Here’s a guide to the cast and characters of Revenge Of The Nerds. Directed by Jeff Kanew, Revenge Of The Nerds was released in 1984. Set at the fictional Adams College, the movie’s plot follows a group of nerds and their harassment at the hands of a fraternity of football jocks called the Alpha Betas. As Revenge Of The Nerds’ title suggests, the nerds eventually exact their vengeance on Alpha Beta via joining a fraternity themselves – the (previously) all-black Lambda Lambda Lambda.
Some comedies are timeless while others age pretty badly and Revenge Of The Nerds, unfortunately, falls into the latter category. Although it’s presented as underdogs triumphing over their oppressors, in retrospect, Revenge Of The Nerds has come under scrutiny for its embarrassingly stereotypical treatment of non-white, gay and female characters. Nevertheless, the film spawned three sequels and a remake starring Adam Brody (Shazam!) was in the works during the mid-2000s until it was thankfully scrapped after the first couple of weeks of filming proved disappointing.
However dated the movie is by today’s standards, it does boast the honor of kickstarting the careers of several well-known actors. Let’s take a look at some of the main characters in the Revenge Of The Nerds cast and the actors who played them.
Robert Carradine – Lewis Skolnick
Head nerd Lewis Skolnick is played by Robert Carradine who went on to reprise his role in the three Revenge Of The Nerds sequels and would later play Hilary Duff’s dad in Lizzie McGuire. In Revenge Of The Nerds, Lewis is infatuated by popular sorority sister and jock Stan’s girlfriend Betty Childs (Julia Montgomery) which leads to the movie’s infamous rape-by-deception scene.
Anthony Edwards – Gilbert Lowe
Anthony Edwards is best known for his role as Dr. Mark Greene on ER but a decade before he played geeky freshman Gilbert Lowe in Revenge Of The Nerds. In contrast to his upbeat best pal Lewis, Gilbert is a bit of a pessimist but does find love with fellow nerd Judy (Michelle Meyrink).
Curtis Armstrong – Dudley “Booger” Dawson
Every teen comedy needs a stoner and in Revenge Of The Nerds that trope is filled by Dudley “Booger” Dawson – Lewis and Gilbert’s fraternity brother and supplier of grade-A weed. He’s played by Curtis Armstrong who currently voices Snot Lonstein in American Dad!.
Ted McGinley – Stan Gable
Otherwise known as the voice of Denny Clay in Cartoon Network animated series Robots: Transformers In Disguise, Ted McGinley played Stan Gable in Revenge Of The Nerds – a star quarterback, Alpha Beta brother, and the nerds’ nemesis.
John Goodman – Coach Harris
John Goodman’s Revenge Of The Nerds role was one of his earliest. He played Coach Harris, the coach of the Adams College football team who hates nerds almost as much as the Alpha Beta fraternity.
Next: Dirty Dancing: Cast & Character Guide
