Actors From Varsity Blues: Where Are They Now and What’s Their Net Worth?

Twenty-seven years ago, a small-town Texas football movie made $54 million and launched half a dozen careers. Nobody knew then what it would cost later.

Varsity Blues hit theaters on January 15, 1999, and became an immediate cult favorite — blending Friday night football obsession with late-90s teen rebellion in a way that felt genuinely alive on screen. The cast of Varsity Blues was a remarkable collection of rising stars, veteran character actors, and future household names who hadn’t quite arrived yet. James Van Der Beek was a year into Dawson’s Creek. Paul Walker was weeks away from She’s All That. And a kid named Jesse Plemons had his second-ever acting credit in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role.

Twenty-seven years later, the story of what happened to the actors from Varsity Blues is one of Hollywood’s most bittersweet. Three of its young stars are gone. The rest have scattered across film, television, coaching fields, and everything in between.

Here’s where they ended up.

James Van Der Beek as Mox The Heart of the Film

Then: James Van Der Beek Varsity Blues role as Jonathan “Mox” Moxon — the brainy backup quarterback who inherits the starting job and refuses to worship at the altar of Coach Kilmer — was his first major film role. Mox Varsity Blues became his signature big-screen character, even as Dawson’s Creek continued to run. He was 21 years old. He was everywhere.

Now: James Van Der Beek continued working steadily after Varsity Blues — Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Pose, CSI: Cyber, Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer. He embraced self-awareness about his own celebrity with a humor and grace that made him genuinely likable in ways his teen idol status never quite captured.

In August 2023, he publicly revealed he was being treated for stage-3 colorectal cancer, using his platform to raise awareness and revisiting Varsity Blues memorabilia to support cancer-related causes. He was writing a memoir when he passed away on February 11, 2026, at the age of 48.

He is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children.

Net Worth: Estimated at $8 million at the time of his passing.

Paul Walker as Lance Harbor The Friend Who Became a Legend

Then: Paul Walker played Lance Harbor — the starting quarterback, Mox’s best friend, the golden boy whose knee injury sets the entire film in motion. He was magnetic and effortless on screen in the way that only certain actors are. The Varsity Blues cast didn’t know it yet, but they were watching the early days of one of Hollywood’s most beloved careers.

Now: Within two years of Varsity Blues, Walker was Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious. What followed was one of the most successful action franchises in cinema history — a global phenomenon that made him an international star on a scale that 1999 could not have predicted.

Paul Walker died on November 30, 2013, in a car accident in Santa Clarita, California. He was 40 years old. He is survived by his daughter Meadow, now 26, who founded the Paul Walker Foundation to continue his philanthropic work focused on ocean and wildlife conservation.

Net Worth: Estimated at $25 million at the time of his passing.

Jon Voight as Coach Kilmer The Villain Who Kept Working

Then: Jon Voight played Coach Bud Kilmer — the abusive, win-at-all-costs head coach of the West Canaan Coyotes — with a controlled menace that gave the film its dramatic backbone. He was already an Oscar winner by the time Varsity Blues cast him, having taken Best Actor for Coming Home in 1979.

Now: Voight is the most accomplished performer in the Varsity Blues cast by any measure, and he hasn’t stopped working. Ali (2001), Mission: Impossible, Ray Donovan across seven seasons, Pope John Paul II — his post-Varsity Blues career reads like a highlight reel. He’s now in his mid-80s and remains one of Hollywood’s most active veteran actors.

Net Worth: Estimated at $55 million.

Ali Larter as Darcy Sears From Whipped Cream to Franchise Star

Then: Ali Larter role as Darcy Sears — the cheerleading captain with one of the most talked-about scenes in the film — was her big-screen debut after a modeling career and a handful of TV guest spots. She was 22 years old. The role announced her in exactly the way debut roles are supposed to.

Now: She used Varsity Blues as a direct springboard. Final Destination and Final Destination 2. Legally Blonde. Resident Evil: Extinction. Heroes on NBC across four seasons. And most recently, Landman on Paramount+ alongside Billy Bob Thornton.

She married actor Hayes MacArthur in 2009. They have two children together and relocated from Los Angeles to Idaho after COVID.

Net Worth: Estimated at $20 million.

Amy Smart as Jules Harbor Steady, Consistent, Still Going

Then: Amy Smart played Jules Harbor — the good-girl girlfriend of Mox who navigates her own identity separate from the football machine. It was her first major role after a small part in Starship Troopers in 1997. She was quiet, grounded, and genuinely good in a film that gave her room to be more than the typical girlfriend character.

Now: Road Trip. The Butterfly Effect. Just Friends alongside early-career Ryan Reynolds. A recurring role on Shameless. Stargirl on The CW, where she played Barbara Whitmore across multiple seasons. Most recently seen in the 2024 film Rally Caps and a 2024 Lifetime movie.

She married HGTV personality Carter Oosterhouse in 2011. They have one daughter together.

Net Worth: Estimated at $9 million.

Scott Caan as Charlie Tweeder The Wild Card Who Found His Lane

Then: Scott Caan played Charlie Tweeder — the cocky, scene-stealing wide receiver who brings most of the film’s comic energy and some of its most reckless moments. He was 23. And he was the son of James Caan, which meant he arrived with something to prove and proceeded to prove it immediately.

Now: Boiler Room. Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen. Entourage. And then ten full seasons as Detective Danny “Danno” Williams on Hawaii Five-0 — the role that turned him from a recognizable face into a genuine television star. He’s also directed films and worked extensively as a photographer.

Most recently spotted at a Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die screening in New York in January 2026, with upcoming work on The Adventures of Cliff Booth.

Net Worth: Estimated at $16 million.

Jesse Plemons as Tommy Harbor The Smallest Role, The Biggest Career

Then: Jesse Plemons had his second-ever acting credit in Varsity Blues — a minor role as Tommy Harbor that most people watching in 1999 wouldn’t have noticed at all. He was 10 years old.

Now: He’s arguably the most critically acclaimed actor to come out of the entire Varsity Blues cast, which is both remarkable and completely unpredictable. Breaking Bad. Friday Night Lights. Fargo. The Power of the Dog — which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2022.

He married Kirsten Dunst in 2022. They have two children together.

Net Worth: Estimated at $12 million.

Ron Lester as Billy Bob The Heart of the Film, Gone Too Soon

Then: Ron Lester played Billy Bob — the lovable, massive offensive guard whose loyalty and warmth gave the film its emotional center alongside all the football chaos. He was funny, genuinely touching, and gave the cast of Varsity Blues one of its most memorable performances.

Now: After Varsity Blues, he appeared in Not Another Teen Movie and Good Burger, and had a recurring role on Freaks and Geeks. Health complications tied to his weight eventually led him to undergo dramatic weight-loss surgery — a decision he later said he regretted. “Am I alive? Yes. Am I happy? No. Did I throw away my career to be skinny? Yes. I wouldn’t do it again.”

Ron Lester died on June 17, 2016, from liver and kidney failure. He was 45 years old. He was the second Varsity Blues cast member to pass away.

Net Worth: Estimated at $500,000 at the time of his passing.

Eliel Swinton as Wendell Brown From the Field to the Coaching Staff

Then: Eliel Swinton played Wendell Brown — the star running back and the only Black player on the West Canaan Coyotes roster. He was a genuine high school football star in real life, later signing with the Kansas City Chiefs before an injury derailed his NFL career.

Now: Varsity Blues was his only acting credit — before or after. When the NFL door closed due to injury, the Hollywood door didn’t open either. He’s now working as a speed and performance coach, most recently at Sierra Canyon School in California, mentoring young athletes and building something outside the spotlight.

Net Worth: Estimated at $500,000.

The Ones Who Stepped Away

Two cast members from the Varsity Blues cast essentially disappeared after the film and have never resurfaced publicly.

Tiffany C. Love played Collette Harbor — the mother of Walker and Smart’s characters. Varsity Blues was her only acting credit. Her whereabouts since 1999 remain unknown.

Richard Lineback played Joe Harbor — the father of those same characters. A veteran character actor with appearances in Speed, Natural Born Killers, and The Ring, his last known acting credit was a 2012 episode of Justified. He’s never announced retirement but has been completely absent from the industry since.

Also read: Tom Cruise Net Worth 2026: How Rich Is He Today?

Frequently Asked Questions About the Varsity Blues Cast

Q: What is Varsity Blues about?

Varsity Blues is a 1999 coming-of-age sports drama set in a small Texas town where high school football is everything. When star quarterback Lance Harbor is injured, backup Mox — played by James Van Der Beek — reluctantly takes over and begins to challenge the abusive authority of legendary Coach Kilmer, played by Jon Voight. The film earned $54.3 million on a $16 million budget and became a cult classic for a generation of late-90s teens.

Q: What happened to James Van Der Beek after Varsity Blues?

James Van Der Beek Varsity Blues role as Mox remained his signature big-screen performance throughout a career that spanned three decades. He continued working steadily in television and film after the movie, with notable roles in Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Pose, and Dancing With the Stars. In 2023, he revealed he was battling stage-3 colorectal cancer. He passed away on February 11, 2026, at the age of 48. He is survived by his wife Kimberly and their six children.

Q: How many actors from Varsity Blues have died?

Three. Paul Walker, who played Lance Harbor, died in a car accident in November 2013 at age 40. Ron Lester, who played Billy Bob, died in June 2016 at age 45 from liver and kidney failure. And James Van Der Beek, who played Mox, passed away in February 2026 at age 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer.

Q: What is the Varsity Blues cast doing now?

The remaining cast of Varsity Blues has scattered widely. Jon Voight remains one of Hollywood’s most active veteran actors. Ali Larter currently stars in Landman on Paramount+. Scott Caan most recently appeared in Alert: Missing Persons Unit with upcoming work on The Adventures of Cliff Booth. Amy Smart continues acting in film and television. Jesse Plemons — who had a tiny role as a child — is now one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed dramatic actors with an Oscar nomination to his name.

Conclusion

The story of the actors from Varsity Blues is impossible to tell without grief sitting right alongside the nostalgia.

Three members of a cast that defined a late-90s cultural moment are gone — each loss arriving differently, each one leaving its own specific absence. Paul Walker taken suddenly at the peak of a second act nobody saw coming. Ron Lester too young, struggling with the very industry that had once embraced him. And James Van Der Beek — Mox Varsity Blues himself — gone in February 2026 at 48, fighting with the same public openness and grace he’d brought to everything else.

What’s left is a cast of Varsity Blues that scattered in every direction. A two-time Oscar nominee in Jesse Plemons who barely appeared on screen. A franchise action star in Ali Larter. A decade-long TV anchor in Scott Caan. A speed coach in California in Eliel Swinton. Two cast members who disappeared entirely and never looked back.

And a film — imperfect, beloved, completely of its moment — that keeps finding new audiences who didn’t see it the first time.

Some movies outlast their casts. Varsity Blues is doing exactly that.

Twenty-seven years. Still playing.