Where Are These 15 Beloved Brat Pack Actors Now?

At the height of their popularity, the Brat Pack was everywhere. The term was given to a group of actors in the 1980s who were highly successful while they were still in their twenties and often starred in coming-of-age films together.

A play on the “Rat Pack” of the 1950s, the Brat Pack is the subject of a new documentary on Hulu called Brats, about the halcyon times that they all enjoyed.

To qualify as a “core” Brat Pack member, in general one had to star in two John Hughes films — St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club. Other members of the crew joined after those films or may have simply partied with the original members. But where are the actors of the infamous clique today?

1. Molly Ringwald

Originally coming to prominence in Sixteen Candles, Molly Ringwald became the “It Girl” of the Brat Pack. In addition to starring in St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club, Ringwald starred in Pretty in Pink, The Pick-Up Artist, and For Keeps. 

After the latter film, Ringwald tried to move to more “mature” roles, as she did with the critical flop Fresh Horses, but found the transition difficult. For a time, she moved to France and acted in French films, but periodically popped up in more mature fare like Betsy’s Wedding and The Stand.

Today, Ringwald shares three children with her second husband, walked her first New York Fashion Week runway in 2024 and earned critical and commercial success for her role as Mary Andrews in Riverdale.

2. Judd Nelson

Judd Nelson got his start in the film Fandango opposite Kevin Costner. Though he starred in St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club, Nelson chose a more diverse acting fare than his Brat Pack counterparts. He provided the voice of Hot Rod in the 1986 animated film, Transformers: The Movie, then starred opposite the legendary Max von Sydow in Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes. Nelson also diversified his slate with some television roles, including The Outer Limits, CSI: Las Vegas, and Two and a Half Men. He also authored several books.

Today, Nelson lives in Los Angeles with his two rescued pit bulls.

3. Emilio Estevez

The son of actor Martin Sheen, and the brother of notorious bad boy Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez was a nepo baby as well as a Brat Pack-er. Originally getting his mainstream start in the film The Outsiders, Estevez became the unofficial “President” of the “pack” for his roles in St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club. Choosing a more comedic route with his career after the halcyon 1980s, Estevez made his mark on Hollywood with roles in Men at Work, Stakeout, and The Mighty Ducks.

Today, Estevez is better known for his work behind the camera, most notably for the 2006 film Bobby. He lives in Los Angeles and has two adult children with former model Carey Salley.

4. Ally Sheedy

Like other core members of the Brat Pack, Ally Sheedy starred in St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club, playing more intellectual roles than Ringwald’s “It Girl” character. Sheedy’s career took a more theatrical route than her counterparts, as she proved when she took over the lead role of the 1999 off-Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She also starred in The Dead Zone, Sugar Town, and High Art.

Today, Sheedy works as a a professor at the City College of New York of the City University of New York, where she teaches theater. She has a son, Beckett Lansbury, the great-nephew of the late, great Angela Lansbury.

5. Rob Lowe

Originally getting his start as a “video vixen” for The Go-Gos song, “I Turn To You,” Rob Lowe translated his classic good looks into a career in Hollywood.

In addition to The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire, Lowe also starred in About Last Night… and The Stand (alongside fellow Brat Pack-er Molly Ringwald). But his career hit the skids in 1988, when he was the subject of a salacious s*x tape scandal. At the time, Lowe was campaigning for Michael Dukakis. One of the subjects of the tape was only 16 years old at the time of its recording (Lowe was 24), and the coverage was nothing if not questionable, with outlets alleging that the teenager had tried to “blackmail” Lowe for $2 million.

Today, Lowe is a spokesperson for Atkins weight loss products and continues to work as an actor, most recently on the Netflix show Unstable. Lowe also hosts the Fox game show The Floor.

6. Anthony Michael Hall

Another nepo baby in the pack, Anthony Michael Hall, is only son of Boston-based jazz musician Mercedes Hall. Originally getting his start as Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation, Hall played “geeky” roles in The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science, where he often starred alongside other Brat Pack members. But in the 1990s, Hall began diversifying his roles to avoid the “geek” typecast, taking on a villainous role in Edward Scissorhands and a dramatic role in Six Degrees of Separation (opposite Will Smith).

Today, Hall lives in California and runs a literacy program, The Anthony Michael Hall Literacy Club, with Chapman University.

7. Andrew McCarthy

New Jersey native Andrew McCarthy was one of the few Brat Pack actors who avoided the label, even at the peak of its popularity. Though he, too, starred in St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink, McCarthy diversified his acting fare with roles in films like Mannequin, Heaven Help Us, and Less Than Zero. He also had a Broadway run, starring in The Boys of Winter and Side Man.

McCarthy made headlines when he got into it with Vincent D’Onofrio, causing him to lose a guest starring role on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. McCarthy ultimately got to play that role when Chris Noth reprised his role as Det. Mike Logan on the show, replacing D’Onofrio.

Today, McCarthy is best known for his award-winning directorial work, including on such shows as Gossip Girl, White Collar, The Blacklist, and Orange is the New Black. He has three adult children and is married to Dolores Rice.

8. Demi Moore

Before she became an international superstar and the ex-wife of both Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore enjoyed notoriety as a member of the Brat Pack. She got her start on General Hospital before turning to films, and became a superstar on the strength of St. Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night…, and A Few Good Men.

Considered one of the most bankable stars of the 1980s and 1990s, Moore’s career has had its share of peaks and valleys, though she’s recovered a bit thanks to roles on Empire and in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. Her memoir, Inside Out, became a New York Times bestseller.

9. Jon Cryer

Originally securing a breakout role as Duckie in Pretty in Pink, Jon Cryer weaved in and out of Brat Pack circles. The son of a minister who got his start on the stage in Torch Song Trilogy, Cryer struggled with finding his niche on television until 2003, when he earned a spot opposite Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. Thanks to this role, he earned nominations for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, winning twice for his role as Alan Harper.

Today, Cryer lives with his second wife, Lisa Joyner, and their adopted daughter. He also shares a son with British actress Sarah Trigger.

10. Mare Winningham

Of all the members of the Brat Pack, Mare Winningham has led the most interesting life and career. In addition to winning two Primetime Emmys, Winningham has been nominated for and Oscar, two Golden Globes and two Tony Awards. She’s also alternated her acting career with her musical career, and recorded four folk albums. Raised Catholic, the Phoenix native converted to Judaism and began recording Jewish folk songs as part of her newfound devotion to her faith.

In 2021, Winningham and longtime friend, E.R. actor Anthony Edwards, eloped.

11. James Spader

James Spader started out as a Brat Pack affiliate but quickly became an acclaimed character actor. After starring in Pretty in Pink with Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer, Spader began taking more morally ambiguous roles in White Palace, True Colors, and 2 Days in the Valley. He also joined the MCU in the role of Ulton in Avengers: Age of Ulton.

Spader’s best-known roles, though, are as Raymond Reddington in The Blacklist and as Alan Shore in The Practice and Boston Legal. He has also won three Primetime Emmy Awards, and scored nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and ten Screen Actors Guild Awards.

12. Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland, the son of the late legendary Donald Sutherland, is another Brat Pack affiliate who quickly earned the reputation of partying with the best of them. He starred in the film Young Guns opposite Emilio Estevez and Lou Diamond Philips, but also secured roles in Flatliners, At Close Range, and The Lost Boys. Though his film career began floundering in the early 2000s, he earned a whole new audience with his role as Jack Bauer in 24.

Today, Sutherland lives in Toluca Lake, California, with his longtime girlfriend Cindy Vela. He also has a daughter, Sarah, who portrayed Catherine Meyer in Veep.

13. Jami Gertz

Another Brat Pack affiliate: Jami Gertz, who starred opposite Andrew McCarthy in Less Than Zero. After getting discovered by Norman Lear and appearing on an episode of Diff’rent Strokes, Gertz also starred in a series of “Pack”-affiliated films, including The Lost Boys. Gertz, however, made her mark in television, including a guest role in Seinfeld and breakthrough roles in Ally McBeal, E.R., and The Neighbors.

Gertz has been married to billionaire investor Tony Ressler since 1989, with whom she shares three children. Ressler is part of the investment group that co-owns sports teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Hawks.

14. Lea Thompson

Originally getting her start as a ballet dancer in Mikhail Baryshnikov’s American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company, Thompson became a star for her role as Lorraine McFly in Back to the Future, even though she had a tangential connection to the Brat Pack. Thompson’s diverse career spans films like Howard the Duck and The Beverly Hillbillies, and television shows like Caroline in the City and Star Trek: Picard.

Thompson married Pretty in Pink director Howard Deutch, with whom she shares two children: actresses Madelyn Deutch and Zoey Deutch.

15. Robert Downey Jr.

Few actors have had quite the comeback as Robert Downey Jr. After his Brat Pack-affiliated roles in films like Less Than Zero and Air America, he fell on hard times. Law enforcement arrested him several times between 1996 and 2001 for addiction-related issues. After production companies refused to cast him in films due to these issues, Mel Gibson paid his surety bond and he got his comeback role in The Singing Detective.

Today, after earning critical and commercial acclaim in the MCU as Iron Man, Downey Jr. won his first Academy Award for his role in Oppenheimer.