3rd Rock from the Sun Cast Guide (and What They're Doing Now)
25 years after its premiere, 3rd Rock from the Sun continues to be a favorite amongst sitcom fans. The show followed a team of alien invaders disguising themselves as a mild-mannered suburban family. 3rd Rock featured an impressive cast, a fun concept, and a shuttleload of jokes made at humanity's expense. It ran from 1996 to 2001, garnering an astounding number of awards and winning over millions of viewers. The concept allowed for good-natured jabs at humanity's best and worst tendencies
Below we have a complete guide to the sitcom's main cast of characters, the actors who portrayed them, and what they're up to now.
Dick Solomon (John Lithgow)
Dick Solomon is the patriarch of the Solomon family and a physics professor at the fictional Pendelton State University. A high-ranking member of an alien task force, Dick arrives on Earth with his crew, Sandy, Tommy, and Harry Solomon. Among his first remarks after landing on Earth is that he's living on, “third rate planet, has a job at a third rate university, and now we are looking at a third floor apartment.” His on-again-off-again relationship with fellow professor Mary Albright fuels one of the show's recurring plot threads.
These days, you can catch John Lithgow as former Fox CEO Roger Ailes in Bombshell, the 2019 drama that chronicled the story of three women who helped expose Ailes as sexual abuser. Up next is Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, in which Lithgow will be portraying Prosecutor Leaward. That film is scheduled for release in 2022.
Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
Tommy Solomon is the oldest alien in Dick's unit, but is forced to assume the form of a teenage boy. Tommy's function within the unit is Information Officer, naturally making him the smartest and most informed of the Solomons. He is frequently referred to as the “least attractive” Solomon, and because he constantly has to come up with ways to hide his family's antics without compromising their mission, he doesn't have the best luck with romantic interests.
Since his Tommy Solomon days, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has become one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents. He appeared in Christopher Nolan's mind-bending Inception in 2010 before landing prominent roles in The Dark Knight Rises and Looper. In 2013, he wrote and directed Don Jon, a directorial debut that earned him recognition as an emerging filmmaker.
More recently, Gordon-Levitt starred in Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, as well as in the 2020 Netflix film Project Power. Gordon-Levitt has been running his online collaborative media platform, HitRecord, since 2005.
Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnston)
Because their alien species does not have distinguishing male or female characteristics, the Solomons placed bets on who would take the form of a male or female human. Sally initially didn't enjoy being the woman, but grew into the identity as the series progressed.
Sally is an expert combat specialist/military tactician, making some of her attitude and behavior off-putting to those who expected her to confine herself to gender norms. As far as skill is concerned, Sally is undoubtedly the most experienced and most dangerous member of the Solomon family.
Kristen Johnston is perhaps best known for her performance as Sally, but her film and television credits extend far beyond the realm of sitcoms. She starred in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Ice Age, Bride Wars, and a number of other high-profile projects. Her most recent film and TV appearances were Small Town Wisconsin and Amphibia, respectively.
Johnston runs SLAM, NYC (Sobriety, Learning and Motivation), a charity dedicated to helping young women struggling with addiction and low self-esteem.
Harry Solomon (French Stewart)
Harry Solomon is the only member of the Solomon crew who really wasn't supposed to be part of their mission on Earth. He's the dumbest Solomon and usually pretty useless, but eventually he stumbles upon something he feels makes him important.
He discovers that he has a transmitter in his head, so he demands to be called “Communications Officer.” The others just shrug and agree.
In recent years, French Stewart has appeared in a number of films and television series, with the bulk of his newer work featured on the small screen. In 2019, he portrayed Rodney in More Beautiful For Having Been Broken. His latest film role is Ken DeNardo in Queen Bees. His most high-profile television role of the last few years is undoubtedly his turn as Derec Springer in the Leverage revival, Leverage: Redemption.
Mary Albright (Jane Curtin)
Mary Albright is a professor of Anthropology at Pendelton State University. As Dick Solomon's colleague and eventual love interest, she has the important narrative function of acting as a foil for Dick and his shenanigans.
Dick displays interest in Mary quickly, but the attraction doesn't become mutual until much later. Their relationship is on and off throughout most of the show's run, becoming one of the richest sources of humor in the series.
When Jane Curtin became part of the original SNL cast in 1975, she launched a career that continues to this day. In 2017, Curtin appeared in an episode of Comedy Central's acclaimed sitcom Broad City, before showing up as Judge Pamela Farley in a 2019 episode of The Good Fight. Her most recent TV role was Sandy Ryan in ABC's 2020 sitcom United We Fall. On the film side of things, she starred as Janet in Queen Bees.
Nina Campbell (Simbi Khali)
Nina Campbell is introduced as a recurring cast member before getting bumped up to the main cast starting in the third season. She is Mary Albright's assistant and a student at Pendelton State University, often butting heads with Mary and Dick but eventually becoming friendlier toward both of them.
After portraying Nina Campbell in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Simbi Khali appeared in a 2002 episode of That '80s Show and a 2004 episode of The Bernie Mac Show, as well as in an episode of Weeds in 2012 and Better Things in 2017. Khali's film roles include Plump Fiction, We Were Soldiers, Mississippi Damned, and others.
Mamie Dubcek (Elmarie Wendel)
Mamie Dubcek is the Solomon's landlady and occasional mentor. She rents her attic apartment out to the Solomons, off-handedly noting that the rug decorating the living room has “seen more butts than Santa's lap.”
She has many sexual partners throughout the series, but often hints at previous marriages. She has an unnamed son and a granddaughter, but it's her daughter Vicki whom viewers get to know a bit better.
Sadly, Elmarie Wendel passed away in July 2018. However, her screen credits stretch back to 1961, when she portrayed Daphne in the comedy short A Bowl of Cherries. Her last film role was Aunt Grizelda in the 2012 computer animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Wendel also did voice work for the video games Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, the latter of which was released posthumously.
Officer Don Orville (Wayne Knight)
Like Nina Campbell and Mamie Dubcek, Don Orville comes into the series as a recurring character and comes away a main cast member. Don is introduced near the end of season one, in the episode “Assault with a Deadly Dick.” He is not good at his job, and his incompetence often puts the Solomons in sticky situations. He dates Sally Solomon on and off, often doing whatever she says.
Sitcom fans will know Wayne Knight from the smash-hit series Seinfeld, in which he portrayed Jerry's pesky neighbor Newman. He also portrayed Dennis Nedry in Jurrasic Park, Zack Mallozzi in Rat Race, and Stan Podolak in Space Jam. In addition to his acting career, Knight worked as a private investigator for five years.
The Big Giant Head (William Shatner)
The Big Giant Head (portrayed in human form by William Shatner) is the aliens' boss, the head honcho in charge of their mission and the king of the galaxy. He and Mamie Dubcek's daughter Vicki have a son together and eventually elope to the Solomons' home planet. He quickly proves to be a constant headache for the Solomons and displays little remorse for his destructive actions.
Shatner's film and television credits are almost too many to count. He famously portrayed Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, as well as in the popular shows Boston Legal and The Twilight Zone. Coming up for Shatner is The Elevator, in which he will play a character known only as “Ben.”
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