In November of 1990, when the film Home Alone was released, there was a great deal of anticipation. The Christmas comedy about an eight-year-old boy who is forced to defend his home against two burglars when his family goes on vacation without him included a great cast, as well as a well-known director (Chris Columbus) and screenplay (John Hughes).
But, none predicted that it would become one of the most successful movies of all time at the box office. For over two decades, it was the highest-grossing live-action comedy in the world thanks to its approximately $477 million in box office receipts. And as a result of the film’s immense popularity, it spawned a sequel in 1992 that featured the majority of the original cast, three more sequels, and, as was certain to happen, a remake in 2021 called Home Sweet Home Alone.
Of course, just as there are very few experiences that can compare to the childhood joy of opening the perfect gift, there is simply no beating the original in the minds of those who grew up watching Home Alone’s spot-on fusion of cartoonish violence and holiday sentimentality. In this way, there is simply no beating the original in the minds of those who grew up watching Home Alone. Have a peek at what some of those brilliant actors are doing nowadays in the following list:
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Macaulay Culkin (Kevin McCallister)
Macaulay Culkin’s bug-eyed expressions and face-slapping gestures as Kevin McCallister propelled him to immediate stardom, and he went on to play leading roles in My Girl (1991), The Good Son (1993), and Richie Rich (1996). Few child actors have the presence to carry a feature film, but Macaulay Culkin did. He did this by playing Kevin McCallister in the movie “Back to the Future” (1994). Unfortunately, other issues were exacerbated as a result of this spectacular ascent, and Culkin, who was just a teenager at the time, quickly gave up his acting profession and withdrew his parents’ names from his trust fund. In the following two decades, the reclusive former star made a comeback to play a drug-addicted club promoter in the film Party Monster (2003), write the autobiographical novel Junior (2006), and launch a parody band called the Pizza Underground. All of these endeavors occurred after he had spent the previous two decades living in seclusion. Culkin then took another step out of the shadows in 2021 when he announced the birth of his son Dakota with partner Brenda Song. He also showed that his acting chops remained intact with his lauded role in 2021’s “American Horror Story: Double Feature.” Culkin’s son Dakota was named after the actor Macaulay Culkin.
Joe Pesci (Harry Lyme)
Joe Pesci was fresh off of playing the career-defining part of Tommy DeVito in the 1990 film Goodfellas when he played his trademark fiery demeanor for laughs as Harry, the brainier half of the criminal team known as the Wet Bandits, in the 1990 film Home Alone and its first sequel. He gave another memorable performance as the title character, a fish-out-of-water lawyer, in the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny, and then went on to play more wise-guy roles in the 1993 and 1995 films A Bronx Tale and Casino, respectively, before almost completely disappearing from the screen after his final role as Leo Getz in the film Lethal Weapon 4. (1998). Pesci then indulged an old love for music by releasing the tongue-in-cheek album “Vincent LaGuardia Gambini Sings Just for You” in 1998. He also appeared in films such as The Good Shepherd (2006) and Love Ranch (2010) before making his way back into the public eye in 2019 as – what else? – a mafia boss in The Irishman.
Daniel Stern (Marv Murchins)
Daniel Stern gained increased name and facial recognition for his role as Marv, Harry’s dimwitted Wet Bandits accomplice, while he was in the midst of a successful but relatively unknown tenure as the narrator of The Wonder Years. Throughout this time, Daniel Stern was working. He made his feature film directorial debut with the baseball comedy Rookie of the Year (1993), and he enjoyed prominent roles in Celtic Pride (1996), Very Bad Things (1998), and Whip It (1999). He made his feature film directorial debut with the baseball comedy Rookie of the Year (1993), and he played a similarly awkward sidekick alongside Billy Crystal in the 1991 film City Slickers (and its 1994 sequel) (2009). In more recent times, the seasoned actor has garnered accolades for his contributions to the shows “Manhattan” and “Shrill,” despite the fact that he also devotes a substantial amount of time to sculpture, which is one of his passions outside of acting.
Catherine O’Hara (Kate McCallister)
Catherine O’Hara, who is an alumni of the comedy team Second City, played the character of guilty parent Kate McCallister with a seasoned combination of straight-man seriousness and flustered appeal. She is an alumna of the Second City comedic troupe. While she is best known for her roles in the Christopher Guest parodies Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), she has also starred in more serious films such as Temple Grandin (2010) and provided her voice for animated films such as Chicken Little (2005) and The Addams Family (2006). Her work in these films helped her gain widespread recognition (2019). After a number of years of remaining relatively unknown, the married mother of two became widely known for her performance as the show’s matriarch, Moira Rose, on the critically acclaimed television series “Schitt’s Creek,” for which she was awarded an Emmy. She was also recognized for her accomplishments by the government of Canada, which bestowed upon her the honor of Officer in the Order of Canada in 2018.
John Heard (Peter McCallister)
John Heard, who had been cast in less-than-heroic roles in the films Big and Beaches in 1988, won back the favor of moviegoers with his performance as Peter McCallister, the father, in the Christmas comedy Home Alone. His career after that may not have been as noteworthy as it had been in the 1980s, but Heard still landed in high-profile films such as In the Line of Fire (1993) and Snake Eyes (1998). He also starred in a television adaptation of John Grisham’s The Client and was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as the corrupt Detective Vin Makazian in “The Sopranos.” Subsequent roles included appearances in the television series “Prison Break” and the improbable smash television movie Sharknado (2013). The actor passed away in 2017 at the age of 71.
Devin Ratray (Buzz McCallister)
As Kevin’s annoying older brother Buzz, Devin Ratray hit all the right notes in his performance. However, as was the case with his younger cast mate, he discovered that the success of the film created headaches for the producers, who expected him to reprise the character in projects that were unrelated to the film. He put acting on hold to study cinema at New York University and the School of Visual Arts, before making a comeback with parts in the movies Surrogates (2009) and Nebraska (2013) and a regular stream of TV appearances. He was looking for a new beginning. Ratray was able to break out from the confines of typecasting because of his many different parts, which ranged from Detective Nate Henry in “Mosaic” to Tinfoil Kevin in “The Tick.” Despite this, he couldn’t help but reprise his role as a grown-up Buzz McCallister in “Home Sweet Home Alone.”
Kieran Culkin (Fuller McCallister)
Indeed, it is Macaulay’s younger brother making his debut in a feature picture in the role of Cousin Fuller, a Pepsi-guzzling, bed-wetting character. Kieran Culkin started to together his own outstanding CV with roles in films such as Father of the Bride (1991), The Mighty (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999), which eventually led to him receiving a nomination for a Golden Globe for his main part in Igby Goes Down (2002). Still, the middle child of a family of actors avoided the spotlight with carefully chosen parts in stage productions of This is Our Youth and the big screen’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), before he finally embraced stardom with his performance as Roman Roy in “Succession,” which received nominations for both the Emmy Award and the Golden Globe Award. Culkin also took an active role in his family life by getting married to Jazz Charton, who was born in London. The couple had their second child together in 2021.
Roberts Blossom (Old Man Marley)
Although Roberts Blossom’s Old Man Marley may not have been a serial killer in real life, the actor did play one in the film Deranged in 1974. Over the course of his stage and screen career, which spanned more than five decades, Roberts Blossom also portrayed virtually every other type of character imaginably. After his role in Home Alone, he went on to make roles in films such as Doc Hollywood (1991) and The Quick and the Dead (1995). In the year 2000, he was featured in the retrospective documentary Full Bloom, which was a privilege accorded to very few character performers. In his later years, after Blossom had retired from his career, he rekindled his passion for poetry by giving readings and published a book of poems named JO&Y. He lived till 2011 and was 87 years old when he passed away.
John Candy (Gus Polinski)
John Candy was already well-known for his scene-stealing performances in the films Splash (1984) and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987) when he re-teamed with his former co-star from Second City, Catherine O’Hara, to help save the day in the role of Gus Polinski, the “Polka King of the Midwest.” In this role, Gus Polinski is a character who is referred to as the “Polka King of the Midwest.” Candy went on to play less-than-memorable leading man roles in the films Only the Lonely and Delirious, both of which were released in 1991. However, he gave a winning performance as Coach Irv Blitzer in the heartwarming comedy Cool Runnings, which was released in 1993. Candy also began exploring off-screen business interests as the co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and the House of Blues concert-hall chain. The renowned comedian, who had struggled with his weight for most of his life, passed away in 1994 at the age of 43 after suffering a heart attack while filming the movie Wagons East.
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