on to make three more James Bond films. He also starred as Sam Carmichael in Mamma Mia! in 2008 and reprised the role in the sequel. Brosnan continues to star in multiple projects.
6 Lisa Jakub As Lydia Hillard
Quit Acting in 2000
Canadian child actress Lisa Jakub had already been acting since the age of 7 when she starred as Lydia Hillard, the eldest daughter of Daniel and Miranda, in Mrs. Doubtfire. Throughout the mid-to-late-90s, Jakub took on a number of roles, most notably in Independence Day in 1996 alongside Will Smith and Mrs. Doubtfire co-star, Harvey Fierstein. However, she eventually quit acting in 2001 at the age of 22 and went on to publish a book about life as a child star in 2015 titled You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up and another about mental health struggles in 2017. She now works as a yoga teacher in Australia.
5 Matthew Lawrence As Chris Hillard
Still Acting as of 2023
Matthew Lawrence was only 4 years old when he started his acting career in 1984. Nine years later, he played Chris Hillard, the middle child and only son of Daniel and Miranda, on Mrs. Doubtfire. From 1995-1997, he starred in the TV series, Brotherly Love, alongside his real-life brothers, Joey and Andrew Lawrence. He went on to play Jack Hunter in Boy Meets World from 1997-2000 and later reprised the role on the spinoff, Girl Meets World, in 2015. From there, he starred in comedies like The Hot Chick and holiday films such as Mistletoe Mix-Up.
4 Mara Wilson As Natalie Hillard
Occasionally Acting as of 2023
It’s hard to believe that Mrs. Doubtfire was Mara Wilson’s first ever role, given her presence onscreen and how successful she became as a child actor. Wilson plays the adorable Natalie Hillard, the youngest of the Hillard clan. Watching Mrs. Doubtfire today, it’s clear why Wilson became one of the biggest child stars of the 90s. In 1994, she starred in a remake of the 1947 Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street, alongside Mrs. Doubtfire costar, Robert Prosky. Two years later, in her most famous role, Mara Wilson starred as the titular Matilda in the 1996 film adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel of the same name.
Despite her success as a child actor, Wilson gradually stopped acting after Matilda and quit the industry altogether in 2000. She took an 11-year break from acting between 2000-2011 and has mostly done voice work since then. One of her rare live-action appearances of the past two decades was in Broad City season 3, Episode 8, “Burning Bridges.” Wilson plays a waitress in a scene that recreates the infamous restaurant scene from Mrs. Doubtfire, in which it is revealed to all that Mrs. Doubtfire is really Daniel in disguise. In 2016, Wilson published an autobiography titled Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame.
3 Harvey Fierstein As Frank Hillard
Still Acting as of 2023
Harvey Fierstein was a Tony-Award-winning Broadway star known best for his work on the stage when he starred as Frank Hillard, Daniel’s makeup artist brother, in Mrs. Doubtfire, who transforms Daniel into Mrs. Doubtfire with heavy prosthetics, makeup, and a fat suit. After Mrs, Doubtfire, Fierstein continued his work in theatre, most notably starring as Edna Turnblad in the 2003 stage musical, Hairspray, for which he earned another Tony for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. He later reprised the role in the televised Hairspray Live! Fierstein also continued acting onscreen and did a ton of voice work for projects like Mulan and Big Mouth.
2 Robert Prosky As Mr. Lundy
Passed Away in 2008
Tony-nominated Robert Prosky also had a ton of theatre work under his belt before starring in Mrs. Doubtfire as Mr. Lundy, the CEO of a TV station where Daniel secures work as a shipping clerk. He went on to star in films such as Dead Man Walking and The Chamber as well as television shows such as Frasier and ER. Prosky unfortunately passed away in 2008 at the age of 77 as a result of complications from heart surgery. His final acting role was in The Skeptic.
1 Anne Haney As Mrs. Sellner
Passed Away in 2001
Anne Haney starred in Mrs. Doubtfire as the social worker, Mrs, Sellner, who’s responsible for ensuring that Daniel maintains employment and a place of residence in order to keep his visitation rights with his children. Haney continued acting in films after Mrs. Doubtfire, including in Rob Reiner and Aaron Sorkin’s The American President in 1995 and Liar, Liar alongside Jim Carey in 1997. Sadly, she passed away in 2001 at the age of 67 due to congestive heart failure. Her final acting role was on Dharma & Greg in 2001.
