Bette Midler
Bette Midler played Winifred Sanderson, the eldest and most powerful of the three witch sisters. Also in 1993, she starred in a TV version of the stage musical Gypsy, which brought her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe. In 1995, she founded the New York Restoration Project, a nonprofit that restores neglected neighborhood parks in New York City. She starred in The First Wives Club in 1996. From 2008 to 2010, her show The Showgirl Must Go On ran at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In 2017, she played the title role in Broadway's Hello, Dolly! and won a Tony Award. She returned as Winifred in Hocus Pocus 2 in 2022. In May 2026, she was reported to be set to play her again in a third film.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker played Sarah Sanderson, the youngest sister, who lures children with her singing. Five years later she became Carrie Bradshaw. HBO's Sex and the City ran from 1998 to 2004 and made her a global star. The role won her two Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. She played Carrie again in two films and in the revival And Just Like That…, which premiered in December 2021. In 2022, she returned as Sarah Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2. In 2025, she was a judge for the Booker Prize and an executive producer of the documentary The Librarians. In May 2026, she was reported to be returning for Hocus Pocus 3.
Kathy Najimy
Kathy Najimy played Mary Sanderson, the middle sister, who can smell out children. Audiences already knew her as Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act (1992), a role she played again in the 1993 sequel. From 1997 to 2010, she voiced Peggy Hill on Fox's animated series King of the Hill. From 1997 to 2000, she was also in the cast of Veronica's Closet. In 2021, she appeared in Music, a film directed by Sia. In 2022, she put on Mary's cape again for Hocus Pocus 2. In 2025, she went back to voicing Peggy Hill when King of the Hill returned. In May 2026, she was reported to be set to play Mary once more in a third film.
Thora Birch
Thora Birch, born in 1982, played Dani Dennison, the younger sister of the teenager who accidentally brings the witches back. Six years later, she played Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999) and earned a BAFTA nomination. Ghost World (2001) brought her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a comedy or musical. From 2019 to 2020, she played Mary, known as Gamma, on The Walking Dead. In 2022, she made her directing debut with the Lifetime film The Gabby Petito Story and also acted in it. In 2025, she appeared in The Chronology of Water, Kristen Stewart's first film as a director, and in an episode of Mayfair Witches.
Doug Jones
Doug Jones played Billy Butcherson, Winifred's former fiancé, brought back as a zombie. The role pointed to the career ahead of him, much of it spent playing non-human creatures under heavy makeup. He played Abe Sapien in Hellboy (2004) and in its 2008 sequel. In Pan's Labyrinth (2006), he played both the Faun and the Pale Man. In The Shape of Water (2017), he had a romantic lead as the Amphibian Man. His longest-running TV role was Saru on Star Trek: Discovery, which ran from 2017 to 2024. In 2022, he returned as Billy in Hocus Pocus 2. He later played Count Orlok in Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.
Vinessa Shaw
Vinessa Shaw played Allison Watts, Max's classmate and love interest, in a town overrun by witches on Halloween night. A few years later, while she was in college, Stanley Kubrick approached her for a role in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). She had a supporting role in 3:10 to Yuma (2007), alongside Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. She then played the lead in Two Lovers (2008), opposite Joaquin Phoenix. In 2014, she had a 10-episode arc on Showtime's Ray Donovan. She appeared in seven episodes of the Apple TV+ series Swagger in 2023. In 2024, she guest-starred on Yellowstone. In 2025, she played Audrey in The Wilderness.
Photos: Rob Bogaerts for Anefo / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons; Library of Congress Life / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
1981: Photo: Rob Bogaerts for Anefo / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons; 2021: Photo: Library of Congress Life / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
1999: Photo: Alan Light / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; 2022: Photo: Library of Congress Life / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
2011: Photo: MingleMediaTVNetwork / CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; 2023: Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
2016: Photo: Donmike10 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons; 2024: Photo: DM10-Redux / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
2007: Photo: Raven Underwood / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; 2024: Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
2013: Photo: Mikros Images / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; 2024: Photo: John Manard for Galaxy Con / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hocus_Pocus_(1993_film)
- https://ktla.com/entertainment/hocus-pocus-3-now-in-production/amp/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Midler
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jessica_Parker
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathy_Najimy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thora_Birch
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Jones_(actor)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinessa_Shaw
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bette_Midler_geeft_een_persconferentie_in_het_city-theater_in_Amsterdam_vanwege_,_Bestanddeelnr_931-2812_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bette_Midler_2021_Kennedy_Center_Honors_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarah_Jessica_Parker_1999.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarah_Jessica_Parker_2022.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kathy_Najimy_2011.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kathy_Najimy_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thora_Birch_-_Above_Suspicion_-_Production_Set_from_Set_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thora_Birch_Attending_Los_Angeles_Mission%27s_2024_Thanksgiving_Event_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doug_Jones_2007.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doug_Jones_by_Gage_Skidmore_4.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vinessa_Shaw_2013.png
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vinessa_Shaw_(54215374325).jpg
