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With this being the final chapter in my mini-series of kids sports movies, I was debating between closing this series out between three movies, Angels in the Outfield, Rookie of the Year, or Little Big League. All three were excellent films but I chose Angels in the Outfield because it focused on kids more than the other two.
The year was 1994 and a young boy who is without his mother who has passed away is living apart from his father and with his young friend J.P., they are fans of the California Angels baseball team. The duo has two dreams, to have family and to see the Angels get to the World Series. Roger is the other young boy and the two live in a foster home.
After a visit from his father, his dad tells him they can be family again only if the Angels win the American League title. Upon this pledge the baseball team finds themselves in last place. Roger prays towards heaven asking for the assistance of angels to get his favorite team to start winning. Sure, enough angels come down from above and help the players on the Angels begin to make incredible plays.
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the role of Roger Bowman. Milton Davis Jr. is J.P. in the movie. Danny Glover is the team’s manager. Tony Danza plays Mel Clark in the movie and Brenda Fricker plays the part of Maggie Nelson. The boss angel in the movie is none other than Christopher Lloyd. Other well known actors in the movie are Jay D. Sanders, Taylor Negron David, Tony Longo, Adrien Brody, and Matthew McConaughey.
So where are some of these actors today?
Danny Glover (George Knox)
Glover has been in films since 1979 with his first appearance in Escape from Alcatraz that same year. Since then, he has been in many movies, becoming one of the best actors in Hollywood. His last movie role came in 2023 when he portrayed Santa Claus in The Naughty Nine. Glover has also appeared in five theatre presentations. In July Glover will turn 79 years of age. Danny Glover has been intensely involved in civil rights and issues with Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and Haiti and was outspoken about the Iraq War as well is situations in Venezuela and the Israel/Palestine conflict.
Brenda Fricker (Maggie Nelson)
As the foster mother in the film, Fricker hails from Dublin Ireland born in 1945. With roles in over 30 movies which include television appearances, Fricker last worked in film in 2023 when she played the part of Phyillis Doyle in The Catch, a television production. That year she also lent her voice to The Miracle Club as Maureen. A theatre actress, Fricker has performed at the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, and the Geffen Playhouse in the production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Tony Danza (Mel Clark)
As a player on the team in Angels in the Outfield, Danza has had a long career on screen, perhaps best known for being on the hit show Taxi. For those unaware, Danza was also a pro boxer winning eight of 11 bouts with all of his victories coming by the way of knockout. As a middleweight he competed from 1976 to 1979. Taxi was his first appearance in acting with his stage name as Tony Banta and was on the show from 1978 to 1983. Later he would be the star of Who’s the Boss. Danza has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame dedicated in 1988.
Danza’s first movie role was in The Hollywood Knights in 1980. His movie and television list of acting roles is extraordinary long. His last movie part came in 2022 in Darby and the Dead as Gary. His television resume is much longer with his last appearance in 2023 as Lawrence in Tacoma FD which came in the fourth season, episode 11. On the personal side, Danza has been married twice and has four children, one of which, his son Mark, was on Taxi twice playing Brian Sims on the show. Danza is now 74, born in 1951 and growing up in New York City with the birth name Anthony Salvatore Iadanza.
Christopher Lloyd (Al – the Boss Angel)
When you think of Christopher Lloyd, several movies immediately come to mind, most likely Back to the Future. Then there is the Adams Family movie. You may not imagine how long Lloyd has been acting but now 86 years old, he’s been an actor for an extraordinarily long time. His first movie role came in 1975 when he was Max Taber in the iconic One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Lloyd is one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, appearing in movies nearly every year since his debut in 1975 and 50 years later he is still at it. In 2024 he was in Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps and Guns & Moses. This year he will be David Mansell in the movie Nobody 2.
Of course, he played the hilarious part Reverend Jim Ignatowski in Taxi with Tony Danza. On television he’s been in Barney Miller, American Playhouse, Cheers, The Tick, Malcolm in the Middle, The West Wing, his voice appeared in King of the Hill in 2005 as Smitty. Lloyd has been in Law and Order: Criminal Intent and his voice again was on Robot Chicken from 2011-2013. The list goes on and on and this year he was on Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney. Lloyd has been married five times, and his current wife is Lisa Loiacono whom he married in 2016. She is 32 years younger than Lloyd. He has no children.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Roger Bowman)
One of the two children stars of the movie, Gordon-Levitt, was just 13 when this movie was released. Now he is 44 and married to Tash McCauley who became his wife in 2014. With three children Gordon-Levitt is still active and has 10 awards for acting on his resume beginning with the honor of Best Acting Ensemble in 2021 for his appearance in The Trial of the Chicago 7 as part of the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards presentation.
Before Angels in the Outfield Gordon-Levitt appeared in the movie Beethoven and A River Runs Through It. Last year he was in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Greedy People, and Killer Heat. In the Beverly Hills Cop film his role was as Detective Bobby Abbott. This year he will be in the movie Pendulum as Patrick. On television he has been in Family Ties, Quantum Leap, L.A. Law, Roseanne, That 70’s Show and many others including this year’s voice over in the Simpson’s as Monty B.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is also a musician having performed at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 singing Hey Jude. He has cut one album and two compilation albums as well as 16 singles. His grandfather was Michael Gordon also an actor. The actor’s two last names come from his mother Jane Gordon and his father Dennis Levitt.
Milton Davis Jr. (J.P.)
The youngest of the two children actors in the movie not much is known about Davis, other than this movie it was his big screen debut. He did make guest appearances on Sister Sister on television and also 7th Heaven. Davis decided to leave Hollywood in the early 2000’s but in 2015 made an appearance on a 30 for 30 episode as part of a parody of Angels in the Outfield.
Taylor Negron (David Montagne)
Negron tragically passed away at a young age (57) in 2015. His death was a result of liver cancer. He had a long film career with his last appearance coming the year he passed as he played the part of Griffin in Alienated. It may be not well known that he was an accomplished painter. He was also a standout writer and a comedian. He was single at the time of his passing.
Tony Longo (Triscuit Messmer)
This seasoned actor has 70 movies on his resume as well as appearing in nearly 90 television shows. A big man, Longo stood 6’6” and weighed in at 300 pounds. Some of the more popular TV shows he was on include The Facts of Life, Laverne & Shirley, and Six Feet Under. Some of the movies he was in are Sixteen Candles, Muholland Drive, and The Last Boy Scout. Tragically, Long died at the age of 53 after suffering from congestive heart failure and kidney disorder. At the time he was married and the father of two daughters and a stepdaughter. His passing came in 2015.
There were other successful actors in the movie still making movies today. They are Adrien Brody as Danny Hemmering, Tim Conlon as Wally, and Matthew McConaughey playing the part of Ben Williams. As for the other two movies that were considered, Rookie of the Year and Little Big League, both were particularly good films. Little Big League (1994) centers around the owner of the Minnesota Twins who on his passing wills his team to his grandson who subsequently becomes the manager of the team. Luke Edwards plays the 12 year old and other actors in the movie are Timothy Busfield, Kevin Dunn, Dennis Farina, and Jason Robards.
In 1993 Hollywood released Rookie of the Year in which a 12-year old Henry Rowengartner breaks his arm playing baseball and as his arm heals, he discovers he can pitch a baseball 103 miles per hour. This leads to him making the roster of the Chicago Cubs. Rowengartner is played by Thomas Ian Nicholas and the movies stars Gary Busey, and Daniel Stern.
Interesting fact is that between 1993 and 1994 we saw the release of The Sandlot and these three other baseball movies and then two years later in 1996 The Bad News Bears debuted. The other movie I profiled in this series, Little Giants, also came out in 1994.
