The Cast of ‘21 Jump Street’: Where Are They Now?
Crime dramas as a whole have frequently had a lot in common, including a generally serious tone, central locations where crimes take place in each episode and cops and perps played as adults. One of the first shows to break away from all of that was the 1987 series 21 Jump Street, which followed four younger-looking cops who went undercover in high school where they posed as students to fight crime on that level.
Starring Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp, 21 Jump Street put a pretty unique twist on the classic crime drama. Check in with the cast of the series and see where the stars of 21 Jump Street have been since the show came to an end in 1991.
Johnny Depp
Vinnie Zuffante / Stringer // Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Staff
Character Played: Officer Tom Hanson
Born: June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky
Best Known For: Edward Scissorhands (1990), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise (2003-2017) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
Thoughts on 21 Jump Street: “People weren’t banging my door down with scripts,” he explained, “and the pilot was very good, had a lot of strong possibilities. Plus, the average life of a TV series is not a long one, you know? So, I decided to do it.”
Dustin Nguyen
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Character Played: Officer Harry Truman loki
Born: September 17, in Saigon, South Vietnam
Best Known For: The TV series V.I.P (1999-2002) and Warrior (2019-2023). Also the movies Little Fish (2005), Blade of the 47 Ronin (2022) and The Accidental Getaway Driver (2023).
Thoughts on 21 Jump Street: “I was relatively young and green in the business, and it was one of my very, very first big jobs…” he explained. “You’re just happy to have a job and you happen to have a great cast that are good people, but we never thought beyond the 13 episodes that were committed. Next thing you know, the show is a hit.”
Peter DeLuise
Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer // Phillip Chin / Contributor
Character Played: Officer Doug Penhall
Born: November 6, 1966, in New York City
Best Known For: The TV series SeaQuest 2032 (1994-1996) and Stargate SG-1 (2002-2006), as well as movies Southern Heart (1999) and All Summer Long (2019).
Thoughts on 21 Jump Street: “It’s not really about being a cop. It’s about people and relationships and high school and about growing up. That’s why it’s a successful show… So, getting into the role was more like examining relationships between people, which you do every day anyway.”
Holly Robinson Peete
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Character Played: Officer Judy Hoffs
Born: September 18, 1964, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Best Known For: The TV series Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper (1992-1997) and For Your Love (1998-2002). Also known for the movies 21 Jump Street (2012) and Our Christmas Journey (2021)
Thoughts on 21 Jump Street: “I loved 21 Jump Street, and I cannot believe it was 30 years ago. I was just in my 20s and so new, so green. The blessing of 21 Jump Street for me was being able to have such an awesome part.”
Steven Williams
MediaPunch / Contributor // Barry King / Contributor
Character Played: Captain Adam Fuller
Born: January 7, 1949, in Memphis, Tennessee
Best Known For: TV series like L.A. Heat (1997-1999) and Linc’s (1998-2000). Also known for movies including The Blues Brothers (1980) and Jason Goes to Hell (1993)
Thoughts on 21 Jump Street: “It was such a socially conscious show. We won quite a few awards for it… A lot of these storylines were taken straight from the headlines, straight from news, and it imparted a lot of information to a lot of young people… I think it had merit.”
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