Stand By Me cast 40 years later: from Hollywood superstars to tragic deaths

Stand By Me was Wil's fourth film, after the young actor had appeared in Hambone and Hillie, The Buddy System and The Last Starfighter. He would subsequently appear in films like The Curse, Flubber and Neverland.

However, his most famous role came in Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he played Wesley Crusher. Wil has appeared as the character in Star Trek: Nemesis, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy. The star also played a fictionalised version of himself in several episodes of The Big Bang Theory.

Speaking to Buzzfeed about the movie to mark its 40th anniversary, Wil revealed how similar he was to his character, Gordie, saying: "I've been Gordie my whole life, and I didn't even realize that until I was in my 40s.

"I grew up in a house where my dad really hated me. I still don't know why, but for as long as I can remember, I've had only two memories of my dad being kind and loving toward me, and that's it."

River comes from the Phoenix acting dynasty, which also contains his younger siblings Rain, Joaquin, Liberty and Summer. In the classic film he played Chris Chambers, and the role was only his second film after he had appeared in Explorers. River also had roles in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Little Nikita and The Thing Called Love.

However, during his life, the actor struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and on 30 October 1993 he went out partying with his girlfriend, Samantha Mathis, and siblings Rain and Joaquin. In the lead-up to the night out, the star had reportedly been taking cocaine and heroin and hadn't slept for several days.

After feeling unwell in the club, Phoenix began to leave the club before collapsing on the pavement, where he started to convulse. CPR was carried out when paramedics arrived, but the star, who was just 23 at the time, didn't recover, and he passed away the following day.

Corey was already becoming an established child star when he played Teddy Duchamp in the film, having already appeared in Time After Time, Gremlins and the Friday the 13th franchise. The star also racked up several other credits in the 80s, including in The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream.

Away from acting, the 55-year-old is also known for his music career, with the star citing Michael Jackson as his main inspiration. However, his music hasn't earned the love of critics, and his 2016 album was once described as one of the worst of the year.

Rounding out the film's protagonists is Jerry O'Connell, who played Vern Tessio in the hit, marking his professional debut. Jerry has since starred in the likes of Joe's Apartment, Jerry Maguire and Scream 2, while also having a substantial TV career with Crossing Jordan and The Defenders.

In 2007, he married X-Men actress Rebecca Romijn, with the pair welcoming their twin girls a year later.

Despite enjoying his time on the film, Jerry has since revealed his sadness when revisiting the film due to the death of his co-star, River. "There's a tragedy to the movie now," he told The Independent earlier this year. "I can't look at a poster of it without feeling abject sadness. I've still not recovered from River’s death.

"I was significantly younger than him – I was 11, he was 15 – and genuinely every older kid I knew back then was a bit of a bully, or someone who wanted absolutely nothing to do with younger kids.

"River was the exact opposite. He told me where to stand on a set, how to act on a set, he told me about lighting. He was our leader, and so kind. He really shaped how I treat people at work, and when he passed away… There's a hole in my life that will never be filled."

Kiefer was making his fourth feature film appearance when he played bully John 'Ace' Merrill in the film, after appearing in Max Dugan Returns, The Bay Boy and At Close Range. The star has had a stellar career since the film's release, with major hits like The Lost Boys, A Few Good Men, The Three Musketeers, and his starring role as Jack Bauer in 24.

Kiefer comes from an acting dynasty, with his parents, Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, both being actors, as are his half-brothers, Angus and Rossif. The star's daughter, Sarah, whom he shares with his first wife, Camelia Kath, is also an actress.

However, in 2014, the star confessed that he wasn't impressed with his performance in the movie at the time. "We watched the movie, and everything I thought I wanted to do, I hadn’t done at all," he told HuffPost.

"All I saw was myself up there, and I was mortified, and my girlfriend was saying, 'I thought it was really great'. I said, 'Don't patronise me. I need to get another job. If I don't get another job and this comes out, I'm dead, and my career is over'."