A nerd, a jock, a loner, a preppy girl, and a juvenile delinquent spend a Saturday in detention. What happened next has influenced filmmakers ever since, asThe Breakfast Clubcemented itself as one of Hollywood's definitive coming-of-age teen movies.
Released in 1985, the film spoke to an entire generation of teenagers struggling to be understood. It also made stars of Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy, who were soon nicknamed theBrat Packalongside their young contemporaries in the '80s. Each has led a long and winding career in the more than 40 years since the film's release.
Ahead, we're taking a look at where the detention-bound cast ofThe Breakfast Clubis now.
Emilio Estevez (Andrew Clark)
The son of actor Martin Sheen,Emilio Estevezstarred inTex(1982),The Outsiders(1983), and the cult classicRepo Man(1984) before getting cast as varsity jacket-wearing “athlete” Andrew Clark inThe Breakfast Club.
“I think the [school] setting allowed for us to give those kinds of performances,” hetoldThe Guardianin 2020. “John [Hughes] allowed the time for us to get under the skin of those characters.”
Estevez then starred in another Brat Pack classic,St. Elmo’s Fire(1985),alongside hisClubcohorts Nelson and Sheedy as well as his then-fiancée, Demi Moore. The couple reteamed for the crime dramaWisdom(1986), Estevez’s directorial debut.
He headlinedThe Mighty Ducks(1992) and theLethal WeaponparodyLoaded Weapon 1(1993) before teaming up with Tom Cruise for the franchise-launchingMission: Impossible(1996).
Over the past few decades, Estevez has focused on directing, helming features such asBobby(2006) andThe Public(2018). He still takes on acting jobs occasionally, even reprising his role of Coach Gordon Bombay in the first season of the Disney+ sequel seriesThe Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
After his relationship with Moore ended in 1986, Estevez married pop star Paula Abdul in 1992, but the couple split two years later. The actor has two children, Taylor and Paloma, from a prior relationship with model Carey Salley.
Molly Ringwald (Claire Standish)
Molly Ringwaldbegan her career on sitcoms likeDiff’rent StrokesandThe Facts of Lifebefore breaking out inSixteen Candles(1984), which also costarred Anthony Michael Hall. That, of course, led directly to her signature character, popular high school “princess” Claire Standish, inThe Breakfast Club.
She wrestled with the complicated legacy of both John Hughes andThe Breakfast Clubin a 2018 essay forThe New Yorker, writing, "John’s movies convey the anger and fear of isolation that adolescents feel, and seeing that others might feel the same way is a balm for the trauma that teenagers experience. Whether that’s enough to make up for the impropriety of the films is hard to say — even criticizing them makes me feel like I’m divesting a generation of some of its fondest memories, or being ungrateful since they helped to establish my career."
In more recent years, she's introduced herself to a new generation of teen viewers with roles as moms and teachers onThe Secret Life of the American TeenagerandRiverdale, as well as in Netflix'sKissing Boothfilm trilogy. She also joined the Ryan Murphy-verse for the first season ofMonsterand the second season ofFeud.
In addition to her TV and Broadway work, Ringwald wrote the memoirGetting the Pretty Backand the novelWhen It Happens to You.
During the '80s, Ringwald dated musician Dweezil Zappa and Beastie Boys rapper Ad-Rock. She was married to writer Valery Lameignere from 1999 to 2002. She wed writer Panio Gianopoulos in 2007, and they have three children.
Judd Nelson (John Bender)
Judd Nelsonlanded in detention as “criminal” John Bender inThe Breakfast Club, which was only the actor’s fourth film, following turns inRock ‘n’ Roll Hotel(1983),Making the Grade(1984),andFandango(1985).
He discussedThe Breakfast Club's continued popularitywith EWin 2012. “It’s very cool... it shows the strength of John Hughes’ script and what he was doing in his films,” Nelson said. “He was the first guy who saw someone who was young and that did not mean that they were less, it just means that they were young.”
Molly Ringwaldrevealed in a 2012 Reddit “Ask Me Anything”that Nelson was almost fired from the film for taking method acting too far. He managed to keep the role thanks to the intervention of his castmates and subsequently joined Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy inSt. Elmo’s Fire.
He lent his voice to the Autobot Rodimus Prime in the animatedTransformers: The Movie(1986), then appeared in the miniseriesBillionaire Boys Club(1987) before costarring in the hit crime thrillerNew Jack City(1991).
Over the next several years, he appeared in films likeAirheads(1994), the Anthony Michael Hall-directedHail Caesar(1994), and the superhero movieSteel(1997). Toward the end of the '90s, Nelson took on his first series regular role on the sitcomSuddenly Susan. He has since worked steadily in movies likeJay and Silent Bob Strike Back(2001) and on shows such asCSI,Psych, andEmpire.
Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds)
Before Ally Sheedy sauntered into detention as “basket case” Allison Reynolds inThe Breakfast Club, she became a best-selling author at age 12 when she penned the bookShe Was Nice to Mice.She made her big-screen debut with Sean Penn inBad Boys(1983) and broke out in the high school hacker thrillerWarGames(1983).
“It was the first time I felt like I really belonged,” shetold PEOPLEin 2015 ofThe Breakfast Clubwhile promoting the movie's 30th anniversary. “It was a very special family... I didn’t have a group like that when I was in high school at all. It was a really happy time in my life.”
Sheedy soon added hits likeSt. Elmo’s FireandShort Circuit(1986) to her résumé. She reunited with Molly Ringwald inBetsy’s Weddingand worked on the John Hughes-producedOnly the Lonely(1991), but fell off the radar until an award-winning performance in the indie dramaHigh Art(1998).
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She followed that resurgence with a brief Off-Broadway run in the title role ofHedwig and the Angry Inch.
Since the turn of the century, Sheedy has appeared on TV shows likeOz,The Dead Zone, andKyle XY.She also delivered dynamite turns in Todd Solondz’sLife During Wartime(2009) and the indieWelcome to the Rileys(2010), and was part of the main cast of Freeform'sSingle Drunk Female.
Sheedy was married to David Lansbury from 1992 to 2008. They share a son, Beckett, who came out as trans during his teenage years.
Sheedy talked to PEOPLEin 2022 about Beckett’s transition journey, saying she’s “learned a lot” and has become “very comfortable talking to anyone whose kid is just beginning the process of transition.”
Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Johnson)
Anthony Michael Hallbegan his screen career in a handful of TV movies before moving to the big screen in the Kenny Rogers vehicleSix Pack(1982). He then starred as Rusty Griswold in the John Hughes-pennedNational Lampoon’s Vacation(1983), the first of four collaborations with the filmmaker.
“There was a soul connection there,” HalltoldPage Sixin 2020.“[John] was always like a big brother. He was such a big influence in my life.”
After portraying “the brain” Brian Johnson — who struggled under the pressures of academic achievement — inThe Breakfast Club, Hall worked with Hughes once more inWeird Science(1985). He was offered roles inFerris Bueller’s Day Off(1986) andPretty in Pink(1986), but declined to avoid typecasting.
At age 17, he joined the cast ofSaturday Night Live, becoming the youngest cast member in the show’s history. He played against type as a jock inJohnny Be Good(1988), then made a heel turn as the villain inEdward Scissorhands(1990). His directorial debut,Hail Caesar, followed four years later.
Hall eventually had a career renaissance thanks to his acclaimed lead role onThe Dead Zone. He’s been a reliable character actor ever since, appearing in major films likeThe Dark Knight(2008),Foxcatcher(2014), and theBreakfast Club-inspired filmThe Class(2022). He also had an arc onThe Goldbergs.
Hall and Molly Ringwald dated briefly followingThe Breakfast Club. He wed Lucia Oskerova in 2020, and the couple became parents to a son in 2023.
Paul Gleason (Richard Vernon)
Paul Gleason, a former minor league baseball player-turned-actor, got his start with guest appearances on TV shows likeThe Green Hornet,Mission: Impossible, andAll My Children. His film career took off after he played scheming villain Clarence Beeks inTrading Places(1983).
After spending his Saturday babysitting unruly teens and dishing out discipline as Vice Principal Vernon inThe Breakfast Club, Gleason appeared in John Hughes’She’s Having a Baby(1988) andJohnny Be Good(1988). He also showed up in another era-defining hit as stubborn Police Chief Dwayne Robinson inDie Hard(1988).
He was best known for playing hard cases and authority figures, notably doing so forBoy Meets World,National Lampoon’s Van Wilder(2002), andDawson’s Creek. He even made a cameo as an FBI agent inLoaded Weapon 1with Emilio Estevez.
He reprised the role of Richard Vernon in the 1999 video for the A*Teens song “Dancing Queen,” as well as in the parodyNot Another Teen Movie(2001), which also featured a Ringwald cameo. In January 2006, he published a book of poetry titledUleta Blues & Haikus.
Gleason was married to actress Candy Moore from 1971 to 1978. He wed Susan Kehl in 1995, and they remained together until he died in 2006 at age 67 from pleural mesothelioma. He had one daughter from each marriage.
John Kapelos (Carl Reed)
A veteran of Chicago’s Second City,John Kapelosmade his film debut with a small role in Michael Mann’sThief(1981) before working with John Hughes and Molly Ringwald inSixteen Candles.
When Rick Moranis, who was originally cast as high school hotshot–turned–high school janitor Carl Reed, left the production, the director called up Kapelos.
He toldThe Chicago Tribunein 2019, “When I was doingSixteen Candles, John had said, ‘I’ve got this great movie that I’m going to do next and you’re going to be in it.’ He was making all sorts of cool promises. And then I saw this story that Rick Moranis was in it and I thought, damn. Andthatafternoon I got a call from my agent and she said, ‘They want you to come and doThe Breakfast Clubtomorrow, can you do it?’ They had been filming I think for a month or so. And I was in shock."
AfterThe Breakfast Club, he reunited with Hughes forWeird Scienceand then appeared in the comedyRoxanne(1987).
During the mid-’90s,he was a series regular and writer on the cult vampire detective seriesForever Knight. Kapelos has more than 200 credits on his résumé, including roles onSeinfeld, Gilmore Girls, Suits, The Umbrella Academy, andDays of Our Lives.
He is married to salon owner Heidi Kapelos and has one son, Barry.
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A nerd, a jock, a loner, a preppy girl, and a juvenile delinquent spend a Saturday in detention. What happened next has influenced film...
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