Omri Katz: From 90s Star to Cannabis Mogul!

Iconic 90s child star Omri Katz won fans all over the world with his roles in classics Hocus Pocus and Eerie, Indiana.

Katz, now 50, was a fresh-faced youngster when he first shot to fame in 1983 as John Ross Ewing III, the son of Dallas legends J.R. Ewing and Sue Ellen Ewing.

After playing the role for eight years, Katz branched out into leading role territory, playing Marshall Teller in cult sci-fi series, Eerie Indiana, which aired for one season from 1991-1993.

He starred alongside John Goodman in 1993's Matinee, which despite critical acclaim, became a box office failure.

Katz's most successful film role came as Maximilian 'Max' Dennison, the whimsical teenage boy who resurrects three witches, in 1993 classic Hocus Pocus - with Katz famously revealing he had been stoned on set.

After Hocus Pocus, Katz stepped away from acting, becoming a band groupie, before trying out snowboarding and hairdressing, before founding his own cannabis company. See him now.

Well, speaking to his former Eerie, Indiana co-star, Justin Shenkarow, on the Bronx Buds YouTube Channel last year, Katz said, 'I left the industry not too long after ‘Hocus Pocus’ and kind of never really looked back.

'I grew up in the industry, so that’s kind of all I knew. I think I was soul searching and wanted more of a human experience; just see what else is out there, see the world, and be normal. I didn’t really have that growing up.'

After spending five years following The Grateful Dead, he attempted to return to acting, only to realize he lacked the passion to continue. 

He said, 'I wanted to get back into acting for all the wrong reasons... to make money so I could escape again — and that didn’t work out too well. I had to get a real job, the first one in my life!'

Katz previously admitted he was 'experimenting' with cannabis when he filmed Hocus Pocus, which left director Kenny Ortega baffled.  

'Let’s just say, some of those scenes, I was having a good old time', Katz told Entertainment Weekly.

He recalled 'misperforming and not hitting my keys or marks', leading Ortega to ask 'are you high?'

Katz replied, 'I was like, "No,’ and of course, I was'. 

Appearing on the Est. In The 90s podcast in September 2025, Katz said he developed a mental 'block' when it came to acting. 

He said, 'I did a few stints and like, you know, episodals. I did like Freaks and Geeks, General Hospital, like literally a minute, 10 seconds, one-liners and I don't know if I developed some sense of stage fright or something, but I just could not perform.

'I had some weird like psychological block that I couldn't do it. I was nervous. I was flubbing lines. 

'I was really trying to like, okay, how do I break this? How do I get better?

'But quickly realized like this is just not me anymore.'

In 2020 Katz launched his cannabis lifestyle brand and exotic craft cannabis cultivation company called The Mary Danksters.

The company operates as an exotic craft cannabis cultivator and brand, with the slogan 'positivity, herb and unity.'

At the time of the company's launch, Katz wrote, 'Lots of people wondering what I’ve been up to. 

'Being a member of the cannabis community for almost 20 years now and jumping thru hoops of fire to get here I’m proud to announce our online apparel store will be opening up soon. 

'Keep your eyes peeled as we will be announcing our opening date. I’m so proud of what we’ve created so Come show your love and support.'