It’s a special thing to grow up alongside the famous faces that defined your childhood. For ’80s kids, the Brat Pack teens defined the decade and helped many adolescents through those spotty, hormonal years before settling down. While you (understandably) might not want to return to those years yourself, the Brat Pack icons are a helpful distillation of those heady years.
So gather round ’80s kids, we’re going back in time to the Brat Pack’s heyday and revisiting the stars as you remember them best.
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In 1982, Emilio Estevez starred with father Martin Sheen in ‘In the Custody of Strangers’
Emilio Estevez – 1982
If you weren’t falling for The Breakfast Club bad boy Judd Nelson or Rob Lowe’s handsome grin, it’s likely Emilio Estevez’s sensitive jock won you over during the ’80s.
Before he was running rampant over the school campus, Emilio starred with his father Martin Sheen in the 1982 feature In the Custody of Strangers as a teen who spends the night in jail following a drunken joyride.
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In 1985, Rob Lowe starred with several other Brat Pack members in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’
Rob Lowe – 1985
In 1985 Rob Lowe was winning teenage hearts across the world in St. Elmo’s Fire as ex-frat boy and saxophone player Billy Hicks.
His boy-next-door charm offscreen and on-screen rebel persona made him a favourite among fans of the Brat Pack.
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Andrew McCarthy worked on 1985’s ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ with several other members of the Brat Pack
Andrew McCarthy – 1985
Andrew McCarthy’s cynical, tough exterior in St. Elmo’s Fire hid deep feelings in a classic rom-com set up.
Just a year later, Andrew starred alongside Molly Ringwald (one of the only Brat Pack members to not work on St. Elmo’s Fire) in teen drama Pretty in Pink as teen heartthrob Blane McDonnagh.
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Demi Moore joined the Brat Pack crew in 1985’s ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’
Demi Moore – 1982
The Substance actress Demi Moore starred in 1982 sci-fi horror Parasite, just three years before the release of St. Elmo’s Fire.
Demi starred as Jules Van Patten, a spoilt but surprisingly smart banker involved with her married boss.
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The mid-’80s had Molly Ringwald firmly in the spotlight with several starring roles
Molly Ringwald – 1985
A year after Sixteen Candles and a year prior to Pretty in Pink, Molly Ringwald’s starring role in 1985 hit The Breakfast Club cast her as the popular and snobby Claire Standish.
This trio of iconic flicks made Molly a legendary Hollywood name and her work through the ’80s is loved to this day.
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Ally Sheedy was a favourite of teen cinema in the mid ’80s
Ally Sheedy – 1987
In 1987, Ally Sheedy starred in riches-to-rags comedy Maid to Order in which a spoilt young girl is transformed into a maid by her fairy godmother.
Two years prior, she’d brought shy goth teen Allison Reynolds to life in The Breakfast Club, the so-called ‘loner’ of the iconic group.
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Judd Nelson’s ‘Blue City’ role might have been high octane but his characters always had a charming ease
Judd Nelson – 1986
Judd Nelson was the definitive, if nuanced, rebel of The Breakfast Club crew. A year later, he reunited with fellow detention alum, Ally Sheedy for Blue City.
The revenge thriller followed Judd as drifter Billy Turner who vows to avenge his father’s murder and takes on an independent investigation.
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In 1984, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald starred in ‘Sixteen Candles’
Anthony Michael Hall – 1984
In 1984, Anthony Michael Hall joined Brat Packer Molly Ringwald and teen heartthrob Michael Schoeffling in Sixteen Candles as The Geek.
The following year, he joined the rest of the ’80s crew in The Breakfast Club as the similarly nerdy Brian Johnson.
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Demi Moore starred opposite Jon Cryer in the 1984 feature ‘No Small Affair’
Demi Moore – 1984
Demi Moore starred alongside Jon Cryer in 1984 hit No Small Affair in which Jon played 16-year-old photographer Charles Cummings who ends up with a photo of Demi Moore’s Laura in his camera.
No Small Affair came just a year prior to her Brat Pack initiation in St. Elmo’s Fire, alongside the likes of Emilio Estevez and Andrew McCarthy.
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Molly Ringwald’s promising start only continued later into the decade
Molly Ringwald – 1987
Molly Ringwald’s signature ginger locks made her an unmissable addition to the Brat Pack group. In 1987, she starred alongside other recognisable faces: namely, Robert Downey Jr. and Dennis Hopper.
Molly was cast as Randy Jensen, Robert’s love interest who finds herself in debt to the mafia and challenges co-lead Jack Jericho’s womanising ways.
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Rob Lowe was one of the decade’s favourite heartthrobs and the mid-’80s brought with it plenty of starring roles
Rob Lowe – 1985
After a primary role in St. Elmo’s Fire, Rob Lowe took on several more star turns. From Youngblood (1986) to About Last Night… (1986), Masquerade (1988) to Wayne’s World (1992), the decade following his Brat Pack hit was a busy one.
Just a couple of years before he stole the show as Billy Hicks, Rob appeared in The Outsiders as Sodapop Curtis and Class as Skip.
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Andrew McCarthy followed up his Brat Pack stardom with several successful roles
Andrew McCarthy – 1988
Later in the ’80s, Andrew McCarthy appeared in features like Kansas (1988), Fresh Horses (1988) and Weekend at Bernie’s (1989).
The following decade proved successful for the actor, with a role in beloved hit The Joy Luck Club (1993) and an episode appearance in Tales of the Crypt (1991).
