THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'A Christmas Story' 40 years later
"A Christmas Story," one of the most beloved holiday films ever, is 40 years old.
After four decades, many of the original cast reunited for "A Christmas Story Christmas" last year.
Today, most of the child actors don't act much anymore.
Peter Billingsley starred in "A Christmas Story" as Ralphie, the main character.
"A Christmas Story" is about the holiday season of 1940, narrated by an older, adult Ralphie.
The film is a series of vignettes about Ralphie's home life, his family, and his friends. All he wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder BB gun, even though all the adults in his life think he'll shoot his eye out if he gets one.
Ralphie is adorable, and he remains relatable to kids 40 years later.
Billingsley returned to play Ralphie again in "A Christmas Story Christmas" in 2022.
Billingsley, 52, acted sporadically throughout the '80s and '90s before focusing on producing in the 2000s.
He's close friends with Jon Favreau, and he has produced many of his films, including "Made" and "Zathura." Billingsley also co-produced "Elf," "Four Christmases," and "Iron Man," and had small roles in each.
Billingsley made his directorial debut in 2009 with "Couples Retreat," written by Favreau.
He reprised his brief "Iron Man" role in "Spider-Man: Far From Home."
In 2022, he played Ralphie for the first time in almost 40 years when he reprised the role in "A Christmas Story Christmas," which sees a grown-up, married-with-kids Ralphie return to his hometown for the holidays.
Ian Petrella played Ralphie's younger brother, Randy.
Randy is Ralphie's younger, whiny brother.
His most famous scene, arguably, is when he smashes his face into his dinner because he's imitating a pig, much to the amusement of his mother, and disgust of his father and brother.
Petrella works in animation and puppeteering now. He also returned for the 2022 sequel.
Petrella's acting career essentially ended in the '90s, after he appeared in episodes of shows like "Who's the Boss," "My Sister Sam," and "Beverly Hills, 90210."
The 48-year-old is now, according to IMDb, mainly working as a puppeteer, and has also gotten into cartooning, animating, and producing.
He reprised the role of Randy in "A Christmas Story Christmas."
Scott Schwartz played Flick, Ralphie's friend who famously got his tongue stuck to the flagpole.
The iconic scene remains hilarious decades later. That's Flick's main role, though he does pop up at the end when Ralphie finally confronts his bullies.
Schwartz also reprised his role in "A Christmas Story Christmas."
Schwartz, 55, got involved with the adult film business in the '90s, before focusing on the collectibles industry in the 2000s, according to the "Christmas Story" House and Museum.
According to IMDb, he's appeared in various TV movies and horror films like "Doll Killer 2" and "Normal Terror."
Schwartz returned in "A Christmas Story Christmas" as a grown-up Flick who owns a bar in their hometown, aptly named Flick's.
Flick offers Ralphie's son a job bartending during the film.
R. D. Robb played another one of Ralphie's friends, Schwartz.
Schwartz bet Flick he wouldn't lick the flagpole, so we have him to thank for the iconic scene.
Robb wrote and directed the famously unreleased film "Don's Plum," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Robb also reprised his role in the 2022 "Christmas Story" sequel.
Robb, 50, appeared in two '90s classics: "The Brady Bunch Movie" and "Matilda." But after that, his acting career slowed down.
Also in the '90s, Robb directed and co-wrote the largely improvised film "Don's Plum," which starred DiCaprio and Maguire, as well as Kevin Connolly, Jenny Lewis, Amber Benson, Jeremy Sisto, and more.
The film was never officially released, as DiCaprio and Maguire sued the producers, claiming they'd signed on for a short film, not a feature-length film, reported The Guardian.
But in 2016, a website called freedonsplum.com emerged, and as of August 2022, the film's producer Dale Wheatley was emailing the film to anyone who wanted it.
Besides that, Robb also recently appeared in an episode of the '80s nostalgia sitcom "The Goldbergs" and in "A Christmas Story Christmas."
Zack Ward played the neighborhood bully Scut Farkus.
Scut is the main antagonist of "A Christmas Story," as he pops up throughout the film to torment Ralphie and his friends until the very end, when Ralphie decides he's had enough of it.
Ward has appeared in many TV shows over the years. He also reprised his role of Scut in 2022.
Ward, 53, has appeared in dozens of projects over the last four decades, including "Almost Famous," "Transformers," "Anne of Green Gables," "Deadwood," "All of Us," "CSI," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "American Horror Story: Cult," and most recently, "Z Nation."
In the "Christmas Story" sequel, it's revealed that Scut is a police officer, and that his last confrontation with Ralphie in the original movie set him on a better path.
"Honestly, 'A Christmas Story' is an experience that has changed my entire life," Ward told The Dallas Morning News in 2022. "Everywhere I go, people are incredibly kind, even before they've met me. They look at me and smile as if I'm some long-lost relative."
Yano Anaya played Grover Dill, another bully.
Grover was mainly Scut's short sidekick.
Anaya doesn't act much anymore — besides the "Christmas Story" sequel, he hadn't really acted since the '80s.
Anaya, 51, appeared in four projects by 1988: "A Christmas Story," the music video for Van Halen's song "Hot for Teacher," "Better Off Dead...," and "The Blue Iguana." He then didn't appear on screen again until 2021, when he appeared in "Sunday Mornings."
In the years since, he's worked as a trainer and health consultant, according to his social media profiles.
In the sequel, Grover appears in one of Ralphie's dream sequences, still as a bully Ralphie was afraid of.
Tedde Moore played Ralphie's teacher, Miss Shields.
Moore has the distinction of being the only cast member from the original "Christmas Story" to appear in the 1994 sequel, "My Summer Story," which recast every other role due to the long time between sequels.
Moore has continued to act, while her son, Noah Shebib, is a music producer known as 40, who works closely with Drake.
Moore, 76, has worked in Hollywood for decades. Most recently, she appeared in the miniseries "The Kennedys," the holiday film "Mistletoe over Manhattan," and another holiday film, "Magical Christmas Ornaments."
Her son, 40, is one of the most prolific rap producers in history, according to Rolling Stone. Besides Drake, with whom he founded OVO Records, 40 has worked with Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Rick Ross, and Jamie Foxx, among others.
Melinda Dillon played Ralphie and Randy's mother, Mrs. Parker. Dillon died in 2023 at the age of 83.
Mrs. Parker was the stern, yet loving mother of Ralphie and Randy.
Memorably, she and her husband, the Old Man, get into a fight about the iconic leg lamp that he won in a contest — she hates it and he wants to keep it in the window.
Dillon was an accomplished, Tony-nominated and Oscar-nominated actress before she joined the cast of "A Christmas Story."
She also appeared in other projects like "Harry and the Hendersons," "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," and "Magnolia."
She earned her Oscar nominations for her performance in the 1977 sci-fi classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," directed by Steven Spielberg, and for her performance in the 1981 neo-noir film "Absence of Malice."
As Dillon retired in 2007, she was replaced by Julie Hagerty in "A Christmas Story Christmas."
Dillon died in January 2023 at the age of 83.
Darren McGavin played Ralphie's father, the Old Man. McGavin died in 2006.
McGavin was also known for his roles in "Murphy Brown," which he won an Emmy for, "Billy Madison," "Dead Heat," "Kolchak: Night Stalker," "The Natural," and more.
He died in 2006 at 83 years old,
Jean Shepherd wrote the book the story was based on, and he narrated the film. He died in 1999.
Shepherd was one of the most famous radio personalities in the US in the '50s and '60s. He performed monologues, many of which made it into his book "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash," which was published in 1966. This was the basis of "A Christmas Story."
Shepherd also has a cameo in the film as a holiday shopper.
He died in 1999.
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