The medical disaster thriller "Outbreak" starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo and Morgan Freeman hit theaters on March 10, 1995 — that's 25 years ago! In honor of the film's big anniversary, Wonderwall.com is checking in on the stars to find out what they've been up to. Keep reading to learn more…
Dustin Hoffman plays Colonel Sam Daniels, a contagious disease expert who, with the help of his team of doctors, tries to find a cure for a lethal virus spreading throughout a small California town.
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Following the release of "Outbreak" in 1995, Dustin Hoffman appeared in two 1996 films — "Sleepers" alongside Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon and Jason Patric and David Mamet's "American Buffalo." In 1997, he starred in two more films — "Mad City" with John Travolta and "Wag the Dog" alongside stars like Robert De Niro and Willie Nelson, a performance that earned him his seventh Oscar nomination. Dustin would go on to star in a variety of films over the next two decades from 2004's "Finding Neverland" to 2010's "Little Fockers" to 2017's "The Meyerowitz Stories." His most recent movie was 2019's "L'uomo del labirinto," an Italian thriller from filmmaker Donato Carrisi. The "Kramer vs. Kramer" actor will next star in Mayim Bialik's 2020 directorial debut, the comedy-drama "As Sick as They Made Us" with Candice Bergen, Olivia Thirlby and Simon Helberg. When it comes to his personal life, he's faced controversy in recent years. In 2017, Dustin was accused of sexual misconduct and assault by seven women, though his legal representatives have denied the allegations. He remains married to Lisa Gottsegen, with whom he has five children. He has another child with ex-wife Anne Byrne.
Rene Russo plays Dr. Roberta "Robby" Keough, the ex-wife of Colonel Sam Daniels (played by Dustin Hoffman) who's a fellow doctor on the team trying to discover a vaccine in hopes of stopping the spread of the lethal virus.
The same year "Outbreak" hit theaters, Rene Russo starred in "Get Shorty," the movie based on ELmore Leonard's novel of the same name alongside John Travolta, Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito. In the years that followed, she landed starring roles in films like 1996's "Ransom," 1998's "Lethal Weapon 4," 1999's "The Thomas Crown Affair" and 2005's "Yours, Mine and Ours." Following a five-year hiatus from acting, Rene made her big screen return as Frigga, the mother of the titular god of thunder in 2011's "Thor" — a role she reprised in 2013's "Thor: The Dark World" and 2019's "Avengers: Endgame." In 2014, she also appeared in the critically acclaimed crime thriller "Nightcrawler" starring Jake Gyllenhaal, for which she received a Saturn Award for best supporting actress and a BAFTA Award nomination for best supporting actress. More recently, she's appeared in 2015's "The Intern," 2017's "Just Getting Started" and 2019's "Velvet Buzzsaw." Rene, who's been outspoken about living with bipolar disorder, has been married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy since 1992. The couple share daughter Rose, who they welcomed in 1993.
Morgan Freeman plays General Billy Ford, Colonel Sam Daniels' superior officer.
Since the premiere of "Outbreak" in 1995, Morgan Freeman has continued to build an impressive list of credits. From 1995's "Seven" to 1998's "Deep Impact" to 2004's "Million Dollar Baby" — for which he won an Oscar — Morgan's acting career has continued to prosper. From 2005 to 2012, he appeared in the "Dark Knight" trilogy and from 2008 to 2014 he starred in major blockbuster films including 2010's "Red," 2013's "Now You See Me" and 2014's "Lucy." In 2005, he also narrated two flicks — "War of the Worlds" and the Oscar-winning documentary "March of the Penguins." Morgan, who divorced second wife Myrna Colley-Lee in 2010, was accused of sexual harassment by eight women in 2018. The actor issued a public apology in response to the allegations.
Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Major Salt, who works alongside Colonel Sam Daniels to help track down the animal carrying the virus.
Cuba Gooding Jr. has appeared in a variety of films over the last two decades. He most memorably starred in 1996's "Jerry Maguire" — and won an Oscar for his performance as a pro football player — and has also appeared in 1998's "What Dreams May Come" and 2001's "Pearl Harbor." He's popped up in "Rat Race," "American Gangster," "The Butler" and "Selma" too. Cuba also took his acting to television in two 2016 series — "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson" (he earned an Emmy nod for his performance as O.J. Simpson) and "American Horror Story: Roanoke." The "Coming to America" actor has three children with ex-wife Sara Kapfer, whom he divorced in 2017 after years of separation. In 2019, Cuba was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women and arrested in New York. Though he's denied the allegations, he's facing trial in 2020.
Donald Sutherland plays General Donald "Donnie" McClintock, one of Colonel Sam Daniels' bosses.
Following the release of "Outbreak," Donald Sutherland appeared in a variety of films over the next two decades including 2003's "The Italian Job," 2005's "Pride & Prejudice" and the "Hunger Games" franchise, which released movies from 2012 to 2015. He also earned some major awards including an Emmy (for his work in the 1995 miniseries "Citizen X"), two Golden Globes (for "Citizen X" and 2002's "Path to War") and an honorary Academy Award in 2017 for his contributions to cinema. The "M*A*S*H" actor has five children including actors Kiefer, Rossif and Angus — and is still married to his wife of more than 40 years, Francine Racette. In 2020, he'll appear on both the big and small screens in the film "Alone" and on the television series "The Undoing."
Kevin Spacey plays Casey Schuler, a member of Colonel Sam Daniels' team who becomes infected with the deadly virus.
Kevin Spacey continued to land roles in major films like 2000's "Pay It Forward," 2006's "Superman Returns" and 2017's "Baby Driver" following the success of "Outbreak." The "Beyond the Sea" actor also starred in the Netflix political drama series "House of Cards" from 2013 to 2017 and won a Golden Globe Award and two SAG Awards for his performance. In 2017, actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin of sexual assault and harassment, which resulted in numerous men coming forward with stories of Kevin's alleged predatory behavior.