If you grew up rewinding VHS tapes in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Tami Stronach is a name that’s probably burnt in your memory…. Or at least her face should be. She was just 10 years old when she played the Childlike Empress in The NeverEnding Story. Now, 41 years later after the film’s release, fans of the classic still tell her that she shaped their childhood. She hears pretty often. And, no, she doesn’t roll her eyes.
“It’s really special,” Stronach told PEOPLE. “It doesn’t get old. I feel so lucky to be a positive memory for people.” She laughs about how a role with really just two scenes became a big part of her life… forever. And according to her, Wolfgang Petersen barely guided her. She had auditioned three times, made choices early on in filming, and stuck to them on set. Petersen had learnt to trust her quickly.
Stronach figured the Childlike Empress was ancient. “She’s 300 years old,” ten-year-old Tami decided, because that felt ancient at the time. Now she’s 52 and finds that idea really cute and adorable.
She also remembers losing her incisors right before filming. She wore a custom denture in one scene and kept her mouth closed in the other.
After the 1984 release, Germany was the first to show the film love. The US followed later when the film arrived on VHS. Of course, fame followed Stronach too – even if only for a brief moment. Unfortunately, there were times when it wasn’t cute. The young actress had to deal with stalkers, even at that age. She even got wedding rings from grown men and received screenplays that made no sense for a child. Her family decided against it all and opted out so that Stronach could have a normal life.
Instead, she danced and then later co-founded Shoehorn Theater and Paper Canoe Company with her husband Greg Steinbruner in 2015.
Now, in 2025, she’s back on screen in Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps, released July 28 and 30. She plays a witch. The cast includes Christopher Lloyd and Sean Astin. The tone nods to Monty Python and The Princess Bride, with heart intact. “People want to feel hopeful,” she says. That’s the brief.
Of course nostalgia never dies. It keeps growing. The theme song popped up on Stranger Things in 2019 and hooked another generation to the NeverEnding Story. At conventions, fans light up when Stronach reunites with Atreyu actor Noah Hathaway. Tami Stronach totally gets it. “The whole point… is to not have the kid inside you die.”
RELATED: Mara Wilson Looks Beautiful 29 Years After Matilda Made Her a Star
