See the Original 1987 “Man on Fire” Cast Then and Now

The original ‘Man on Fire’ debuted in 1987 and starred Scott Glenn as Creasy

Netflix is rebooting Man on Fire as a thriller series almost 40 years after the original film version premiered in 1987.

The film was adapted from the 1980 A.J. Quinnell novel of the same name and tells the story of Creasy, a burnt-out former special agent struggling with depression.

At a crossroads in both his life and career, he begrudgingly takes a job as a bodyguard for the daughter of a wealthy Italian-American businessman. Creasy and the young girl, named Sam, form an unlikely bond.

When Sam is kidnapped by the Italian mafia, Creasy vows to get her back safely and seek vengeance on her kidnappers.

The original cast of the 1987 film adaptation features Scott Glenn as Creasy, as well as other big-name actors such as Joe Pesci, the late Danny Aiello, Jonathan Pryce and Brooke Adams.

Following the 1987 version, Man on Fire was adapted a second time in 2004 — this time, with the iconic duo of Denzel Washington as Creasy and Dakota Fanning as the little girl, Lupita Ramos.

In the 2026 iteration for Netflix, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is taking on the lead role of Creasy.

Here is a look back at the original cast of the 1987 thriller film Man on Fire and what they’ve been up to in the decades since.

01 of 06

Scott Glenn as Creasy

Glenn had a two-decade acting career under his belt when he landed the lead role as Creasy in the 1987 film adaptation of Man on Fire.

The experience of portraying Creasy is one that the actor looks back on with fondness.

“I loved doing that part, and I thought that the film itself wound up being really good,” Glenn told The A.V. Club in 2015. “I felt good about it. I felt good about my performance, I felt good about everything.”

Since Man on Fire, Glenn has gone on to appear in several blockbuster hits, including The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Training Day (2001), Freedom Writers (2007), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Bourne Legacy (2012).

He’s also had several notable television roles, including playing Stick on Netflix’s Daredevil series, appearing as Kevin Garvey Sr. on HBO’s The Leftovers and portraying Jim Hollinger on season three of HBO’s The White Lotus (a role that earned him his first-ever Emmy nomination in 2025 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series).

Outside of his 60-year acting career, Glenn has been married to his wife Carol Schwartz since 1968. The couple have two daughters, Dakota and Rio.

02 of 06

Joe Pesci as David

Pesci was best known for his roles in 1980’s Raging Bull and 1984’s Once Upon a Time in America before he starred as David, Creasy’s former partner, in Man on Fire.

In the years following Man on Fire, Pesci would go on to land some of the most memorable roles of his career — including his Academy Award-winning performance in 1990’s GoodFellas and the iconic role of career criminal Harry in the Home Alone films.

He also starred in My Cousin Vinny (1992), A Bronx Tale (1993), Casino (1995), the Lethal Weapon franchise and The Irishman (2019), and is best known for his on-screen collaborations with Robert De Niro.

Off-screen, Pesci has one daughter with his second wife, Claudia Haro, to whom he was married from 1988 to 1992.

03 of 06

Jonathan Pryce as Michael Balletto

Pryce portrayed the character of wealthy businessman Michael Balletto, who hires Creasy as a bodyguard for his daughter Sam, in the 1987 version of Man on Fire.

Despite his minimal screentime in Man on Fire, Pryce went on to star in multiple critically acclaimed projects.

Some of his most famous film roles include appearing in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Evita (1996), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and The Two Popes (2019), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination.

The Emmy-nominated actor has also had an equal amount of success on the small screen, starring in television shows such as Game of Thrones, Slow Horses and The Crown.

In his personal life, Pryce has been in a decades-long relationship with fellow actress Kate Fahy. In 2015, the couple — who have three children together — married “for legal reasons,” he told The Guardian.

04 of 06

Brooke Adams as Jane Balletto

Adams played Jane Balletto — Michael’s wife and Sam’s mother — in Man on Fire.

Adams went on to star in The Baby-Sitters Club in 1995 and 2002’s Made Up (which was written by her older sister Lynne and directed by her husband, Tony Shalhoub).

She’s also acted on stage and on television — even appearing opposite Shalhoub on his hit television series Monk.

Prior to meeting Shalhoub in 1989 while performing on Broadway, Adams adopted a daughter named Josie in 1988.

After she and Shalhoub married in 1992, they adopted a second daughter, named Sophie.

05 of 06

Danny Aiello as Conti

Aiello was known for his tough-guy roles in movies, and Man on Fire was no exception.

The New York-native portrayed the film’s villain Conti, an Italian-American mafia don behind the kidnapping of the Ballettos’ daughter.

Before taking on the role, Aiello had already starred as Tony Rosato in The Godfather: Part II (1974), neighborhood bookie Danny LaGattuta in The Front (1976) and crooked cop Morgan in Fort Apache, the Bronx (1981).

But Aiello was also famous for his memorable roles in films such as 1987’s Moonstruck (opposite Cher), 1989’s Do the Right Thing (which earned him an Academy Award nomination) and 1992’s Ruby.

“Everything is happening so damn fast,” Aiello told PEOPLE in 1990 about his acting career. “It's like a beautiful dream that never seems to end.”

In December 2019, Aiello died at the age of 86 following a brief illness.

He was survived by his wife, Sandy Cohen, whom he married in 1955, and three children. His son, Danny Aiello III, died of cancer in 2010.

06 of 06

Jade Malle as Samantha “Sam” Balletto

Jade Malle’s big break came when she was a young teen and landed the part of Samantha “Sam” Belletto in the film Man on Fire.

However, Man on Fire would be the peak of her acting career: She went on to appear in one episode of the Fox television series Millennium in 1999, followed by a small role in the 2003 independent film Special Breakfast Eggroll: 99 Cents.

Malle has lived a life out of the public eye since.

Read the full article here