Where The Hey Dude Cast Is Now (2024)

"Where is the Hey Dude cast now?" is what some fans of the Nickelodeon Western sitcom have been wondering now that the show is over 30 years old. Hey Dude is likely a Nickelodeon sitcom that most people have forgotten about. Premiering in 1989 and lasting for five seasons, Hey Dude was the first full-length original live-action comedy on the network and the second scripted series, premiering only after The Third Eye from 1989.

Hey Dude stars Ben Ernst Sr. (David Brisbin), a divorced, bumbling father from New Jersey who decides to quit the fast-paced life of the East Coast, and move out west with his son Buddy (Josh Tygiel) for a change of scenery, buying the "Bar None Dude Ranch" in Tuscon, Arizona. While Hey Dude may have gotten lost in the procession of memorable shows that quickly came after, it remains one of the best shows Nickelodeon has ever made. The small but talented cast makes the series a funny and nostalgic watch. Many of the actors got their start on Hey Dude, but surprisingly, many stopped acting soon after.

David Brisbin As Benjamin Ernst Sr.

Date Of Birth: June 26, 1952

• Active Since: 1985

Actor: David Brisbin had only a few roles before his starring performance on Hey Dude and afterward he continued a career of primarily guest and one-episode appearances in shows. His notable TV roles include the recurring character Dr. Alexander Babco*ck on ER and Dr. Sugarman on an episode of Desperate Housewives. Brisbin's film credits include Dr. Jaffe in Erin Brockovich and the second woodsman in both Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces​​​​​​. His last acting credit was in 2016.

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Character: Benjamin Ernst Sr. was a successful accountant in New Jersey before moving to Arizona to become a ranch owner. Benjamin, who has always been a bit inept, is completely out of his element on the ranch, but his constant efforts to learn how to be a cowboy are always funny.

Kelly Brown As Bradley "Brad" Taylor

Date Of Birth: Unknown

• Active Since: 1989

Actor: Kelly Brown's first role was starring on Hey Dude, and she only had one more performance after. She appears in the schlock horror comedy, Danger Zone 4: Mad Girls Bad Girls, as Samantha, which came out direct-to-video in 1992. Brown left the industry soon after, citing stalkers as one of the reasons she began to feel uncomfortable in Hollywood (via Slimed Oral History). She now runs a fashion boutique in the Hamptons called Kelly B (via GofG).

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Character: Brad Taylor is a riding instructor from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, who grew up in a wealthy family. She's a sassy instructor who works on the Bar None Ranch and also has a crush on Ted (David Lascher), whom she eventually shares an onscreen kiss with.

Debra Kalman As Lucy

Date Of Birth: March 29, 1954

• Active Since: 1989

Actor: Debra Kalman first appeared on screens in Hey Dude and then, after the series ended, waited 15 years before appearing on camera again, in The Visitation as Delores the Waitress. Since then, Kalman has appeared in a handful of movies, including Halfway Home as Eloise and At the End of the Day as Mrs. Waters.

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Character: Lucy is a ranch hand foreman and supervisor at the Bar None Dude Ranch. She is the most level-headed one in the show and often the only responsible adult considering how Benjamin is often getting himself and his employees in trouble.

David Lascher As Ted McGriff

Date Of Birth: April 27, 1972

• Active Since: 1989

Actor: David Lascher appeared on Hey Dude early in his career and went on to have a successful career with performances in some notable productions. On TV, Lascher played a character named Josh in two of his biggest roles. The first was in the Clueless TV series and the second was in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, where he was in a forgotten '90s teen drama relationship with Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart). He also costarred on Blossom as Vinnie Bonitardi. Lascher's only feature film performance came in White Squall as Robert March​​​​​.

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Character: Ted McGriff is a senior staff member in Hey Dude and the object of Brad's romantic interest. His and Brad's will-they, won't-they romance provided another dimension to the show and positioned Lascher as a teen heartthrob.

Christine Taylor As Melody Hanson

Date Of Birth: July 30, 1971

• Active Since: 1989

Actor: Christine Taylor may be the most famous actor to come out of Hey Dude. For one, she is married to Ben Stiller, whom she has two children with. However, her acting career is a standout on its own. Taylor is one of a few notable actors who got very famous after appearing on a Nickelodeon show. On TV, Taylor has played Dianne in High Desert, Sally Sitwell in Arrested Development, and Gail in Search Party.

Taylor is probably better known for her movie roles, appearing as key characters in several notable comedies. She plays Matilda Jeffries in the Zoolander movies, Katherine "Kate" Veatch in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Rebecca in Tropic Thunder.

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Character: Melody Hanson is a lifeguard and dance instructor in Tuscon with seemingly boundless energy. She's also a bit boy-crazy, but she has a heart of gold and always looks out for her friends first. Melody is from Allentown, Pennsylvania, just like Christina Taylor in real life.

Hey Dude Supporting Cast & Characters

Hey Dude Has A Small Cast Of Supporting Actors

Joe Torres as Danny Lightfoot: Danny Lightfoot is a Hopi teenager and Ted's right-hand man. Casting director Michael Koegel said it was very difficult finding a Native American actor for the part and admitted they "fudged" it by casting the Mexican-American actor Joe Torres instead (via Slimed Oral History), referring to the unfortunate casting dilemma, not Torres' portrayal. This was Joe Torres' only credited role in his career, and it's unknown what he did after.

Geoffrey Coy as Kyle Chandler: Geoffrey Coy plays Kyle Chandler in Hey Dude, not Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights. Kyle is Lucy's ex-boyfriend's son who develops a crush on Brad and a rivalry with Ted. Coy never appeared in another production besides Hey Dude and is currently the Vice President and General Manager at Photocure, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company (via LinkedIn).

Jonathan Galkin as Jake Decker: Jake Decker is Benjamin's nephew from Los Angeles who comes to visit. He's played by Jonathan Galkin, whose only other role came in the show Way Cool as an unnamed character. Galkin ended up founding an independent record label with LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy called DFA Records. After Muprhy reportedly kicked Galkin out of the company (via Pitchfork), he began another label, FourFour Records.

Josh Tygiel as Benjamin "Buddy" Ernst Jr.: Josh Tygiel plays Buddy Ernst Jr. in Hey Dude, Benjamin's lackadaisical son who is unhappy about having to spend his summer on a ranch. This is Tygiel's only acting role of his career, and he now works as a senior editor and investigator for BackTrack Reports, which provides background checks for executive-level headhunting firms (via LinkedIn).

Where The Hey Dude Bar None Ranch Is Now

The Bar None Dude Ranch from Hey Dude was built on a real ranch in Tuscon, the Tanque Verde Ranch, which has been in operation since 1860 (via Arizona Daily Star). Production was originally considering Colorado as a filming location, but associate producer Stephen Land fell in love with Tuscon, saying, "It's a superb location. It offers a lot of looks."

The set was built in a secluded area of the ranch so as not to disturb normal operations. It has since fallen into disrepair, but that hasn't kept Hey Dude superfans from touring the property (via Another Amazing Adventure).