What The Cast Of Boy Meets World Is Doing Today
If you ask anyone who grew up in the early '90s what some of the most formative shows of their childhood are, there's a good chance one of those will be "Boy Meets World." Running on ABC for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000, "Boy Meets World" captivated audiences with its lovable and relatable characters. Unlike many other coming-of-age sitcoms targeted towards kids, "Boy Meets World" wasn't afraid to tackle challenging adult subjects, helping the show stand apart from its peers at the time, particularly those that aired on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel.
Over its run, "Boy Meets World" has featured many characters, but the show ultimately revolves around the life of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage. The story follows his journey from sixth grade to adulthood, as well as the lives of his family and friends. Cory is written as an average kid, and throughout the show's run, he has to face the challenges of growing up, helping its viewers identify with the show and even learn valuable life lessons from it.
"Boy Meets World" built up an impressive cast over the years, including famous guest stars such as Linda Cardellini and Adam Scott. After the end of the show's run in 2000, the main cast has also gone on to make some impressive career choices, including directing, politics, and even hosting a podcast about "Boy Meets World."
Cory Matthews – Ben Savage
"Boy Meets World" featured many wonderful characters and performances, but there's no question that the star of the show was Cory Matthews (Ben Savage). The show centered around Cory's journey from school to adult life, wrapping up just as he finished college. With its themes of showing the life of a typical kid growing up, a lot was riding on Ben Savage's performance to deliver a relatable protagonist.
Ben Savage continued to act for quite a few years after "Boy Meets World" wrapped. He took on roles in several projects, particularly on television, where he often guest-starred. He played younger versions of characters played by Mandy Patinkin in both "Criminal Minds" and "Homeland." In 2012, he also reprised his iconic role of Cory Matthews in the show's sequel series, "Girl Meets World," which ran for three seasons on the Disney Channel.
In 2022, Savage's career took a surprising turn. He stepped back from acting to pursue a career in politics. He began by running for a seat on the West Hollywood City Council. While he was not elected to any of the open seats, this did not deter him from his new path. In 2023, Ben Savage announced that he would be running as a Democrat candidate for California's 30th congressional district, hoping to replace Adam Schiff, who is currently running for the United States Senate.
George Feeny – William Daniels
One of the most important and impactful adults in Cory's life is his teacher and neighbor George Feeny, played by William Daniels. While the two often clash, there are few people whose advice Cory takes to heart more than that of Mr. Feeny. Unlike most teachers, Feeny doesn't leave Cory's life after graduating from sixth grade, as circumstances keep roping Feeny into Cory's academic life, eventually becoming his principal and even college professor. In "Girl Meets World," it is shown that Cory and Feeny are still close years later, cementing Feeny as Cory's most important mentor.
William Daniels was already an accomplished actor prior to his time on "Boy Meets World," known for his roles as Dr. Mark Craig from "St. Elsewhere" and as the voice of KITT from "Knight Rider." At the time that "Boy Meets World" ended in 2000, Daniels was also serving as the president of the Screen Actors Guild. Daniels has continued to voice KITT in various projects, such as the video game "Lego Dimensions" and the 2020 film "Superintelligence." Daniels also married his "St. Elsewhere" costar Bonnie Bartlett in 1951 and they have remained together to this day. Bartlett also appeared on "Boy Meets World," and her character eventually married George Feeny, mirroring their relationship in real life.
Angela Moore – Trina McGee
One of the best late additions to the "Boy Meets World" cast is Trina McGee as Angela Moore. Angela first appears in Season 5 and is introduced as a love interest for Shawn Hunter. Although Angela has an on-again off-again relationship with Shawn, she also becomes close with the rest of the group, particularly Topanga, who she eventually considers her best friend. The relationship between Shawn and Angela was an important one for television, considering that interracial relationships on shows like "Boy Meets World" were rare at the time, and many fans were upset that the two didn't end up together.
Trina McGee hasn't acted in a lot of projects since "Boy Meets World" ended, although she did reprise her role of Angela Moore in one episode of "Girl Meets World," along with a few other parts in both film and television. Additionally, she has worked as a writer and producer on several films. She has written and directed two films, "Confessions of Isabella" and "Detainment." In 2020, she famously spoke out against the racism and discrimination she faced on the set of "Boy Meets World," as well as her feuds with costars Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle. However, the costars have since reconciled, with Trina McGee appearing on Fishel and Friedle's podcast, "Pod Meets World." McGee is even appearing in "Classmates," a film directed by Fishel, marking her first acting role since 2016.
Amy Matthews – Betsy Randle
An important part of Cory Matthews' childhood is his relationship with his parents, Amy and Alan Matthews. Amy Matthews was portrayed by actor Betsy Randle, one of the few cast members to be credited in all 158 episodes of the series. In the series, Amy has a close relationship with all of her children, but gets easily fed up with their mischievous antics as kids and pushes them to be more responsible as adults. In Season 5, she ends up going back to school, even sharing a class with her son Eric, and eventually becomes pregnant with a fourth child unexpectedly.
Betsy Randle only has a handful of acting credits following the conclusion of "Boy Meets World." In 2004, she appeared in four episodes of "Charmed," and she later reprised her role of Amy Matthews in two episodes of "Girl Meets World." While she hasn't appeared in many projects, her most recent role is arguably one of her biggest. In 2020, she played the lead role in "Painter," an independent psychological thriller about a rich art collector who becomes obsessed with a talented but unknown young painter. She has also appeared on the "Boy Meets World" podcast, "Pod Meets World."
Alan Matthews – William Russ
Equally as important as Cory's mother is his father, Alan Matthews. In "Boy Meets World," Alan is played by actor William Russ. Alan and Cory have a complicated relationship. While the two often feud, Alan always has Cory's best interests at heart. For instance, when Cory and Topanga get married, Alan refuses to let them live with him. While Cory is angry about this at the time, he realizes his father was ultimately right, as it forced him to be responsible for himself. Throughout the series, Alan is seen becoming more and more independent, even leaving his job to open up his own store.
Since "Boy Meets World" ended, William Russ has continued to build his acting portfolio primarily with guest roles on various popular television shows, such as "Colony," "Grimm," and "Animal Kingdom." He has also appeared in several films, the most recent of which is a slasher film called "Founder's Day," which will be released on January 19, 2024. Russ was also very involved in "Girl Meets World," the spin-off series to "Boy Meets World." Although he only reprised his role of Alan Matthews in two episodes, he is credited as part of the production staff on 47 episodes of the show. He also directed the episode "Girl Meets Hurricane," the episode that saw the return of Trina McGee's Angela Moore.
Jack Hunter – Matthew Lawrence
In addition to introducing Angela Moore, Season 5 of "Boy Meets World" also brought on Matthew Lawrence as Jack Hunter, the older half-brother of Shawn Hunter. Jack eventually becomes the best friend of Eric Matthews (Will Friedle), Cory's older brother, after the two room together along with Shawn. Despite being estranged from Shawn when he reenters the scene in Season 5, Jack is still protective of him, helping Shawn to stay away from drinking due to their father's history with alcoholism. Jack is shown to be smart and business savvy, often appearing as the opposite of his best friend Eric.
By the time he joined "Boy Meets World," Matthew Lawrence was already famous for his roles in films like "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Angels in the Endzone." He also starred on the show "Brotherly Love" with his real-life brothers, Joey and Andrew. After "Boy Meets World," Lawrence continued to appear in several films and shows, but nothing as high profile as his work in the '90s and early 2000s. Lawrence has remained close with his brothers throughout his career. In 2017, they started a band called Still Three, and in 2023, the three brothers premiered a podcast called "Brotherly Love," which saw them rewatching episodes of their old show. On the podcast, Matthew Lawrence revealed that he was once sexually harassed by a prominent director, losing a big Marvel role and getting fired from his agency for walking away from the situation.
Rachel McGuire – Maitland Ward
Rachel McGuire, played by Maitland Ward, only appeared in the final two seasons of "Boy Meets World," but she ended up being one of the most important and memorable characters on the show. In Season 6, Rachel moved in with Eric Matthews and Jack Hunter as their third roommate. Unfortunately, this created tension in the household, as both Jack and Eric had feelings for Rachel, and often competed for her attention and affection. Rachel ends up becoming close friends with much of the group and ultimately joins the Peace Corps at the end of the series.
Maitland Ward retired from acting in 2007, leaving behind mainstream roles after becoming disillusioned with Hollywood. In 2013, Ward began dabbling in the porn industry after releasing nude photos on Snapchat, before eventually becoming a full-time adult entertainer in 2019 after starring in the adult film, "Drive." In 2022, Ward released her autobiography, "Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me from Hollywood." She has expressed that she feels like the adult entertainment industry has been more empowering for her than Hollywood, and less toxic and confusing. Maitland Ward was one of the few stars of "Boy Meets World" not to reprise her role on "Girl Meets World."
Jonathan Turner – Anthony Tyler Quinn
After George Feeny, Cory Matthews' most prominent teacher on "Boy Meets World" is Jonathan Turner, played by Anthony Tyler Quinn. In contrast to George Feeny, whose teaching style is very traditional and seen as stuffy by the kids, Jonathan Turner is viewed as more of a cool teacher, who employs non-traditional teaching methods that often put him at odds with Feeny. Turner quickly gains the respect of Cory and his friends, and even takes in Shawn for a time. Sadly, his time on the show ended rather abruptly after his character was in a motorcycle accident. Although Turner lived, he was never seen on "Boy Meets World" again.
Despite his abrupt departure from "Boy Meets World," Anthony Tyler Quinn reprised his role in "Girl Meets World." During the sequel series, Turner is the superintendent of the school where Cory teaches. Quinn has made a few other acting appearances since "Boy Meets World" ended, but has also done quite a bit of work in automated dialogue replacement, also known as ADR. Quinn worked on the ADR team for films such as "The Bourne Supremacy" and "You, Me, and Dupree." Quinn is also outspoken about his Christian faith, and appeared in a video talking about it for the YouTube channel Truth Inspired.
Stuart Minkus – Lee Norris
Lee Norris was only a main cast member on "Boy Meets World" during its first season, but his character Stuart Minkus was so memorable that he was brought back in a major way in "Girl Meets World," with his son serving as one of the main characters. In "Boy Meets World," Minkus is a classmate of Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter. He is portrayed as a stereotypical nerd, who is very intelligent but struggles socially. After Season 1, the character disappears from the show with little explanation, although he does reappear in the Season 5 episode "Graduation," where he expresses frustration that Cory and his friends stopped talking to him.
Apart from playing Stuart Minkus on "Boy Meets World," Lee Norris is most well known for his role as Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on "One Tree Hill." He began on the show as a recurring character before becoming a part of the main cast, and remained on the show until its finale in 2012. Norris has also taken several film roles, including several thrillers such as "Zodiac" and "Gone Girl." Norris' character Stuart Minkus played an important role in "Girl Meets World." Minkus' son, Farkle (Corey Fogelmanis), is one of the show's main characters. Although Lee Norris only appears in five episodes of the show, his character is often referenced.
Eric Matthews – Will Friedle
Cory's older brother Eric Matthews, portrayed by Will Friedle, became a fan-favorite character throughout the seven seasons of "Boy Meets World." Eric serves an important role on the show as not only the series' primary comic relief, but also as a sign of what's to come in Cory's life as he grows up. As the oldest Matthews sibling, Eric is always the first to face the challenges of growing into adulthood, and seeing the way that his brother navigates these situations helps Cory prepare to tackle those challenges as well. While he is a bit of a goofball, Eric has one of the kindest hearts of anyone on the show, and Cory learns a lot from his brother.
Will Friedle has had a very prolific and successful career both during and after his time on "Boy Meets World." The majority of Friedle's work has been voice acting, where he has portrayed several iconic characters, such as Terry McGinnis in "Batman Beyond," Ron Stoppable in "Kim Possible," and Star-Lord in various animated Marvel shows, such as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" animated series. Recently, he has also voiced Kashaw Vesh in "The Legend of Vox Machina." He has also co-hosted several podcasts, including "I Hear Voices" with his "Kim Possible" co-star Christy Carlson Romano, and "Pod Meets World," a "Boy Meets World" rewatch podcast with co-stars Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong.
Rider Strong – Shawn Hunter
"Boy Meets World" may have centered around Cory Matthews, but it was often his best friend who stole the show. Shawn Hunter, played by Rider Strong, is one of the show's standout characters. Coming from a troubled family, Shawn Hunter often struggled in school, despite his intelligence. As a result, he acted out and frequently struggled with authority figures. His journey throughout the show was a compelling one: Whether it was dealing with his father's absence and untimely death, or his time living with Mr. Turner, the challenges he faced often made him the most relatable protagonist on the show.
Like his co-star Will Friedle, Rider Strong also voiced a character on "Kim Possible" in the years following the conclusion of "Boy Meets World." For a time, Rider Strong continued to act in various film and television projects, including a recurring role on "Girl Meets World," where he reprised his iconic Shawn Hunter role. His latest acting role is from 2019 as the voice of Tom Lucitor on the animated series "Tom vs. the Forces of Evil." Strong has also worked as a producer, writer, and director. He and his brother Shiloh have co-directed several projects, including the 2008 film "Irish Twins" and 18 episodes of "Girl Meets World." He also co-hosts the "Boy Meets World" themed podcast "Pod Meets World" alongside Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle.
Topanga Lawrence – Danielle Fishel
There are many important people in the life of Cory Matthews, but arguably none more important than Danielle Fishel's Topanga Lawrence, the love of Cory's life. Of all of "Boy Meets World's" leads, Topanga has one of the biggest growth arcs. Beginning as a featured kid in Cory's class who bewildered Cory and Shawn with her hippie ways, she eventually became one of the show's core leads. As she grew older, Topanga shed her hippie origins and became a classic overachiever, concerned with success. She is often the voice of reason in Cory's life, especially once the two enter college, and is still married to him in "Girl Meets World."
Danielle Fishel may be most well known for her role as Topanga Lawrence on "Boy Meets World," but she has continued to see success since the show wrapped in 2000. From 2008 to 2011, Fishel hosted "The Dish," a pop culture parody show that aired on Style Network. The show was similar in style to "The Soup," and Fishel hosted the show for its entire run. Fishel also returned to the universe of "Boy Meets World" as a lead in "Girl Meets World." Fishel has worked as a director, recently directing the film "Classmates." Fishel also co-hosts "Pod Meets World" with Rider Strong and Will Friedle, which features the stars rewatching episodes of "Boy Meets World" and discussing what went on behind the scenes.