Cast of popular animation Finding Nemo now from tragic death to ditching acting

Edinburgh Live

13-05-2025

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Disney's Pixar studios hit a milestone with the multi-award-winning Finding Nemo, which became a cherished part of many childhoods thanks to its groundbreaking animation.
The film follows Marlin's quest to find his missing son, taking him on an adventure through and beyond the ocean, meeting a host of characters voiced by a star-studded cast.
But what has happened to the cast of Finding Nemo more than 20 years after its 2003 release?
Albert Brooks - Marlin
Taking the role as the lead character, Marlin, Brooks voices the clownfish in his desperate search for his son. Outside of Finding Nemo, Brooks is no stranger to voice acting, he's picked up credits on Dr.Dolittle, The Secret Life of Pets and various roles on The Simpsons over the years.
He came back in 2016 to reprise his role in Finding Dory, but outside animation, he appeared in some big-budget films. He's picked up credits in Taxi Driver, Drive and Concussion, but now, aged 77, has dialled his appearances back slightly.
(Image: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
A huge name in the industry for his work as a comedian and a filmmaker, in 2023, a documentary, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, was released with interviews with Larry David, Ben Stiller and Conan O'Brien all sharing stories about working with Brooks.
Ellen DeGeneres - Dory
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Bringing her a memorable performance to the forgetful Dory, DeGeneres picked up a few other acting credits during her career but became much more famous from her wildly popular talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which aired across 19 seasons with 3294 episodes.
The show wrapped up in 2022, but after being "cancelled" for allegations that she created a toxic workplace on her show and the star moved to the Cotswolds for a quieter life alongside her wife, Portia De Rossi. The pair are thought to live in the same village as Jeremy Clarkson and are known to drop into his pub in the quiet Oxfordshire village.
Alexander Gould - Nemo
(Image: Sipa/REX/Shutterstock)
Just nine when he voiced the film's title character Nemo, but now, more than 20 years later, he has taken a step back from acting. After the Pixar classic, the former child star picked up a role in the comedy TV series Weeds, but when that came off the air in 2012, Gould was now 18 when he chose to attend college over continuing to pursue acting.
In Finding Dory, he picked up a cameo as delivery truck driver, Carl, but was recast as the lead role. Speaking on Good Morning America, Gould said: "People ask me to do the voice and then I have to explain that I was, you know, 9 years old and my voice has changed a little bit since then."
Willem Dafoe - Gill
(Image: Getty Images for BAFTA)
Dafoe played the wise, old and crafty fish Gill, stuck in a dentist's fish tank, and Nemo finds himself stranded in it. Since his smaller role in the film, Dafoe has gone on to become one of the most recognisable actors of the past few decades.
He has earned four Oscar nominations for his roles in Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, The Florida Project and At Eternity's Gate, but also gained fame for his parts as the Green Goblin in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films.
Geoffrey Rush - Nigel
Playing the lovable and extremely Australian pelican, Nigel, the Oscar-winner went under the radar and marked a much more casual role for the award-winning actor.
He may be best known for his roles as Shakespeare in Love, Quills, The King's Speech and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Joe Ranft - Jacques
The writer and voice actors played the lovable and eccentric French shrimp who is obsessed with the fish tank's hygiene. Known more for his writing talents, Ranft played a big part in the creation of Toy Story, for which he also earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
He also helped write the story for A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2 and Cars. The writer was killed in a car accident in 2005, with the Pixar film he was working on becoming dedicated to his memory.
Andrew Stanton - Crush
Stanton was the director and co-writer of the original film, but also picked up a voice-acting role as the surfer-dude sea turtle crush. In his 20 years since the film he directed, Wall-E, Finding Dory, as well as a host of TV episodes. He remains at the studio where he is now the Creative Vice President.