It’s incredible to think that A Christmas Story, a beloved holiday classic, has been around for almost 40 years. After all, the traditional Christmas item gains popularity year after year. If we didn’t have the mental image of Flick’s tongue adhering to the frosty flagpole, what kind of world would it be? Or what if Old Man Parker never took the recognisable leg lamp out of its packaging? Without Mother Parker’s remark, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” in response to Ralphie’s admission that he wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, who would we be? Simply put, the holidays wouldn’t be the same.
The cast of A Christmas Story has matured and changed significantly since the film’s release in 1983, despite the fact that Bob Clark’s classic still seems to have been frozen in time. Have you ever pondered the whereabouts of Mother, the Old Man, Ralphie, Randy, Flick, and the other members of the cast of A Christmas Story? We provide the following to those of you who said “yes”: The cast of A Christmas Story, where are they now?
A Christmas Story Cast Today
One of the most iconic children’s faces in Christmas movies is Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker. He was even prettier to viewers because to his plump cheeks and piercing blue eyes as he yearned for the Red Ryder BB Gun as his ideal Christmas present. Billingsley appeared in a few TV movies, a Little House on the Prairie episode, and a Hershey’s chocolate syrup ad in 1980 before landing the legendary part of Ralphie.
Jeff Gillen directed Deranged: Confessions of a Necrophile and starred in a few other films before landing the role of the meanest mall Santa Claus in A Christmas Story.
Darren McGavin in 1985
Darren McGavin was well-known for his roles in Mike Hammer, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Riverboat before he assumed the iconic part of Ralphie’s father, referred to as the Old Man, in A Christmas Story. America will probably always remember him as the cranky Old Man Parker, notwithstanding his numerous appearances.
Darren McGavin in 1991
After ACS, McGavin kept acting, making appearances in The X-Files, Billy Madison (playing Brian Madison, Adam Sandler’s father), and Murphy Brown, for which his guest role earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Ac tor in a Comedy Series. Laura Luongo/Liaison Up until his passing in 2006 at the age of 83, McGavin kept performing.
Deranged, Directed by Jeff Gillen
Gillen had previously acted in a handful of Bob Clark’s films, but his acting career came to an abrupt end after he played the villainous Santa Claus in A Christmas Story, who pushes Ralphie down the slide with his foot and declares he despises the scent of tapioca. Next, according to his IMDB, Gillen acted as “Man in a Restroom” in Only Fools and Horses on TV and as “Thief’s Victim” in Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach. Additionally, he founded and served as president of the production firm known as Great Southern Studios. Sadly, a heart attack claimed Gillen’s life in 1995.
Gillen had previously acted in a handful of Bob Clark’s films, but his acting career came to an abrupt end after he played the villainous Santa Claus in A Christmas Story, who pushes Ralphie down the slide with his foot and declares he despises the scent of tapioca. Next, according to his IMDB, Gillen acted as “Man in a Restroom” in Only Fools and Horses on TV and as “Thief’s Victim” in Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach. Additionally, he founded and served as president of the production firm known as Great Southern Studios. Sadly, a heart attack claimed Gillen’s life in 1995.
Melinda Dillon in 1999
Melinda Dillon had already achieved success in the field before she threatened Ralphie with having his eye shot out. Dillon had already received Tony nominations for her stage work and an Oscar nomination for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind by the time she started filming A Christmas Story.
Melinda Dillon Now
Recently, Dillon became 83 years old. Dillon has reportedly changed and is now a lot more private, according to the official A Christmas Story House website. After A Christmas Story, she continued to act in numerous TV movies and episodes of Law & Order: SVU, Absence of Malice (for which she received her second Oscar nomination), The Prince of Tides, and How to Make an American Quilt. Dillon hasn’t had a role since she last starred in Heartland in 2007. She is shown here alongside Billingsley and Schwartz, two other ACS alumni. She won’t appear in the follow-up to “A Christmas Story.”
Patty Johnson and Drew Hocevar in A Christmas Story
The most intriguing part of A Christmas Story is not where Patty Johnson (Head Elf) and Drew Hocevar (Male Elf) ended up after the film, but rather how they got there. According to the A Christmas Story House website, neither had any prior acting experience, but they had both performed as mall elves.
Today, Johnson and Hocevar both continue to reside in Ohio and, amazingly, both hold teaching positions.
Peter Billingsley Now
Think again if you believe that the young actor who played Ralphie was a one-hit wonder! In fact, Peter Billingsley also makes an appearance in a different cult classic Christmas movie aimed for families. And you might not even be aware of it!
Yes, Billingsley played a little, uncredited part in the 2003 film Elf. Billingsley portrayed Ming Ming in the Will Ferrell-starring movie, but that isn’t even his first prior encounter with holiday fame. He also served as a producer for the Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon film Four Christmases, in which he also made a brief appearance as the Ticket Agent.
Vaughn has known Billingsley for a very long time, and the two of them have frequently worked together. Billingsley actually works for Vaughn’s production firm and has helmed him in movies including Term Life and Couples Retreat. Billingsley served as executive producer of Iron Man in 2008, the Broadway adaptation of A Christmas Story in 2010, the TV programme F is for Family, and the 2020 film The Opening Act. In the planned sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas, he will return as Ralphie.
R.D. Robb in 1988
You might recall R.D. Robb as Schwartz, Ralphie’s other pal, from the well-known flagpole scene. (Even though he wasn’t triple-dog-dared.)
R.D. Robb in 2006
Robb has also appeared in Matilda, The Goldbergs, and The Brady Bunch Movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Macguire starred in a short he also directed in 1995. However, DiCaprio and Macguire filed a lawsuit when Robb and his co-producer tried to re-release it as a feature-length film. In more recent years, he created the Freeform series Siren and had appearances in three episodes of The Goldbergs. In the follow-up to A Christmas Story, he will also return in the character of Schwartz, Ralphie’s friend.
Scott Schwartz in 1982
Who could forget the day Scott Schwartz’s character Flick got his tongue frozen on a flagpole?
Scott Schwartz, Yano Anaya and Ian Petrella in 2007
The iconic scene of Schwartz’s character Flick licking an icy flagpole may still make kids giggle today, but his subsequent projects are much less kid-friendly. Schwartz started overseeing projects in the adult film sector in the 1990s. He even made an appearance in a few! However, he quit the business in 2000 after getting the acting bug once more. He launched a collection of trading cards featuring celebrities in 2006. His most recent acting roles were in the 2020 films A Wrestling Christmas Miracle and Normal Terror, according to his IMDB biography. Additionally, he made an appearance in The Quarantine Bunch, a 2020 television programme that doubles as a support group for former child stars. After playing those parts, he appeared in the slasher movies Doll Killer 2 and Normal Terror. We can only hope that when he plays the same part in A Christmas Story Christmas, he will return to a more kid-friendly style.
Ian Petrella (far right) and Yano Anaya (centre), two additional A Christmas Story cast members, are also shown in this photo. Randy Parker was Petrella’s character in “A Christmas Story.” Petrella began acting at the ripe old age of three. He has been in other one-off projects after A Christmas Story, including Mr. President, Who’s the Boss?, Beverly Hills 90210, and Different Strokes, to mention a few. He joined the LA comedy group the Groundlings as a teenager and, according to the official website of the A Christmas Story House, Petrella has recently been learning marionette puppetry and animation. He even runs an animation-focused production company under his ownership.
In 1984, Anaya appeared in the Van Halen music video “Hot For Teacher” as Scut Farkus’ “toadie” friend Grover. While playing a paperboy in the film Better Off Dead and having a brief part in the 2017 film Sunday Mornings, Anaya has largely avoided the spotlight. His Facebook profile appears to show that he is currently mostly interested in health and fitness.
Zack Ward in 1983
Zack Ward’s breakthrough performance was as MGM Scut Farkus.
Zack Ward in 2008
Images by Katy Winn/Getty
Zack Ward has accumulated more than 100 acting credits since he played the bully Scut Farkus in A Christmas Story. He’s now also married. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mike and Molly, Liv and Maddie, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: New York, CSI: Miami, Cold Case, Transformers, and many other shows have featured Ward. In the follow-up, A Christmas Story Christmas, he will return as Scut Farkus.
Melinda Dillon had already achieved success in the field before she threatened Ralphie with having his eye shot out. Dillon had already received Tony nominations for her stage work and an Oscar nomination for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind by the time she started filming A Christmas Story.
You might recall R.D. Robb as Schwartz, Ralphie’s other pal, from the well-known flagpole scene. (Even though he wasn’t triple-dog-dared.)
Robb has also appeared in Matilda, The Goldbergs, and The Brady Bunch Movie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Macguire starred in a short he also directed in 1995. However, DiCaprio and Macguire filed a lawsuit when Robb and his co-producer tried to re-release it as a feature-length film. In more recent years, he created the Freeform series Siren and had appearances in three episodes of The Goldbergs. In the follow-up to A Christmas Story, he will also return in the character of Schwartz, Ralphie’s friend.
Who could forget the day Scott Schwartz’s character Flick got his tongue frozen on a flagpole?
