(Image Credit: Fox)
Home Alone can be seen everywhere around Christmastime. Luckily, it happens to be one of my family’s favorite holiday movies. The movie came out right before I was born, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve seen it almost every year since then. There’s just something about a little kid beating up two grown men that screams family time. Plus, a major part of Home Alone is the idea that family should be together on the holidays.
Since Home Alone came out 25 years ago, we at The Daily Quirk thought it would be fun to take a look at where the stars of the movie are today. Read on to get your answers!
Macaulay Culkin (Kevin McCallister)
Only ten when the movie premiered, Macaulay Culkin is now grown up. For several years after his star-making performance in Home Alone, he continued acting in some well-known movies, including the Home Alone sequel, My Girl, The Pagemaster and Richie Rich. Due to the latter two movies’ poor showings at the box office, as well as family issues, Culkin stayed away from acting for almost a decade.
When he finally returned to the profession, it was in mature roles in movies like Saved! and Party Monster. Unlike many child stars, he was able to shed his cutesy image and received critical acclaim, but Culkin has only worked sporadically in the years since. Of note, he had a recurring role on NBC’s Kings and did some voice work for Robot Chicken. Most recently, it appears he’s taken to doing cameos, as he appeared as himself on The Jim Gaffigan Show and will show up in the upcoming Zoolander No. 2.
Apart from acting, Culkin wrote a semi-autobiographical novel called Junior, which dealt with his child stardom and his relationship with his father, in 2006. He is also part of a band named The Pizza Underground that mostly parodies songs by The Velvet Underground.
Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (The Wet Bandits)
After playing Harry, Joe Pesci only stayed an actor for nine more years. During those years, he appeared in the Home Alone sequel and two sequels to Lethal Weapon, but perhaps his most well-known role was as the title character in My Cousin Vinny. In 1999, Pesci announced his retirement from acting in order to get out of the spotlight. Since then he has only appeared in a few movies and might be best known as that angry guy in the Snickers commercial. Most recently, Pesci has been connected to yet another Martin Scorsese movie.
Although Daniel Stern continued acting after Home Alone and its sequel, Marv is still the role he’s best known for. He had roles in City Slickers, Bushwhacked, Whip It and The Next Three Days, as well as a guest spot on Monk. He’s had a full life outside of acting by writing and directing TV shows, movies and plays and working as a sculptor. Stern and his wife also received service awards for volunteerism from President Obama. Most recently, he’s appeared in several TV shows, including Workaholics and Manhattan.
Roberts Blossom (Old Man Marley)
Home Alone was one of Roberts Blossom’s last acting roles before his retirement, but before he quit show business, he appeared in Doc Hollywood and The Quick and the Dead and had guest spots on Northern Exposure and Chicago Hope. After acting, Blossom spent time writing poetry until he passed away in 2011 at the age of 87. If you’re interested in learning more about his life, you should check out the documentary Full Blossom: The Life of Poet/Actor Roberts Blossom.
John Heard and Catherine O’Hara (Kevin’s Parents)
After playing Kevin’s father, Peter, in Home Alone and its sequel, John Heard has done a ton of acting with roles in well-known movies like Gladiator, The Pelican Brief and White Chicks. In 2013, he appeared in one of the greatest films of our time, Sharknado. If possible, Heard’s television career is even more illustrious than his movie career. He has had guest spots on almost every crime show imaginable, including several versions of Law & Order and NCIS: Los Angeles. A recurring role on The Sopranos as Detective Vin Makazian earned Heard an Emmy nomination, but if you want to see him in something more recent, try The Lizzie Borden Chronicles.
Like her movie husband, Catherine O’Hara has appeared in a lot of movies and TV shows since Home Alone and its sequel came out. Many of these roles have been kid friendly voiceover work in movies such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Where the Wild Things Are and Frankenweenie. When not doing voiceover, O’Hara often shows up in comedies like Away We Go and A.C.O.D., which is fitting since she started acting as a sketch comedienne. She had a recurring role on Six Feet Under and was nominated for an Emmy for her work in Temple Grandin. Most recently, she guest starred on Modern Family and can be seen in the upcoming second season of the Canadian comedy Schitt’s Creek.
Devin Ratray (Buzz McCallister)
Buzz was perhaps the best known of Kevin’s siblings because he was the biggest jerk, especially in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. After playing that role, actor Devin Ratray had sporadic roles throughout the late ‘90s and early ‘00s while he went to film school. But he returned to the acting business in 2009 and has had a slew of roles since then, including guest spots on Supernatural, Elementary and Marvel’s Agent Carter. He also appeared in movies such as Nebraska and R.I.P.D. In 2016, you can catch Ratray in the heist comedy Masterminds.
Since you probably can’t make your family disappear like Kevin’s, make sure you sit down and watch Home Alone with them this holiday season. And if you’re so inclined, you can update them on what all the actors are doing after the movies. That’s the best way to say “Merry Christmas.”
So, what are you waiting for? Find one of the ubiquitous showings of Home Alone and enjoy, ya filthy animals!
