What Happened To Them?: The Cast of ‘Who’s The Boss’

If Who’s The Boss taught us anything, it’s that if we were once major league baseball players, the logical next step in our career would be to become housekeepers. And suffer through absolutely hilarious situations in the process. In short – Tony Danza is the “boss” (unless you’re from New Jersey, since we have an entirely different definition of “The Boss”.) Aiming to find a better living situation for himself and his daughter Samantha, he stumbles across the gig to be a live-in housekeeper to divorced advertising executive Angela Bower.

Premiering in 1984, the show was groundbreaking for a few reasons – one being that it showed that the female could be the breadwinner of the household. It also depicted Italian Americans in a very favorable way, and through Angela’s mother Mona, proved that older women can date whoever the heck they please.

So – what happened to the cast?

Tony Danza as Tony Micelli

Tony Micelli was a former second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, until he got a shoulder injury. Tony Danza’s portrayal earned him an Emmy nomination and four Golden Globe Awards nominations. His resume includes more than just acting – he’s also a boxer, and an ordained minister. (Note to Readers: If you get married, please try and book Tony Danza. I promise that nobody will ever top your wedding.) Danza also wrote a book with his son in 2008, called Don’t Fill Up on the Antipasto: Tony Danza’s Father-Son Cookbook.

Danza hosted his own TV talk show, The Tony Danza Show, that was syndicated throughout the United States. While the show ended in 2006, it only gave him more time to act on Broadway as Max Bialystock in The Producers.

You might have caught him in front of a classroom in 2010, since he decided to co-instruct a 10th Grade English class at Northeast High School in Philadelphia and tape the experience for a show called Teach: Tony Danza that aired on A&E.

In 1998, he starred in four episodes of The Practice, and the stint landed him yet another Emmy nomination. This year he’ll be in the Joseph Gordon-Levitt film Don Jon, as Jon Sr. He also has a movie coming out called Aftermath, where he’ll star alongside Anthony Michael Hall.

Judith Light as Angela Bower

One of Judith’s big hits after Who’s The Boss was Ugly Betty, where she played Claire Meade. For awhile she was balancing appearances between Betty and Law & Order, where she played Judge Elizabeth Donnelly. In 2013, she appeared in the TV remake of Dallas.

Just like Tony, she’s made an appearance on the Broadway stage – and speaking of Tony, she’s won two Tony Awards: her first, in 2012, for her performance on Broadway as Silda in the play Other Desert Cities, and her second in 2013 for her portrayal of Faye in The Assembled Parties.

Judith is big on activism, which is completely amazing. She currently sits on the board of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and spoke at the 1993 March on Washington. She also sits on the board of Point Foundation, a LGBT organization that provides financial support, mentoring, and leadership training to children who feel marginalized based on their sexual orientation.

Danny Pintauro as Jonathan Bower

Danny didn’t act too regularly after the show ended, but did continue to act in stage productions like The Velocity of Gary and Mommie Queerest. In 1997, Danny came out as gay to the National Enquirer, and announced he was engaged to his boyfriend, Wil Tabares, in April of this year.

He also made time to get a degree – in the 90’s he attended Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey, and later Stanford University, where he graduated in 2001, to study English and theater. Today he’s managing a restaurant in Las Vegas.

Alyssa Milano as Samantha Micelli

Alyssa played “Sam”, Tony’s daughter – and if you want to feel old, she was ten years old when she was cast. In the mid-80’s her popularity even landed her a five-album record deal.

While she slowly became a teen idol, she tried hard to break from the Samantha Micelli mold that people would often typecast her as (I’m sure Jaleel White could relate), and took on the role of Amy Fisher in the TV movie Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story. Eventually she took on a few roles that required nudity, to further help her career as an adult actress. (Er. Not an “adult” actress. An adult actress. You know what I mean.)

After starring in the 1997 movie Hugo Pool, she took a break from movies and went back to television, eventually landing a lead role in Charmed. In 2009 she tried some voice-over work with Ghost Busters: The Video Game, and in 2011 you might have caught her in the movie Hall Pass.

Like Judith, Alyssa is also involved with a few charities and non-profits. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the United States, and also helps to advocate vegetarianism through PETA.

Katherine Helmond as Mona Robinson

Katherine studied at the Directing Workshop of the American Film Institute in the 80’s, and besides her time on screen, she also helped direct a few episodes of the show.

Currently 84-years-old, she’s still going strong. In the early 2000’s she starred as Lois Wheland in a few episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, and prior to that, played Lois Sherman on a few episodes of Coach. She’s made a few appearances on shows in the past few years (including a 2011 episode of True Blood), and was even the voice of Lizzie in Cars and Cars 2.

Winner: I’m choosing Alyssa Milano. When you’re a teen idol, it’s tough to keep a relatively clean slate. Not only has Alyssa been successful with movies and television, but she also maintains a pretty good sense of humor – as evident in her videos with Funny or Die.

Image Credits: zap2it (featured), fanpop (Milano), baltimore.cbslocal.com (Pintauro), judithlight.com (Light), aetv.com (Danza)