The Only Main Actors Still Alive From The Amityville Horror

Now considered one of the most compelling and atmospheric horror films of the 1970s, "The Amityville Horror" tells the allegedly true (although how true is up for debate) story of a family that moves into a house possessed by the malevolent spirits of those who had been murdered there years earlier. The film wasn't well-received by critics of the time; Roger Ebert wrote of it, "We watch two hours of people being frightened and dismayed, and we ask ourselves ... what for? If it's real, let it have happened to them. Too bad, Lutzes! If it's made up, make it more entertaining. If they can't make up their minds ... why should we?"

Despite this, "The Amityville Horror" was incredibly popular with audiences, becoming one of the highest-grossing horror films in history at the time. Its success spawned a seemingly endless series of sequels and remakes — some better than others — and the story of the house in Amityville is now an enduring part of pop culture. But it's been 45 years since "The Amityville Horror" came out, and although it remains as robust as ever in cinematic history, we've lost many of the actors who made it such a popular film. Of the main cast, only James Brolin, Don Stroud, and Helen Shaver are still with us.

James Brolin, who plays the family patriarch George in "The Amityville Horror," likely needs no introduction. Not only are many of his own films classics, but he's earned a vaunted position in Hollywood as the husband of Barbra Streisand and the father of Josh Brolin (the two of whom share an uncanny resemblance). He began acting in the early 1960s in small television roles and uncredited performances in film, but his career really took off later that decade and into the 1970s. Fans may recognize Brolin from his work in the 1973 version of "Westworld" (the inspiration for the popular HBO series), "Capricorn One," and finally 1979's "The Amityville Horror." By 1985, he was famous enough to play himself in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," as the actor cast to play Pee-wee in the big-budget Hollywood version of his story to track down his missing bike. 

Over the past few decades, he has played the narrator on the Netflix fantasy series "Sweet Tooth," the evil Emperor Zurg in "Lightyear," and Jack Barnes in Steven Spielberg's stylish "Catch Me If You Can" — amongst many other projects. He'll also be appearing in "Ransom Canyon," an upcoming western saga starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly.

It seems like in every horror film from the 1970s with some sort of a haunting or potential demonic activity, there's almost always a priest sent to investigate the paranormal happenings. "The Amityville Horror" is no exception. That role is primarily played by Rod Steiger as Father Delaney, who is promptly attacked by a malevolent hoard of flies upon arriving at the house, but Don Stroud as Father Bolan is on his support team.

Don Stroud got his start in the late 1960s, and acted steadily — especially on television — throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on shows like "Gunsmoke," "Hawaii Five-O," "Charlie's Angels," and "The Dukes of Hazzard." Over the years, he had a smattering of roles in prominent films, including "The Buddy Holly Story" in 1978, "License to Kill" in 1989, and "Django Unchained" in 2012. Stroud's most recent on-screen performance came in 2023, when he was cast as an elderly veteran in an episode of "Magnum P.I."

When George (Brolin) and his wife Kathy (Margot Kidder) begin experiencing strange, unexplained phenomenon in their new home, they have to bring in outsiders to confirm that what they're seeing can be witnessed by other people. That's where Carolyn, played by Helen Shaver, comes in: As the psychic wife of George's business partner, she spends about 30 seconds on the property before picking up on the bad vibes.

Helen Shaver's acting career has been prolific, beginning in the 1970s and continuing on into the 2010s — her last on-screen performance was in 2013's "Down River," an indie drama. But in the early 1990s, she also started working behind the camera, developing an incredibly successful career as a television director. She's been at the helm of many popular series, including "The OC," "Anne with an E," "Orphan Black," "Westworld," "Vikings," and, most recently, "The New Look." Shaver also currently has a film in pre-production, a drama called "Frankie's Baby."