Through the early and mid 1990s, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” became one of the most successful children’s television shows. Mixing emotional storytelling with intense action sequences, the show followed a group of teenagers who are transformed into powerful fighters as they battle against the evil Rita Repulsa at the behest of their mentor Zordon.
Lasting three seasons, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” spawned a franchise that has included multiple spin-offs, movies, video games, and comics. More than 30 years after the series first launched, it continues to be a constant presence on television screens.
Here,.we take a look at the original cast of the series and what they look like now three decades later.
Austin St. John – Jason Lee Scott (Red Ranger)
Austin St. John portrayed the Red Ranger in the original series. Also known as Jason Lee Scott, the character acts as the leader of the team and pilots the iconic Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. After departing “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” after the first two seasons, he subsequently reprised the role in several films and shows, including “Power Rangers Zeo,” “Power Rangers Wild Force,” and “Power Rangers Beast Morphers.”
GettyOutside of the “Power Rangers” franchise, John had a minor role in the 2019 film “A Walk with Grace” and starred in John Schneider’s 2022 film “Tres Leches.” He is also an accomplished martial artist across multiple disciplines alongside launching his own clothing brand.
Thuy Trang – Trini Kwan (Yellow Ranger)
Thuy Trang was responsible for playing Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger, throughout most of the first two seasons of the series. She also voiced the character in a 1994 video game adaptation. She later went on to star in a number of films, including “Spy Hard” and “The Crow: City of Angels.”
Trang’s career was cut tragically short when she was involved in a car crash alongside Angela Rockwood and Steffiana de la Cruz. While the two other occupants of the vehicle were severely injured, Trang’s injuries were so severe that she passed away while being transported by helicopter to a hospital.
Walter Emanuel Jones – Zack Taylor (Black Ranger)
Walter Emanuel Jones rose to fame for his portrayal of Zack Taylor in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” As the original Black Ranger, he piloted the Mastodon Dinozord and fought in battle with the Power Axe. Unlike some of his co-stars, Jones has largely avoided the franchise since departing midway through the second season, at least in the role of the Black Ranger. He has voiced various enemies and monsters in adaptations over the years before reprising his initial part in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always” in 2023.
GettyAmong the most successful of the “Power Rangers” alumni, Jones has starred in everything from television series such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The Shield” to movies like “House Party” and “War Dawgz.” He has also worked extensively as a voice actor and recently released music under the name Tre Emanuel.
David Yost – Billy Cranston (Blue Ranger)
The Blue Ranger Billy Cranston was played by David Yost through four seasons of the series. He was present for the entirety of “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and the immediate successor, portraying the character across just short of 200 episodes.
Yost hasn’t had a major career as an actor outside of the franchise, with his casting credits including the likes of “Ladykiller” and “Degenerate.” He’s also worked behind the camera as a producer on shows such as “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” However, he did once again jump back into his Power Rangers identity for the 2023 Netflix special “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always.”
Jason David Frank – Tommy Oliver (Green and White Ranger)
Jason David Frank spent the early part of his acting career bringing to life the character of Tommy Oliver in various “Power Rangers” adaptations. Originally intended to be a guest character, Oliver proved so popular with fans that he was brought back as the White Ranger and made the leader of the Power Rangers. He has subsequently appeared in many different shows and movies based on the property, with Oliver taking on the persona of many different colours.
GettyFrank continued to act outside of the popular franchise and was a prolific voice actor, providing his vocal talents and o characters such as the Emissary in “Transformers: Titans Return.” He also continued his passion for martial arts, opening schools and taking part in demonstrations. He sadly passed away in 2022 at the age of 49, with his esth ruled as a suicide.
Amy Jo Johnson – Kimberly Hart (Pink Ranger)
GettyAmy Jo Johnson made her acting breakthrough portraying Kimberly Hart as the Pink Ranger. She played the character in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” along with appearances in films and spin-offs. In total, she was involved in more than 130 episodes and even made a cameo in the 2017 movie “Power Rangers” as a new character.
GettyAfter her stint as the Pink Ranger, Johnson went on to star as Julie Emrick in Felicity and subsequently was part of the cast of “Flashpoint,” where she played Jules Callaghan. More recently, she has turned to both writing and directing, creating the film “The Space Between” and taking charge of an episode of “Superman & Lois.”
Richard Steven Horvitz – Alpha 5
Richard Steven Horvitz provided the voice of the artificial intelligence assistant Alpha 5 in the original series alongside several other television shows and movies based on the property. He’s also voiced several other Alpha robots over the years and a variety of monsters in the “Power Rangers” series.
His voice work in the show made him an on-demand voice actor and he has voiced characters in shows such as “Ben 10,” “Skylanders,” “The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy,” and “Invader Zim.” He returned to the franchise in 2023 for the Netflix film “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always,” where he voiced two different Alpha characters.
David J. Fielding – Zordon
Outside of the original Power Rangers and Alpha 5, Zordon was the most frequent recurring character. The mentor and guide to the young team of fighters, Zordon appears most often as a ghostly head floating inside a time warp where he was trapped thousands of years ago. He appeared in multiple adaptations of the series alongside the video game “Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid.”
He has since provided the voice to characters across several video games and television series. These include “Zeus: Master of Olympus,” “GHR: The Great Airspace Chase,” and “Super Task Force One.” More recently, he reprised his role as Zordon in “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Re-Ignition.”
