Flight Of The Navigator kids: Then and now

The 1986 Disney action fantasy movie is a cult favourite of everyone who grew up in the era. Telling the story of a boy who meets a sentient alien spaceship and is catapulted eight years into the future, the young cast was a mix of newbies and established names.

But what are they up to?

Joey Cramer – David Freeman

Born Deleriyes Joe Cramer, the young actor must have thought he was on the road to stardom when he scooped the lead aged 12, following roles as Tom Selleck’s son in 1984’s ‘Runaway’ and opposite Daryl Hannah in 1986 caveman drama ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’.

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Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go according to plan. First the parts dried up – there were a couple of ‘Murder She Wrote’ episodes and a 1987 TV movie, but that’s pretty much it.

He dropped off the radar – despite many attempts by fans to find him – until cropping up in 2009, when he was discovered working at a sports shop in Sechelt, British Columbia.

Enjoying Canada, working in a store? Not a bad way to live…well, that’s not where the story ends.

In the comments under the original post when he was found, one seemingly local reader made mention of alleged drug use, and various other online commenters mention being his dealer, or knowing and dating him when he was using meth.

Search local court reports and you find 20 legal incidents he was apparently involved in, including issuing death threats, breach of probation, possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose and using forged documents.

And in August 2011, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a press release asking for assistance in capturing Cramer, who was alleged to have committed “several cheque and fraud related crimes”.

He appeared in court in June 2012 and there was talk of a sighting in Ottawa in September 2014, but apart from that, he’s vanished once again. One can only hope he has conquered his demons.

Sarah Jessica Parker – Carolyn McAdams

The now-51-year-old actress was 19 when she played a young intern in ‘Navigator’ and was already a veteran of Broadway where she played Annie, as well as TV sitcom ‘Square Pegs’ and ‘Footloose’.

Since then of course, she has become a Hollywood powerhouse, married to Matthew Broderick and the producer/star of ‘Sex And The City’. She will return to TV in an HBO comedy written by Sharon Horgan about a woman going through a painful divorce.

Matt Adler – Jeff Freeman (aged 16)

Once David is sent into the future, he finds himself face-to-face with his formerly younger brother, who’s now a spotty teenager.

Adler is probably best known on-screen as the nerdy third wheel opposite Michael J. Fox in the original ‘Teen Wolf’ and has since appeared as a bit part actor in movies and TV, as well as often lending his voice to projects in post-production on the automated dialogue replacement (ADR) team.

Off-screen, he is married to Laura San Giacomo (aka Julia Roberts’ best friend in ‘Pretty Woman’) and also used to share a house with a certain young actor called George Clooney. Adler is still one of his closest friends.

Albie Whitaker – Jeff Freeman (aged 8)

‘Flight of the Navigator’ was Whitaker’s only acting credit, playing Jeff in the original timeline.

Instead, he left Hollywood and headed into the world of business. Based in Atlanta, he attended Emory University before working in finance, first as a private wealth associate at Merrill Lynch and currently as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley, where he’s been working since 2013.

According to his Linkedin profile, he has “has particular expertise in working with entrepreneurs, professionals and multi-generational families.”

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Photos: PA/Disney/Moviestore/Rex_Shutterstock/Everett