Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar and the Rest of 'The Sandlot' Kids Then and Now

Publish date: 2024-05-02

They reached iconic status with this coming-of-age comedy classic, and while some have managed to stay in the industry, others moved to pursue different life projects.

Each one of the children that starred in the 1993 baseball-themed comedy film “The Sandlot” had to deal with the challenges that come with becoming a child star, and some had better luck in this than others.

Even if they are hard to recognize nowadays, chances are you have seen those still in the business in popular films and TV series, but the others mostly disappeared from the spotlight before the turn of the century.

TOM GUIRY

Tom Guiry. I Image: Getty Images.

The 38-year-old actor played Scotty Smalls, a fifth-grader that just moved to the San Fernando Valley and joins a local baseball team to try and make new friends, despite not being too good at the sport.

After starring in the film, which was his big-screen debut, Guiry landed roles in “Lassie” (1994), and “The Last Home Run” (1996). As an adult, he appeared in “Mystic River” (2003), “The Revenant” (2015), and “Wonder Wheel” (2017).

MIKE VITAR

The 41-year-old actor played Benjamin “Benny” Franklin Rodriguez, the baseball team’s leader and star player, who lets Scotty join and becomes his mentor and friend.

Vitar famously starred in another teenage sports film, playing Luis Mendoza in both “D2: The Mighty Ducks” (1994) and “D3: The Mighty Ducks” (1996), before making his last appearance as guest-star in “Chicago Hope” (1997) and retiring from acting.

PATRICK RENNA

Patrick Renna. I Image: Getty Images.

The 40-year-old actor played Hamilton “Ham” Porter, the team’s catcher, who hits a home run into the terrifying backyard where a legendarily ferocious and big dog known as “the Beast.”

Even though he hasn’t landed any big role since his days as a child actor, Renna has continued working regularly, appearing in “The X Files” (1998), “ER” (1999), “Boston Legal” (2005-2007), “CSI” (2007), and “GLOW” (2018).

CHAUNCEY LEOPARDI

The 38-year-old actor played Michael “Squints” Palledorous, the naughty boy that fakes drowning in the community pool only to get the beautiful Wendy Peffercorn, his crush (and the lifeguard) to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Leopardi went on to appear in “Casper” (1995), “The Big Green” (1995), “The Opposite of Sex” (1997), and “Coldwater” (2013), and recurred in the TV series “Freaks and Geeks” (1999-2000) and “Gilmore Girls” (2003-2005).

MARTY YORK

Marty York. I Image: YouTube/ TODAY.

Following the film, York did mostly TV work, guest-starring in “Wings” (1994) and “Sliders” (1996). In 2011, he returned to the big screen with “The Brothers Sinclair.” His last role to date was in the TV series “SMILF” in 2017.

BRANDON QUINTIN ADAMS

Brandon Quintin Adams. I Image: YouTube/ Looper.

Adams went on to land roles in the films “Ghost in the Machine” (1993), “D2: The Mighty Ducks” (1994), “Beyond Desire” (1994), and “MacArthur Park” (2001), and in the TV series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1994), “Moesha” (1998-1999), and, most recently “Reborn” (2018).

GRANT GELT

The 39-year-old actor played Betram Grover Weeks, the tobacco-chewing geeky player of the team.

Gelt appeared in only one additional movie, “Mutant Species” (1994) after being in the film, and guest-starred in TV series like “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” (1993) , “Empty Nest” (1994), “Boy Meets World” (1995) and “The ‘60s” (1999), after which he retired from acting.

SHANE OBEDZINSKI

The 37-year-old actor played Tommy “Repeat” Timmons, the younger of the Timmons brothers, mocked as a “broken record” for his habit of repeating everything his older brother says.

Obedzinski was in the TV series “Clarissa Explains It All” and the movie” Hidden Fears,” both in 1993, and retired from acting, briefly returning in 2017 for the short film “Space Gila from the Deep.” He currently owns a pizza restaurant.

VICTOR DIMATTIA

The 39-year-old actor played Timmy Timmons, the eldest of the two Timmons brothers. He was a huge fan of the Yankees in the filmDiMattia continued playing his role as Sam in the TV series “A Peaceble Kingdom” until 1995, and then disappeared from the industry until 2018, when he returned for a big-screen role in “Get Married or Die” (2018).

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