Researchers find that the star of 'Free Willy' should not have been released. April 28, 2009— -- Willy was never really free. The killer whale star of the Hollywood movie Free Willy had to be ...

The new six-episode podcast from "The New York Times" and Serial Productions follows Keiko the orca's journey from animal actor to free whale PEOPLE has an exclusive first listen of the trailer for ...

Richter played Glen's foster son, Jesse, in the 1993 film Jason James Richter is mourning his on-screen father figure. The actor, who played Jesse in 1993's Free Willy , shared a message on his ...

I don’t know precisely when I first watched Free Willy. But I do remember that the film was central to a childhood obsession with whales – orcas, specifically – that followed me well into adulthood.

Did you think 1993 family-oriented whale drama Free Willy lacked a certain something? Maybe it wasn't quite titillating enough? Then Youtube-based comedy team The Nix Brothers, previously known for ...

Michael Madsen's death was confirmed to PEOPLE on Thursday, July 3 Michael Madsen, who played Glen in Free Willy, died on Thursday, July 3, 2025, at 67 Costar Jason James Richter remembered sharing ...