What actor who played Elliot from E.T. looks like now more than 45 years later

The little lad who helped everyone’s favourite extraterrestrial get home in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film looks a lot different these days.

Although Henry Thomas is best remembered as the sensitive young soul who is fiercely protective of his alien friend in E.T, it’s been more than four decades since he shot the iconic film.

He’s since had three kids of his own and has offered his acting talents to a number of other notable productions – so, let’s catch up on where he is now.

The child star was just nine-years-old when he made a room full of grown adults tear up while auditioning for the role of Elliott Taylor in E.T.

Reflecting on Thomas’ audition upon the film’s release, Spielberg told Premiere: “The improvisation was so heartfelt and honest that I gave him the part right there.

“I was blown away by this nine-year-old. Then I came to realise he’s an adult actor, not a nine-year-old. He’s a very controlled, methodical performer who measures what he does and feels what he does and yet broadcasts it in a totally subtle way.

Thomas, pictured in 2024, starred as Elliott Taylor in the 1982 film (Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty Images)

“His performance is so controlled, unlike most kid performers, who seem to be giving you 150 percent on every shot.

“Henry’s performance is just a bread crumb at a time, but he takes you in a wonderful direction to a very, very rousing catharsis. He’s just a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ kid.”

Thomas became renowned after bagging the role of Drew Barrymore’s older brother and E.T.’s saviour, and went on to appear in a string of other films such as Misunderstood, Cloak & Dagger and Legends of the Fall.

The actor recently reflected on his rise to fame as a child during an appearance on the It Happened in Hollywood podcast, and admitted that in hindsight, he didn’t handle it ‘very well’.

“I wasn’t ready for it and never saw it coming,” the 54-year-old explained. “The first time someone recognised me, it felt bizarre. And then there was this pressure to follow it up.

“I stayed in Texas for a long time, which in hindsight probably helped. I didn’t approach my career in a strategic way.

“It was always about the experience or the people. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn’t.”

The actor said he thinks E.T. had incredible success because the story was ‘very simple and human’ (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Thomas has since gone on to star in the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, as well as its follow-up The Haunting of Bly Manor.

He has also appeared in series such as Stargirl, Midnight Mass, Just Beyond, The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher, as well as flicks including Dear John, Crawlspace, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines and The Curse of the Necklace in recent years.

The father-of-three, who previously revealed the shocking amount of money he made from his legendary role in E.T, said of his career in front of the camera: “I just kept going.

“There were periods where things were great and periods where it felt like you couldn’t get arrested. You realise eventually it’s all cyclical. You don’t get a rule book. You just keep showing up.”

The actor, who has previously received two Golden Globe nominations, also opened up about what he thinks of his legacy being wrapped up in Spielberg’s legendary film E.T.

“It’s strange because it’s so far behind me now, but it’s also something people never stopped loving,” he said.

“It stayed in theatres for over a year around the world. That kind of connection is rare. I think it’s because at its core, it’s about something very simple and human. And that’s what people respond to.”