Later acting careers
Many of the Brat Pack members have continued to act past the 1980s.
| Photo | Name | Career |
|---|---|---|
 | Molly Ringwald |
|
 | Rob Lowe |
|
 | Emilio Estevez |
|
| Judd Nelson |
| |
 | Ally Sheedy |
|
 | Andrew McCarthy |
|
 | Anthony Michael Hall |
|
 | Demi Moore |
|
The Brat Pack is a nickname given to a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. The term "Brat Pack", a play on the Rat Pack from the 1950s and 1960s, was first popularized in a 1985 New York magazine cover story, which described a group of highly successful film stars in their early twenties. [1] David Blum wrote the article after witnessing several young actors being mobbed by groupies at Los Angeles' Hard Rock Cafe. [2] The group has been characterized by the partying of members such as Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Judd Nelson. [3]
David Blum's New York story, titled "Hollywood's Brat Pack", ran on June 10, 1985. It was originally supposed to be just about Emilio Estevez, but one night, Estevez invited Blum to hang out with him, Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, and others at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a typical night out for the group, who had gotten close while filming St. Elmo's Fire. That night, Blum decided to change the article's focus to an entire group of young actors at the time. The St. Elmo's Fire crew members did not like Blum and sensed that he was jealous of the actors' success. [4]
Blum thought of the term the day after meeting the group, while thinking about a friend of his who was following Grace Jones to different restaurants and referred to his experience as following the "fat pack". At this instant, Blum felt like he was following the 'Brat Pack': "I wouldn’t call it an inspiration exactly. I did think it was pretty clever [...] these guys definitely fit the bill." [5]
When the piece ran, the actors all felt betrayed, especially Estevez. The article mentioned people in several films but focused on Estevez, Lowe, and Nelson, and portrayed those three negatively. The "Brat Pack" label, which the actors disliked, stuck for years afterward. [6] [7] Before the article ran, they had been regarded as talented individuals; after the article, all of them were grouped together and regarded as unprofessional. [8] [ additional citation(s) needed ]
Some actors went on the Phil Donahue show and called Blum an "unethical jerk". During the show, Richard Schickel said "I really thought that was a scurrilous article. . . . I really think this is a kind of scuzz journalism. . . . I’ve been around journalism a long time. I look at a piece like that, and I say, this is really slob work, and he was out to get you." After the show, in the Chicago Sun-Times, Rob Lowe reminded that "He’s not Hunter Thompson or Tom Wolfe, he’s David Blum living in a cheap flat", and Sean Penn added "Sometimes writers, like actors, like anybody, do their work to impress three or four of their cool friends in SoHo". [5]
With the increased negative attention to them, the actors soon stopped socializing with one another. On the group's camaraderie, Ally Sheedy later said the article "just destroyed it. I had felt truly a part of something, and that guy just blew it to pieces." [9]
In 1987, Blum wrote an unapologetic article on the matter, stating "I do have one thing they don't. A job at a magazine. And that entitles me to the freedom of the press", and revealing that he could not copyright 'Brat Pack' even though he had also written an initial plot for a Brat Pack movie. [5] According to Susannah Gora, Blum later admitted that he should not have written the article. [8]
An appearance in one or both of the ensemble casts of two specific films released in 1985—John Hughes's The Breakfast Club and Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire —is often considered the prerequisite for being a core Brat Pack member. [10] [11] [12] With this criterion, the most commonly cited members include: [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
The initial New York article covered a group of actors larger, or more inclusive, than the currently understood meaning of the term "Brat Pack". Alongside Estevez, Nelson, and Lowe, Tom Cruise, Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Nicolas Cage, Sean Penn, Matthew Modine, and Matthew Broderick are listed as "official" members. [1] Charlie Sheen appears in several lists – more for his family relationship to Emilio Estevez and his partying than for his film work with other members. [19]
After the Brat Pack quickly became a common term to identify this young bunch of actors, other actors with similar traits were associated to the made-up group: [2] [13] [15]
In her autobiography, Melissa Gilbert connects herself with the Brat Pack, as her social life centered on Estevez and Lowe (each of whom she was engaged to at different times). Through frequent collaborative work, the actor Harry Dean Stanton, then in his late 50s, became a mentor for the group of young actors. [3]
During the late 1980s, several of the Brat Pack actors had their careers mildly derailed by problems relating to drugs, alcohol, and in Lowe's case, a sex tape. [18] According to Susannah Gora, "Many believe they could have gone on to more serious roles if not for that article. They were talented. But they had professional difficulties, personal difficulties after that." [21] By the 21st century, the term "Brat Pack" had lost its negative connotation. [22]
The films themselves have been described as representative of "the socially apathetic, cynical, money-possessed and ideologically barren eighties generation." [20] [23] They made frequent use of adolescent archetypes, were often set in the suburbs surrounding Chicago, and focused on middle-class teenage angst. [13] [14] According to author Susannah Gora, these films "changed the way many young people looked at everything from class distinction to friendship, from love to sex and fashion to music." They are considered "among the most influential pop cultural contributions of their time." [24]
In 2012, Entertainment Weekly listed The Breakfast Club as the best high school movie ever made. [25] On VH1's 2006 list of the 100 greatest teen stars, Molly Ringwald was ranked No. 1, Rob Lowe was ranked No. 2, Anthony Michael Hall was ranked No. 4, Ally Sheedy was ranked No. 34, and Andrew McCarthy was ranked No. 40. [26] [27]
In 2020, Estevez expressed frustration at the persistence of the "Brat Pack" name, saying "That [term] will be on my tombstone ... It's annoying because Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon have worked together more than any of us have. We just made two movies and somehow it morphed into something else." [28]
In June 2024, the documentary film Brats was released reflecting on the careers and lasting impact of the Brat Pack. Released by Hulu, the film was directed by and stars McCarthy, and features interviews with Estevez, Lowe, Moore, and Sheedy, as well as original article author David Blum and various frequent collaborators. [29]
Beyond the two primary films, there is no generally accepted list of "Brat Pack" movies. While Blum's article credits Taps as the first Brat Pack movie, [1] the list of movies below represents the more traditional filmography, with each movie including at least two core members in starring roles:
| Movie | Actor | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emilio Estevez | Anthony Michael Hall | Rob Lowe | Andrew McCarthy | Demi Moore | Judd Nelson | Molly Ringwald | Ally Sheedy | Close contributors | |
| The Outsiders (1983) | Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews | Sodapop Patrick Curtis | Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio | ||||||
| Class (1983) | Franklin "Skip" Burroughs IV | Jonathan Ogner | John Cusack | ||||||
| Sixteen Candles (1984) | "Farmer Ted" (credited as "the Geek") | Samantha Baker | John Cusack, Jami Gertz | ||||||
| Oxford Blues (1984) | Nick De Angelo | Rona | |||||||
| The Breakfast Club (1985) | Andrew Clark | Brian Johnson | John Bender | Claire Standish | Allison Reynolds | ||||
| St. Elmo's Fire (1985) | Kirby Keager | Billy Hicks | Kevin Dolenz | Julianna "Jules" Van Patten | Alec Newbury | Leslie Hunter | Mare Winningham, Jenny Wright | ||
| Pretty in Pink (1986) | Blane McDonnagh | Andie Walsh | Jon Cryer, James Spader | ||||||
| Blue City (1986) | Billy Turner | Annie Rayford | |||||||
| About Last Night... (1986) | Danny Martin | Debbie Sullivan | |||||||
| Wisdom (1986) | John Wisdom | Karen Simmons | Charlie Sheen (uncredited cameo) | ||||||
| Fresh Horses (1988) | Matt Larkin | Jewel | |||||||
| Betsy's Wedding (1990) | Betsy | Connie | |||||||
Other 1980s films, many with similar coming-of-age themes, that starred only one core Brat Pack actor with one or more close contributors include:
Some films have been dubbed "Brat Pack movies" despite having no stars from the core membership, including 1984's Red Dawn [30] with C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Grey, [31] Charlie Sheen, Harry Dean Stanton, Patrick Swayze, and Lea Thompson, 1986's Ferris Bueller's Day Off [19] which starred Matthew Broderick with Grey and Sheen in supporting roles and 1987's The Lost Boys with Kiefer Sutherland and Jami Gertz in key roles.
Many of the Brat Pack members have continued to act past the 1980s.
| Photo | Name | Career |
|---|---|---|
| | Molly Ringwald |
|
| | Rob Lowe |
|
| | Emilio Estevez |
|
| Judd Nelson |
| |
| | Ally Sheedy |
|
| | Andrew McCarthy |
|
| | Anthony Michael Hall |
|
| | Demi Moore |
|
The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American indie teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice principal.
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, writer, and translator. She began her career as a child actress on the sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life before being nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the drama film Tempest (1982). Ringwald became a teen idol following her appearances in filmmaker John Hughes' teen films Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Pretty in Pink (1986). These films led to the media referring to her as a member of the "Brat Pack." Her final teen roles were in For Keeps and Fresh Horses.
John Wilden Hughes Jr. was an American filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. He began his career in 1970 as an author of humorous essays and stories for the National Lampoon magazine. He went on in Hollywood to write, produce, and direct some of the most successful live-action comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s. He directed, wrote or produced such films as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, She's Having a Baby, and Uncle Buck, and wrote the films National Lampoon's Vacation, Mr. Mom, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Pretty in Pink, The Great Outdoors, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Dutch, and Beethoven.
Robert Hepler Lowe is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom A New Kind of Family (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in The Outsiders (1983), Class (1983), The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), Oxford Blues (1984), St. Elmo's Fire (1985), About Last Night... (1986), and Masquerade (1988).
Anthony Michael Hall is an American actor, producer and comedian. He starred in the teen-centered John Hughes films Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science.
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor, travel writer, and television director. He is most known as a member of the Brat Pack, with roles in 1980s films such as St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Mannequin, and Weekend at Bernie's. He is ranked No. 40 on VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars of all-time list. As a director, he is known for his work on Orange Is the New Black.
Emilio Estevez is an American actor and filmmaker.
Judd Asher Nelson is an American actor. His acting roles include Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie, John Bender in The Breakfast Club, Alec Newbury in St. Elmo's Fire, Alex in Cybermutt, Joe Hunt in Billionaire Boys Club, Nick Peretti in New Jack City, Billy Beretti in Empire, and Jack Richmond in the television series Suddenly Susan.
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film.
St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 American coming-of-age film co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Andie MacDowell and Mare Winningham. It centers on a clique of recent graduates of Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown University, and their adjustment to post-university life and the responsibilities of adulthood. The film is a prominent movie of the Brat Pack genre. It received negative reviews from critics but was a box-office hit, grossing $37.8 million on a $10 million budget.
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American coming-of-age teen comedy film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling, and Anthony Michael Hall. Written and directed by John Hughes in his directorial debut, it was the first in a string of films Hughes would direct, centering on teenage life. The film follows newly 16-year-old Samantha Baker (Ringwald), who deals with a seemingly unrequited crush on high school senior Jake Ryan (Schoeffling) while also being pursued by freshman Farmer Ted (Hall).
Long Duk Dong is a fictional character who appears in Sixteen Candles, a 1984 American coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes. Played by Japanese American actor Gedde Watanabe, the character is a Chinese foreign exchange student and a supporting character in the film set at a US suburban high school. The character has been called an offensive stereotype of Asian people.
Men at Work is a 1990 American action comedy thriller film written and directed by Emilio Estevez, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Charlie Sheen, Leslie Hope and Keith David. The film was released in the United States on August 24, 1990.
The Outsiders is a 1983 American coming-of-age crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is an adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton and was released on March 25, 1983, in the United States. Jo Ellen Misakian, a librarian at Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, and her students were responsible for inspiring Coppola to make the film.
Cassian Cary Elwes is a British independent film producer and talent agent.
Wisdom is a 1986 American romantic crime film written and directed by its star Emilio Estevez in his filmmaking debut. The film also stars Demi Moore, along with Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright as Estevez's parents. The ending credits song is "Home Again" by Oingo Boingo and the score by Danny Elfman.
Blue City is a 1986 American action thriller film directed by Michelle Manning and starring Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and David Caruso. It is based on Ross Macdonald's 1947 novel of the same name about a young man who returns to a corrupt small town in Florida to avenge the death of his father.
Craig J. Nevius is an American playwright, screenwriter and film producer. He is the owner of Windmill Entertainment LLC, a television development and production company that specializes in both scripted and unscripted projects with pop culture appeal.
The following is a list of unproduced John Hughes projects in roughly chronological order. Over the course of his career, American film director and writer John Hughes had worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage. Some of these productions fell into development hell or were officially cancelled, while others he decidedly dropped himself.
Brats is a 2024 documentary film, directed by Andrew McCarthy. It explores the Brat Pack, a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in coming-of-age films, and the impact on their lives and careers.
...ended up representing both the best and worst of the ambitious, materialistic 'Me' generation.
