The cast of ‘The Breakfast Club’ in 1985. From left: Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall.Photo:Courtesy Everett
Courtesy Everett
Forty years ago, high school movies changed forever with the release ofThe Breakfast Club. TheJohn Hughes-directed film hit theaters on Feb. 15, 1985. It was the second movie Hughes, who died in 2009 at age 59, directed that focused on teenagers afterSixteen Candles, and the movie’s stars later became known as part of the so-calledBrat Pack.
The Breakfast ClubstarredEmilio Estevez,Molly Ringwald,Anthony Michael Hall,Ally SheedyandJudd Nelsonas five teenagers with Saturday detention, plus Paul Gleason as vice principal Richard Vernon. Each of the teens embodied a different trope from high school life, but they slowly opened up to each other over the course of their time together.
Ahead, catch up with the cast ofThe Breakfast Cluband where they are now.
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Emilio Estevez as Andrew in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Emilio Estevez in 2023.Alamy; Jason Mendez/Getty
Alamy; Jason Mendez/Getty
Emilio Estevez played Andrew Clark, the “athlete,” He landed in Saturday detention for taping a student’s butt cheeks together, hoping to win over both his teammates and his domineering father. He ends up having a romantic connection with Sheedy’s Allison.
Estevez, theson of Martin Sheenand brother of Charlie Sheen, also starred inSt. Elmo’s Firethat year, and it wasan articlethat was intended to be a profile of him that first used the phrase the “Brat Pack.”
Estevez played a younger version of his dad onThe West Wingand directed episodes ofCold Case,CSI: NYandNumb3rs. He also appeared on his brother’s seriesTwo and a Half Men.
Estevez shares two children, Taylor Levi Estevez and Paloma Estevez, with former girlfriend Carey Salley. He was married toPaula Abdulfrom 1992 to 1994.
02of 07Anthony Michael Hall as Brian JohnsonAnthony Michael Hall as Brian in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Anthony Michael Hall in 2024.Courtesy Everett; Phillip Faraone/GettyAnthony Michael Hall played Brian Johnson, the Breakfast Club’s “brain.” Brian lands in detention when, under pressure after he fails shop class, he brings a flare gun to school.Hall — a former child star who was just 17 when the film was released — told PEOPLE that even though he was typecast as a nerd (in bothThe Breakfast ClubandSixteen Candles) he did not actually excel in school.In 1992, Hall opened up to PEOPLE about his problems with alcohol, explaining that he first started drinking at age 13. He appeared on one season ofSaturday Night Livein 1985 and turned down roles in Hughes’Ferris Bueller’s Day OffandPretty in Pinkbecause he didn’t want to be typecast.Hall went on to appear in movies likeEdward Scissorhands,Six Degrees of Separation,All About the Benjamins,The Dark Knight,Foxcatcher,Halloween KillsandAir Force One Down. In 2024, Hall shared with PEOPLE thathe reunited with his castmates Ringwald, Nelson and Sheedyon his birthday when they all attended Comic-Con and went out for dinner.The foursome reunited againin February 2025 to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary at MegaCon in Florida.In 2023, Hall welcomedhis first child, Michael Anthony, withwife Lucia Hall, whom he married in 2020.
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Anthony Michael Hall as Brian in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Anthony Michael Hall in 2024.Courtesy Everett; Phillip Faraone/Getty
Courtesy Everett; Phillip Faraone/Getty
Anthony Michael Hall played Brian Johnson, the Breakfast Club’s “brain.” Brian lands in detention when, under pressure after he fails shop class, he brings a flare gun to school.
Hall — a former child star who was just 17 when the film was released — told PEOPLE that even though he was typecast as a nerd (in bothThe Breakfast ClubandSixteen Candles) he did not actually excel in school.
In 1992, Hall opened up to PEOPLE about his problems with alcohol, explaining that he first started drinking at age 13. He appeared on one season ofSaturday Night Livein 1985 and turned down roles in Hughes’Ferris Bueller’s Day OffandPretty in Pinkbecause he didn’t want to be typecast.
Hall went on to appear in movies likeEdward Scissorhands,Six Degrees of Separation,All About the Benjamins,The Dark Knight,Foxcatcher,Halloween KillsandAir Force One Down. In 2024, Hall shared with PEOPLE thathe reunited with his castmates Ringwald, Nelson and Sheedyon his birthday when they all attended Comic-Con and went out for dinner.The foursome reunited againin February 2025 to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary at MegaCon in Florida.
In 2023, Hall welcomedhis first child, Michael Anthony, withwife Lucia Hall, whom he married in 2020.
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Judd Nelson as John in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Judd Nelson in 2024.Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Paul Archuleta/Getty
Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Paul Archuleta/Getty
Judd Nelson portrayed John Bender, the “criminal” burnout kid who ends up in detention after he sets off the fire alarm. He ends up connecting with Ringwald’s Claire at the end of the film.
Nelson also appeared inSt. Elmo’s Fireand provided a voice in 1986’sThe Transformers: The Movie. He continued to appear in films likeFrom the Hip,New Jack City,Conflict of Interest,Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,Billionaire Boys ClubandThe Most Dangerous Game.
04of 07Molly Ringwald as Claire StandishMolly Ringwald as Claire in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Molly Ringwald in 2024.Alamy; Kristina Bumphrey/GettyMolly Ringwald played Claire, the “princess” of the group who got caught skipping school. “[She’s] the girl you grew up hating," Ringwald told PEOPLE in 1984. “A prima donna. She’s like the total prom queen.“Ringwald went on to star in the high school classicPretty in Pink. She then starred in two final teen movies,For KeepsandFresh Horses, both released in 1988. “People have so many positive associations with those films, so usually when they see me, they’re pretty happy,” she told PEOPLE in 2020. “I love all my projects, but they’ll always have a place in my heart.”But she also didn’t want to dwell on the past. “I mean, I’m always going to have that history and those films, but I also very much live in the present. I like to keep moving forward,” she said, adding that she often turned down projects that dealt with the ‘80s.Because of her iconic teen stardom, Ringwald originally struggled to transition into more adult roles. In the ‘90s, she spent time in France and in French films and also began appearing more on television, including in the miniseriesThe Stand. In 2008, she starred inThe Secret Life of the American Teenager. Beginning in 2017, she played Betty’s mom onRiverdale. She also appeared inThe Bear,Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,Single Drunk Female(which also starred Sheedy) andFeud: Capote vs. The Swans.Ringwald marriedPanio Gianopoulosin 2007. They welcomed daughter Mathilda in 2003 and twins Adele and Roman in 2009.
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Molly Ringwald as Claire in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Molly Ringwald in 2024.Alamy; Kristina Bumphrey/Getty
Alamy; Kristina Bumphrey/Getty
Molly Ringwald played Claire, the “princess” of the group who got caught skipping school. “[She’s] the girl you grew up hating,” Ringwald told PEOPLE in 1984. “A prima donna. She’s like the total prom queen.”
Ringwald went on to star in the high school classicPretty in Pink. She then starred in two final teen movies,For KeepsandFresh Horses, both released in 1988. “People have so many positive associations with those films, so usually when they see me, they’re pretty happy,” she told PEOPLE in 2020. “I love all my projects, but they’ll always have a place in my heart.”
But she also didn’t want to dwell on the past. “I mean, I’m always going to have that history and those films, but I also very much live in the present. I like to keep moving forward,” she said, adding that she often turned down projects that dealt with the ‘80s.
Because of her iconic teen stardom, Ringwald originally struggled to transition into more adult roles. In the ‘90s, she spent time in France and in French films and also began appearing more on television, including in the miniseriesThe Stand. In 2008, she starred inThe Secret Life of the American Teenager. Beginning in 2017, she played Betty’s mom onRiverdale. She also appeared inThe Bear,Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,Single Drunk Female(which also starred Sheedy) andFeud: Capote vs. The Swans.
Ringwald marriedPanio Gianopoulosin 2007. They welcomed daughter Mathilda in 2003 and twins Adele and Roman in 2009.
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Ally Sheedy as Allison in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Ally Sheedy in 2022.Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock; Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Ally Sheedy starred as Allison Reynolds, the “basket case.” She wasn’t actually sentenced to detention but ends up connecting with Andrew (and undergoinga somewhat controversial makeover) during the film.
Sheedy also appeared in the Brat Pack moviesOxford Blues,St. Elmo’s FireandBlue City. InAndrew McCarthy’s 2024 documentaryBrats, Sheedy said she thought the “Brat Pack” label hurt her career. “I felt a weird vibe in the room if I went in to audition [after the article], like the circle had turned around, and we all had to pay the price … There was a glee, a schadenfreude, to writing us off,” she said.
Still,she told PEOPLE in 2022, “I’m always happy to talk aboutThe Breakfast Club. I still really love it!”
In 2021, Sheedy became a professor in the theater department at the City College of New York.
Sheedy went to rehab in the late ‘80s after she became addicted to sleeping pills. In 1992, she married David Lansbury, the nephew ofAngela Lansbury. They divorced in 2008 and share son Beckett.
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Paul Gleason as Richard Vernon in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’ (left); Paul Gleason in 2005.Alamy; SGranitz/WireImage
Alamy; SGranitz/WireImage
Paul Gleason played vice principal Richard Vernon, who oversees Saturday detention. Before the movie, Gleason appeared widely on television, including in a recurring role onAll My Children. PostThe Breakfast Club, he appeared on episodes ofDallas,The A-Team,Miami ViceandFalcon Crest, amongst many others. In 1988, he appeared inDie Hard.
“You don’t turn down work, man. You work cheap, you work a lot. That’s my motto,” Gleason said inan interviewon the set ofThe Breakfast Club. He praised his cast members, calling them all “very talented” and “better than adults.” He said that acting is “a very childlike thing,” and that working with them awakened his own “dormant impulses.” He also praised director Hughes for letting them “collaborate.”
Gleason was married to actress Candy Moore from 1971 to 1978. They shared daughter Shannon. In 1995, he married Susan Kehl, with whom he shared daughter Kaitlin.
Gleason died from mesothelioma in 2006. He was 67.
07of 07John Kapelos as Carl ReedJohn Kapelos as Carl Reed in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’; John Kapelos in 2019.Alamy; Eric Charbonneau/GettyJohn Kapelos played Carl Reed, the high school’s friendly janitor. Kapelos had also appeared in a small role inSixteen Candlesand in Hughes’Weird Sciencein 1985.Kapelos started his acting career in comedy at Chicago’s Second City and he had just decided he wanted to get into films when Hughes came to the Windy City to filmSixteen Candles. “As luck would have it, John Hughes wanted to meet a lot of local actors,” Kapelos toldRediscover the ‘80sin 2019. Kapelos also said that inThe Breakfast Club, Hughes let him improvise a lot, but he ultimately cut a lot of those lines.Kapelos’ other films included 1987’sRoxanne, 1996’sThe Craft, 1999’sThe Deep End of the Ocean, 2001’sLegally Blondeand 2018’sThe Unicorn. He also appeared on episodes ofSeinfeld,ER,The X-Files,Frasier,Gilmore GirlsandOne Tree Hill. Most recently, he appeared onDays of Our Lives.
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John Kapelos as Carl Reed in 1985’s ‘The Breakfast Club’; John Kapelos in 2019.Alamy; Eric Charbonneau/Getty
Alamy; Eric Charbonneau/Getty
John Kapelos played Carl Reed, the high school’s friendly janitor. Kapelos had also appeared in a small role inSixteen Candlesand in Hughes’Weird Sciencein 1985.
Kapelos started his acting career in comedy at Chicago’s Second City and he had just decided he wanted to get into films when Hughes came to the Windy City to filmSixteen Candles. “As luck would have it, John Hughes wanted to meet a lot of local actors,” Kapelos toldRediscover the ‘80sin 2019. Kapelos also said that inThe Breakfast Club, Hughes let him improvise a lot, but he ultimately cut a lot of those lines.
Kapelos' other films included 1987’sRoxanne, 1996’sThe Craft, 1999’sThe Deep End of the Ocean, 2001’sLegally Blondeand 2018’sThe Unicorn. He also appeared on episodes ofSeinfeld,ER,The X-Files,Frasier,Gilmore GirlsandOne Tree Hill. Most recently, he appeared onDays of Our Lives.
source: people.com