40 Years Later, We Still Love 'A Christmas Story'—But Where Is the Cast Now?

It's hard to believe it's been 40 years since the now-cult-classic holiday movie A Christmas Story first debuted. After all, the Christmas staple becomes more and more lauded with every passing year. What kind of world would it be if we didn't have the image of Flick's tongue sticking to the icy flagpole seared into our brains? Or if Old Man Parker never unearthed the iconic leg lamp from its box? Who would we be without Mother Parker's line, "You'll shoot your eye out!" when Ralphie confessed he wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas? The holidays just wouldn't be the same.

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But even though Bob Clark's A Christmas Story still feels like a moment frozen in time, its main characters—or rather, A Christmas Story's cast members—have aged and evolved well beyond 1983. Have you ever wondered what Mother, the Old Man, Ralphie, Randy, Flick and the rest of A Christmas Story's cast is doing now? For those of you who answered "yes!" we present: A Christmas Story cast, where are they now?

A Christmas Story cast: then and now

Peter Billingsley (Ralphie Parker) 

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker is one of the most recognizable kids in Christmas movies to date. His piercing blue eyes and chubby cheeks made him all the cuter to viewers as he pined over the Red Ryder BB Gun as his ultimate Christmas gift. Before nabbing his iconic role as Ralphie, Billingsley starred in a Hershey's chocolate syrup commercial in 1980 and appeared in a few TV movies and an episode of Little House on the Prairie.

If you think the kid who played Ralphie was a one-hit wonder, think again! In fact, Peter Billingsley also appears in another family-friendly cult-classic Christmas movie. And you may not have even realized it!

That’s right: Billingsley had a small, uncredited role 20 years later in 2003’s Elf. Billingsley played Ming Ming in the Will Ferrell-led film but that isn’t even Billingsley’s only other brush with Christmas fame. He also worked as a producer (and made a small cameo as the Ticket Agent) in Four Christmases starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

Billingsley has been a longtime friend of Vaughn and their work has crossed paths multiple times. In fact, Billingsley works for Vaughn’s production company and has directed him in films like Couples Retreat and Term Life. Billingsley executive-produced Iron Man in 2008, adapted A Christmas Story to Broadway in 2010, and executive-produced the TV show F Is For Family and 2020’s The Opening Act. He reprised his role as Ralphie in 2022's sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas.

Darren McGavin (Mr. Parker) 

Before taking on the iconic role of Ralphie’s father, known as the Old Man, in A Christmas Story, Darren McGavin was known for his roles in Mike Hammer, Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Riverboat. Despite his other roles, America will likely always picture him as the grumpy Old Man Parker.

Post-ACS, McGavin continued to act, appearing in The X-Files, Billy Madison (as Brian Madison, Adam Sandler’s dad) and Murphy Brown—the latter for which McGavin’s guest appearance nabbed him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. McGavin continued acting until he retired in 1999. He died in 2006 at age 83.

Related: 100+ Best Christmas Movies To Watch This Holiday Season

Melinda Dillon (Mrs. Parker) 

Before she told Ralphie he'd shoot his eye out, Melinda Dillon was already successful in the industry. By the time she filmed A Christmas Story, Dillon had been nominated for a Tony for her theater work and an Oscar for her role in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

According to the official A Christmas Story House website, Dillon has since become rather private. She did act, however, after A Christmas Story, appearing in an episode of Law & Order: SVU, Absence of Malice (for which she received her second Oscar nom), The Prince of Tides, How to Make an American Quilt and more than a dozen TV movies. Dillon has not acted since 2007 when she last appeared in Heartland. She did not appear in A Christmas Story Christmas and died in early 2023. 

Ian Petrella (Randy Parker) 

Ian Petrella played Randy Parker in the A Christmas Story. At the ripe old age of 3, Petrella started acting. Since A Christmas Story, he’s made one-off appearances here and there—on Different Strokes, Who’s the Boss?, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Mr. President to name a few. When he was still a teenager, he became the youngest member of the L.A. comedy troupe The Groundlings and according to the A Christmas Story House official website, Petrella has been studying marionette puppetry and animation in more recent years. He even owns a production company for which he focuses on animation, and he appeared in A Christmas Story Christmas. 

Related: It's a Wonderful Lifetime! Feel-Good Network Rolls Out Lineup of 2023 Christmas Movies

Zack Ward (Scut Farkus) 

Scut Farkus was Zack Ward's breakout role. Since playing bully Scut Farkus in A Christmas Story, Zack Ward has amassed more than 100 acting credits. The now-married actor has appeared in American Horror Story, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mike and Molly, Liv and Maddie, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-O, Cold Case, Transformers and so much more. And he reprised his role in the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas.

R.D. Robb (Schwartz) 

R.D. Robb played Ralphie's friend, Schwartz, and you may recognize him from the iconic flagpole scene. (Although it wasn't him who was triple-dog-dared.)

You may also recognize Robb from The Brady Bunch Movie, Matilda and The Goldbergs. He also directed a short film in 1995 starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Macguire. However, when Robb and his co-producer attempted to re-release it as a full-length movie Don's Plum, DiCaprio and Macguire sued. In more recent years, he appeared in three episodes of The Goldbergs and produced the Freeform series Siren. He too reprised his role in the sequel to A Christmas Story.

Scott Schwartz (Flick) 

Who could forget when Flick (Scott Schwartz) got his tongue stuck to an icy flagpole? Schwartz has children laughing to this day thanks to the iconic scene, but his post-A Christmas Story ventures are far less family-friendly. In the 1990s, Schwartz began managing projects in the adult film industry. In fact, he even appeared in a few! But by 2000, he left the industry, once again bitten by the acting bug. In 2006, he started a line of celebrity trading cards. According to his IMDB page, his most recent acting forays include two 2020 movies: A Wrestling Christmas Miracle and Normal Terror. He also appeared in a 2020 series called The Quarantine Bunch, a show-slash-support-group about how former child stars cope. He followed those roles with slasher flicks Doll Killer 2 and Normal Terror. He also returned for A Christmas Story Christmas.

Next, Find Out Where the Halloween Cast Is Today