The 1980s were a special time for teen movies. You had directors like John Hughes pumping out hit after hit with a stellar cast of '80s actors who all seemed like they really got what it was like to be a teenager. Of course, most of the actors were in their 20s at the time they played teens, but such is the nature of Hollywood. But now that four decades have passed since the '80s began (yes, we feel old, too), it's worth checking back in on some of these icons to see what they're up to today.
To be fair, most '80s stars continued acting and are still famous. We all know what people like Robert Downey Jr., John Stamos, and Tom Cruise are doing these days. But what about these other memorable film stars from the decade?
Then: Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy is probably best known for starring in the classic '80s films Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo's Fire. He wasn't a teen himself when he did, though. He was already 20 by 1982, and Pretty in Pink didn't come out until 1986. We guess his baby face helped him land some of those younger high school roles, huh?
Now: Andrew McCarthy
Andrew is still acting, and he kind of looks the same! (It's that baby face — it hardly aged.) He most recently appeared as an assassin on the show Good Girls. He's also stepped behind the camera. He directed 15 episodes of Orange Is the New Black and also worked on Good Girls and The Blacklist. He's now 58 years old.
Then: Judd Nelson
Judd Nelson is probably best known for playing bad boy John Bender in The Breakfast Club, but the '80s also featured him in hit movies like St. Elmo's Fire, Blue City, and From the Hip. He was already 25 when The Breakfast Club came out, so his ability to play high schoolers faded pretty quickly and he started taking more adult roles.
Now: Judd Nelson
Judd is 61 now, and he looks pretty unrecognizable — especially with the beard and glasses. Although he has continued acting, his career definitely peaked in the '80s. His most recent major role was as Billy Beretti in four episodes of Empire. He's also since become a voice actor for cartoon projects including Transformers: Power of the Primes and Ben 10: Omniverse.
Then: Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy was also in her 20s when she played teenagers in movies such as War Games and The Breakfast Club. She's also known for starring in St. Elmo's Fire, Blue City, and Twice in a Lifetime. The '80s are one of her best-known decades, but her 1990s film résumé isn't too shabby either. She was in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, High Art, and more.
Now: Ally Sheedy
Ally still acts, although not as much as she once did. She takes years off between projects and hasn't appeared in anything since 2019. She's probably best known in this decade for playing the dastardly Mr. Yang on Psych. When asked why she doesn't act as much now or in as high-profile of projects, she replied that it was most important to her to be challenged in her career. Simply put, she passes on a lot of things. "I may be poor, but I'm happy," she said.
Then: Molly Ringwald
Red-headed Molly Ringwald was one of writer/director John Hughes' favorite actors, and he cast her in everything from Sixteen Candles to Pretty in Pink to The Breakfast Club. She actually was a teen when all those films came out, so if she looked like a high schooler, it's because she was. She was 16 when Sixteen Candles debuted — go figure.
Now: Molly Ringwald
Molly is now 53 and still in the acting business. But these days, instead of playing the troubled teen, she's usually playing that teen's mom. She was the mother in The Secret Life of the American Teenager and she currently plays Archie's mom on Riverdale. Yep, that's how we know we're getting old — our teen icons are parents, too.
Then: Jennifer Grey
In the '80s, Jennifer Grey starred in such hits as Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, although she was already in her mid-20s when those both came out. (Not so much of a Baby, huh?) Shortly after she shot to fame, she infamously got a nose job that kind of stalled her career a bit. She looked so different than the actress fans had come to know.
Now: Jennifer Grey
The 61-year-old has continued to act, although rather infrequently. Most recently, she could be seen in the TV shows Red Oaks, Grey's Anatomy, and The Connors for multi-episode roles. She's also signed on to star in the upcoming Dirty Dancing reboot, which she is also directing.
Then: Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick was an '80s darling, starring in the hit films War Games and of course Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Still, he was already 21 when War Games came out and in his mid-20s when he played high schooler Ferris in the 1986 film. Basically everything we know about '80s so-called "teen" stars is a lie. They were nearly all over 20!
Now: Matthew Broderick
Matthew married fellow '80s teen star Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997, and the couple has three children together. He never stopped acting, and he's since appeared in 30 Rock, Deck the Halls, The Connors, Better Things, and more. Because he always had a bit of a baby face, his looks haven't changed that much, but it is weird to see Ferris Bueller with gray hair.
Then: Mia Sara
Ferris Bueller's girlfriend, Sloane, was played by Mia Sara, who also starred in such '80s films as Legend and Apprentice to Murder. The actress was 19 when Ferris Bueller's Day Off came out, and that's close enough to high school age. We'll take it over all these 25-plus actors playing teens. Does Hollywood think we can't tell?
Now: Mia Sara
Mia quit acting in 2013 and faded from the public spotlight. She's now married to Brian Henson, son of Muppets creator Jim Henson. She has two children, including one with Brian. Now 54, she leads a pretty quiet life with her family and occasionally writes poetry that she shares on Instagram.
Then: Ralph Macchio
Like most of his fellow "teen" '80s stars, Ralph Macchio was actually in his 20s when he starred in the Karate Kid franchise. Those three films were his best-known entries into '80s movie history, but he also appeared in The Outsiders, Teachers, and Crossroads in that decade. Still, he'll be Daniel LaRusso to us forever.
Now: Ralph Macchio
Ralph never stopped acting after the '80s. He went on to appear in projects including Ugly Betty and Psych, but now he's circled all the way back around to the gig that made him famous. He began reprising his Karate Kid role in the 2018 revival Cobra Kai, and he's never looked back. See? Daniel LaRusso forever — whether he's 23 or 59, he'll always be the Karate Kid.
Then: Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet played Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show for much of the '80s, and she actually was a real teenager during most of her time on the show. (Finally!) She continued playing the character on the spin-off A Different World, making it one of her best-known roles and one of the best-known in the '80s in general.
Now: Lisa Bonet
Lisa is 53 now and hasn't acted since 2017. But she's stayed pretty active in the Hollywood scene by virtue of being married to actor Jason Momoa of Game of Thrones and Aquaman fame. Lisa is also known for being Zoe Kravitz's mother from her previous relationship with Lenny Kravitz. It's quite a life that Lisa has led in her five decades on Earth.
Then: Phoebe Cates
Fast Times at Ridgemont High was only the second movie Phoebe Cates ever acted in, and it propelled her career to new heights. She was 19 when the high school classic came out, so at least she was still actually a teenager. She then went on to star in such iconic '80s films as Private School, Gremlins, and Date With an Angel.
Now: Phoebe Cates
Phoebe quit acting in 2001, briefly returning for a video game voice role in 2015. She now mostly stays out of the spotlight, although she was pictured at the 2017 Tony Awards with her Tony-winning husband, Kevin Kline. The couple has two children together. Phoebe seems content to live her life with them out of the limelight after spending so much time in it during her younger years.
