The Only Major Actors Still Alive From 1977's Fantasy Island

Television Fantasy Shows

"Fantasy Island," Gene Levitt's ABC series that ran from 1977 to 1984, had a simple enough premise for it to be contained entirely within the show's title. An island where people come to live out their fantasies was enough of an idea to spawn two made-for-TV movies and seven seasons of fantasy drama, anchored by the great Ricardo Montalbán, who played the mysterious and distinguished Mr. Roarke. Roarke hosted the island's many guests and oversaw their fantasies coming to life, accompanied initially by his assistant Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize).

"Fantasy Island" became popular during its seven years on the air, and Tattoo's catchphrase "The plane, the plane," which he delivered at the top of every episode, was absorbed into the cultural lexicon. The show's popularity hasn't endured quite as well as some other series from the era, though, which is probably partly why Blumhouse's terrible horror getaway version of "Fantasy Island" failed in 2020. But it remains an important part of TV history nonetheless.

Sadly, Ricardo Montalbán passed away in 2009 at the age of 88 and Hervé Villechaize passed in 1993, which means that the two anchors of this anthology series are no longer with us. But some "Fantasy Island" alum are still around some 40 years after the show went off the air.

Wendy Schaal (Julie)

In 1981, during the fifth season of "Fantasy Island," Wendy Schaal joined the cast as Julie, an assistant to Mr. Roarke. The character was later revealed to be Roarke's goddaughter and remained on the show for the entirety of season 5. Julie was one of Schaal's early TV roles, with the actor having only appeared in one-off roles in a handful of other TV shows prior to her debut on "Fantasy Island." She had, however, been part of the main cast for season 1 of ABC's sitcom "It's a Living," but left the show after 13 episodes.

That made Schaal's tenure on "Fantasy Island" her most significant TV work at that point in her career. After season 5 wrapped up, however, the Chicago native moved on from the show, eventually landing roles in several Joe Dante films: "Innerspace" (1987), "The 'Burbs" (1989), and "Small Soldiers" (1998). The same year she appeared in box office flop "Innerspace," Schaal also played the role of Pamela in "Batteries Not Included." Throughout the '80s, she also maintained a busy TV career, showing up in episodes of "Knight Rider," "The A-Team", "MacGuyver," and "Full House," among numerous others.

Schaal continued acting throughout the '90s, too, once again racking up an impressive résumé that includes some staples of '90s programming (with roles on "Friends," "Star Trek: Voyager," and "Murder, She Wrote" being but a few examples). However, it wasn't until 2005 that Schaal would debut in what became her longest-running role: voicing Francine Smith in "American Dad!" — a part she still plays today.

Barbi Benton (multiple characters)

Rather than playing a single recurring character on "Fantasy Island," Barbi Benton showed up as eight different characters on the series throughout its 1978 to 1982 run. She is perhaps best known for portraying Bunny Kelly in the season 3 episode, "Baby/Marathon: Battle of the Sexes," which sees Bunny running in the Fantasy Island Marathon in order to keep open the barbell-manufacturing plant where she works.

Benton also showed up as Molly Delahanti in the episodes "The Love Doctor," "Pleasure Palace," and "Possessed," as Courtney/Miss Winslow in the episodes "House of Dolls" and "Wuthering Heights," and in numerous other roles across all seven seasons of "Fantasy Island." The former model and singer actually continued her show business career after the show wrapped up, too, appearing in episodes of "The Love Boat," "Charlie's Angels," and "Murder, She Wrote" among numerous other TV series. On the movie side, Benton could be seen in the '80s horror movie "X-Ray" and 1983's "Deathstalker," which would be her final movie role.

The ex-Playboy model also released several singles and albums throughout the '70s and '80s, putting out her final album, "Kinetic Voyage," in 1988. After this, Benton largely stepped away from show business. Having married real estate developer George Gradow in 1979, Benton and her husband had two children and settled down together. Their impressive Copper Palace home has since been featured on MTV's "Extreme Cribs."

Michelle Phillips (Princess Nyah and others)

A former member of the folk rock group The Mamas & the Papas, Michelle Phillips transitioned to acting from music in the 1970s, playing the mermaid princess Nyah in three episodes of "Fantasy Island" as part of her new show business direction. Like her fellow "Fantasy Island" guest star Barbi Benton, Phillips also played other roles on the show, appearing as Shelia Godfrey in the season 4 episode "Hard Knocks/Lady Godiva," as Helen Sinclair in the season 7 episode "Second Time Around/Three's a Crowd," and several other roles across the show's run.

Speaking to News&Record, Phillips once said of her time on the show:

"I was the mermaid in 'Fantasy Island' and did other roles. I did the first topless on 'Fantasy Island' as Lady Godiva. Just a long wig. We did it at seven in the morning and it was so cold. Once as the mermaid I had to go into a freezing lagoon. I was a good sport about those things.'"

"Fantasy Island" was far from Phillips only acting credit, however. She actually built an impressive filmography that includes appearing in 219 episodes of the CBS soap opera "Search for Tomorrow." She continued her soap success by playing Anne Matheson in CBS's "Knots Landing" from 1987 to 1993 and maintained an acting career throughout the '90s and 2000s. Phillips was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the other members of the Mamas & the Papas in 1998.

The singer and actor has three children, and was with Dr. Steven Zax for 18 years until his death in 2017. Though she hasn't acted in film or TV as frequently in recent years, she did appear for an interview in the 2019 documentary "Echo in the Canyon," which details the creative explosion of folk rock in the 1960s.

Maureen McCormick (multiple characters)

Best known for playing Marcia Brady on "The Brady Bunch" from 1969 to 1974, Maureen McCormick portrayed multiple characters on "Fantasy Island" in six episodes across seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Unlike Michelle Phillips, the actor didn't have one defining role among her various parts, and played a different character each time she appeared on the show.

Following her appearances on "Fantasy Island," McCormick began a theatrical career, In the 1980s and 1990s, playing Wendy Darling in a production of "Peter Pan" and Betty Rizzo in "Grease." Throughout her post-"Brady Bunch" years, however, the actor struggled with substance addiction, even losing out on a role in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" due to her appearing at the audition under the influence. Even while enduring her addictions, McCormick did marry Michael Cummings in 1985, after which she managed to get sober, though she still struggled with depression.

'90s kids and Millenials may well recall McCormick from "The Amanda Show," in which she played Moody's Mom. She also released an album, "When You Get a Little Lonely," which debuted April 4, 1995, and was met with mostly negative reviews. After this, her career is marked mostly by appearances on reality TV series, including VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and even an appearance on "Dr. Phil." But she did publish her autobiography, "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice," in 2008.

Her last film credit was as Nurse Ruland in the 2017 psychological thriller "Rock Paper Dead," although McCormick has continued to appear on TV, featuring in 2019's reality show "A Very Brady Renovation" and hosting "Macy's Thanksgiving Cake Spectacular: Cakes on Parade" that same year. In 2023, McCormick actually appeared in an episode of Fox's legacy sequel series "Fantasy Island," showing up in season 2, episode 4, "Mystery in Miami" as a character named Rosemarie.