By Megan Riedlinger
5:25am PDT, Jul 12, 2021
July 12, 2021, marks 30 years since "Boyz n the Hood" hit theaters! In honor of the John Singleton film's anniversary, Wonderwall.com is checking up on its stars to find out what they're up to now. Keep reading for more…
RELATED: Child stars: Where are they now?
"Boyz n the Hood" was Cuba Gooding Jr.'s first major role. He followed that up with supporting parts in "A Few Good Men" and "Outbreak" before he landing his most memorable role to date in the 1996 film "Jerry Maguire." His performance as a money-loving NFL player earned him an Academy Award for best supporting actor. Cuba has since appeared in films like "As Good as It Gets" in 1997, "Pearl Harbor" in 2001 and "Snow Dogs" in 2002. He also made his mark on television, playing O.J. Simpson on FX's "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" in 2016 — earning an Emmy nomination for his efforts — and starring on "American Horror Story: Roanoke" that same year. More recently, he appeared in the 2020 film "Life in a Year." He has three children with former wife Sara Kapfer, to whom he was married from 1994 until 2017. Cuba has made headlines in recent years due to his legal troubles: At least 30 women have accused him of inappropriate touching or sexual misconduct, with one accused him of rape. He was criminally charged on multiple misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse and forcible touching — all claims his attorneys have denied.
RELATED: Oscar one-hit wonders: Where are they now?
Angela Bassett played Reva Styles, Tre's mom who sends him to live with his father after he gets into trouble in school.
Angela Bassett is one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood. The star followed up "Boyz n the Hood" with a string of films including "What's Love Got to Do with It," which earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for best actress. She's also dominated the small screen, appearing on hits like "ER" from 2008 to 2009 and a fleet of "American Horror Story" franchises beginning with "American Horror Story: Coven" in 2013 and most recently appearing on 2018's "American Horror Story: Apocalypse." She currently stars as Sergeant Athena Grant on the hit FOX series "9-1-1," which debuted in 2018. Off screen, she's been married to fellow actor Courtney B. Vance since 1997. They share twins, son Slater and daughter Bronwyn.
Laurence Fishburne played Jason "Furious" Styles Jr., Tre's dad who tries to teach him the importance of hard work.
Laurence Fishburne has enjoyed an impressive and critically acclaimed career following "Boyz n the Hood." He won a Tony Award in 1992 for his work in "Two Trains Running" and an Emmy for his performance on "Tribeca." (He won two more Emmys years later — one for executive producing the lauded made-for-TV movie "Miss Evers' Boys" in 1997 and one for his acting on Quibi's "#FreeRayshawn" in 2020.) The actor also picked up a best actor Oscar nod in 1994 for his stellar performance as Ike Turner in "What's Love Got to Do with It." Laurence then rounded out the decade with a part in "The Matrix" and later appeared in the films' next two sequels. He also appeared in a few superhero flicks too, playing Perry White in 2013's "Man of Steel" and 2016's "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." He reunited with "Matrix" co-star Keanu Reeves for 2017's "John Wick: Chapter 2" and again for 2019's "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum." Next up, he'll appear in 2022's "John Wick: Chapter 4" and "The School for Good and Evil." Laurence has been married twice. He shares son Langston and daughter Montana with first wife Hajna O. Moss and daughter Delilah with actress Gina Torres, to whom he was married from 2002 to 2017.
Tre's girlfriend Brandi was played by Nia Long.
Nia Long went on to star in other big '90s films like "Love Jones" and "Soul Food" in 1997 and "The Best Man" in 1999 (alongside "Boyz n the Hood" co-star Morris Chestnut!). She also appeared in the "Big Momma's House" franchise in the '00s. She also made a name for herself on television: She played Beulah "Lisa" Wilkes on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," acted on "Third Watch" from 2003 to 2005, voiced Roberta Tubbs on "The Cleveland Show" from 2009 to 2010 and, more recently, appeared on "NCIS: Los Angeles" from 2017 to 2018. She also lent her voice to the popular Nickelodeon series "Blaze and the Monster Machines" in 2019 and 2020. The actress has two sons, one from a previous relationship and one with fiancé Ime Udoka, to whom she's been engaged since 2015.
Ice Cube (real name: O'Shea Jackson) played Darrin "Doughboy" Baker, one of Tre's friends who ends up joining the Crips and getting into trouble.
"Boyz n the Hood" was Ice Cube's first film, and it launched a lengthy acting career for the star, who'd previously made a name for himself as a rapper. He notably also starred in films like 1995's "Friday" and its 2002 sequel, 1997's "Anaconda," 1999's "Three Kings" and 2005's "Beauty Shop." He's also worked behind the scenes, serving as an executive producer on films including his 2015 biopic, "Straight Outta Compton," in which son O'Shea Jackson Jr. played him. Cube has also continued his music career, with his latest album, "Everythang's Corrupt," coming out in 2018. He's been married to Kimberly Woodruff since 1992; they share four kids.
Ricky Baker, one of Tre's friends who's killed by a rival gang, was played by Morris Chestnut.
"Boyz n the Hood" was Morris Chestnut's first feature film. He followed it up with movies including "G.I. Jane" in 1997, "The Best Man" in 1999, "The Game Plan" in 2007 and "Heist" in 2015. He also appeared in lots of television movies and TV shows like "Nurse Jackie" from 2013 until 2014, "Rosewood" from 2015 until 2017, and, more recently, the FOX medical drama "The Resident" beginning in 2019. He's been married to Pam Byse-Chestnut since 1995; they share son Grant and daughter Paige.
The character of Brenda Baker — Ricky and Doughboy's mom — was played by Tyra Ferrell.
Tyra Ferrell had a supporting role in another big 1991 film, "Jungle Fever." She went on to star in "White Men Can't Jump" in 1992 and appeared in films like "Poetic Justice" in 1993 and "The Perfect Score" in 2004. On the television side, Nia has enjoyed roles on shows like "ER" and "The Shield" and, more recently, did a stint on "Empire" in 2015 and an episode of "Chicago PD" in 2018. Not much is known about the star's personal life.
