Summary

• The 1980s belonged to the "Brat Pack," a group of talented teen actors who starred in iconic coming-of-age films.
• Directed by the likes of John Hughes, movies like The Breakfast Club propelled these actors to stardom and teen idol status.
• While some members like Rob Lowe and Demi Moore still reign in Hollywood, others have carved their own path post-'80s fame.

In the 1980s, a group of young actors took over the film scene with successful teen coming-of-age films, earning them the nickname the “Brat Pack.” The nickname was inspired by the “Rat Pack” from the 1950s and 1960s. The “Rat Pack” included Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, and more, and the “Brat Pack” was expected to follow in their footsteps as they came of age. The “Brat Pack” were some of the biggest teen movie stars of the 1980s, and many of them are still big names in the industry.

Coming-of-age films ruled the 1980s, with strong contributions to the genre from writer-director John Hughes, including The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. These films made their actors big box office draws as audiences looked to the youth for the next great movie star. Occasionally, teen actors become prestigious movie stars, and audiences were banking on the “Brat Pack” to be next in line. Though it didn’t work out for everyone, they will forever be remembered as part of one of the most iconic groups of the 1980s.

Emilio Estevez

Emilio Estevez Is 62 Years Old

Actor and filmmaker Emilio Estevez was born on May 12, 1962 in New York City to actors Martin Sheen and Janet Templeton. With his upbringing, Estevez wanted to forge his own path, using his father’s more ethnic birth name rather than Sheen as his younger brother Charlie did. In 1982 at 20 years old, Estevez made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age film Tex with Mat Dillion, Jim Metzler, Meg Tilly, and more.

From there, Estevez starred in a series of popular coming-of-age films, including The Outsiders, The Breakfast Club, and St. Elmo’s Fire, which solidified him as a member of the “Brat Pack.” During the 1980s, Estevez also made his directorial debut with Wisdom. After starring in Mighty Ducks in 1992, he mainly focused on directing. He returned to the Mighty Duck franchise in 2021 for the shortlived spinoff series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.

Anthony Michael Hall

Anthony Michael Hall Is 56 Years Old

Actor Anthony Michael Hall was born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall in Boston on April 14, 1968. When he became an actor, there was already a Screen Actors Guild member going by Michael Hall, which led him to go by Anthony Michael Hall. In the 1980s, through films like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science, Hall became the industry’s most beloved geek, with him typecast in nice guy nerd roles.

Hall was the youngest member of the “Brat Pack.” He was just 14 when he had his breakthrough role in Six Pack and was only 22 when the 80s ended and the “Brat Pack” started to move on to different types of projects. In the 1990s, Hall tried to avoid playing the geeky characters he’d become known for, with 1990’s Edward Scissorhands being his only hit of the decade. From 2002 to 2007, he starred in The Dead Zone, and from 2019 to 2023, he had a recurring role in The Goldbergs.

Ally Sheedy

Ally Sheedy Is 61 Years Old