Summary
The cast ofSixteen Candleshas gone in many different directions since the movie premiered in 1984. The project was the directorial debut of iconic director John Hughes, who had previously written screenplays for movies includingVacation,Mr. Mom, andNational Lampoon’s Class Reunion. In addition to introducing one of the most iconic directors of the 1980s, the movie was a seminal Brat Pack movie, helping introduce several of the young actors who would dominate teen media for years to come.
Because theBrat Pack moviewas filmed more than four decades before the time of writing, several members of the mainSixteen Candlescast have passed away. This includes Carlin Glynn, who playedBrenda Baker, in addition to the actors who played the grandparents, namely Edward Andrews (Grandpa Howard Baker), Billie Bird (Grandma Dorothy Baker), Carole Cook (Grandma Helen), and Max Showalter (Grandpa Fred). However,the majority of the stars who played key characters in the movie are still alive, though not all of them remain in the entertainment industry.
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles hit its 40-year milestone in May 2024, but some aspects of the film don’t hold up as well as you may have thought on rewatch.
1Molly Ringwald
Character: Samantha “Sam” Baker
Sixteen Candleswas the first collaboration betweenMolly Ringwald and John Hughes.They would quickly follow the movie with the classic teen filmsThe Breakfast ClubandPretty in Pink, cementing her as one of the premiere members of the Brat Pack. Ringwald, now 56, has since spread her wings considerably, both as an actor and otherwise, including roles in French productions in addition to work as both a singer and runway model.
She penned a 2018 essay for The New Yorker examining the toxic tropes of her 1980s comedies.
In addition to recent roles including playing Archie’s mother Mary Andrews onRiverdale, Jeffrey Dahmer’s stepmother Shari Dahmer onMonsterseason 1, and Joanne Carson onFeud: Capote vs. The Swans, she has made waves as a writer.In addition to the 2012 young adult novelWhen It Happens to You: A Novel in Storiesand two recent translations of French books including Philippe Besson’sLie With Me,she penned a 2018 essay forThe New Yorkerexamining the toxic tropes of her 1980s comedies.
2Michael Schoeffling
Character: Jake Ryan
Michael Shoeffling, who played Sam’s love interest Jake Ryan, notably left Hollywood less than a decade after the premiere ofSixteen Candles, which was his first credited role after breaking into the business as a model and then holding an uncredited supporting role opposite formerFast Times at Ridgemont Highco-stars Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage inRacing with the Moon. Although Shoeffling held a handful of other roles throughout the 1980s, including appearing in the moviesVision QuestandLongtime Companion,he retired after playing Al Carver in 1991’sWild Hearts Can’t Be Broken.
Shoeffling, now 63, moved to Pennsylvania and opened a woodworking shop after leaving the entertainment industry. However, not much information has been made public about his business, including whether or not it is still open at the time of writing. He has been married to fellow actor Valerie C. Robinson, with whom he has two children, for more than three decades.
3Anthony Michael Hall
Character: Farmer Ted
Sixteen Candlesprovided young star Anthony Michael Hall with another early role to follow his appearance as Rusty Griswold in the John Hughes-pennedVacationin 1983.Along with Ringwald, he would become one of the most prominentactors in the Brat Packthroughout the 1980s.His follow-up teen movies includedThe Breakfast Club(in which he reunited with Ringwald) andWeird Science(which also starred Kelly LeBrock, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Bill Paxton).
In recent years, he has taken on roles as tough, no-nonsense characters including the grown-up Tommy Doyle in the 2021 legacy horror sequelHalloween Kills.
Hall, now 56, has now long shed his dorky teen image.In recent years, he has taken on roles as tough, no-nonsense characters including the grown-up Tommy Doyle in the 2021 legacy horror sequelHalloween Kills. Since then, he has split his time between television series includingThe GoldbergsandBosch: Legacyand movies such asClerks IIIandAir Force One Down. He has also signed on to star in the upcomingReacherseason 3as the rich and paranoid Zachary Beck.
4Haviland Morris
Character: Caroline Mulford
Haviland Morris, who played Jake Ryan’s girlfriend Caroline Mulford, largely avoided the teen movie scene after appearing inSixteen Candles.However, she held roles in quite a few major titles throughout the 1980s, including appearing opposite Madonna inWho’s That Girl, starring in an episode of the horror anthologyTales from the Darkside, and playing Billy’s Boss Marla Bloodstone in the 1990 sequelGremlins 2: The New Batch.
Morris, now 64,has followed Schoeffling’s lead and found a career outside the entertainment industry.She now works primarily as a real estate broker. At the time of writing, herLinkedInreports that she is based out of New York City and works with Halstead Real Estate. However, she has not left the entertainment industry behind completely and has appeared in various roles over the years, most recently returning to theGremlinsfranchise to voice Theodora inGremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
5Gedde Watanabe
Character: Long Duk Dong
Gary “Gedde” Watanabe’s connection withSixteen Candlesis fraught because of the racially insensitive nature of the depiction of his character, Chinese foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong. Throughout the 1980s,he held roles in other major titles includingVampandUHF, but many of his roles from the remainder of the decade followed similar lines. In a recentPEOPLEinterview celebrating the movie’s 40th anniversary, he reflected that “there wasn’t really anything out there for Asian actors at the time.”
Watanabe, now 68, is still a prolific actor.Many of his most recent performances have been in voice roles including joining theKung Fu Panda 4castas Badger Crime Boss in addition to voicing characters inUltraman: Rising,Patsy Lee & the Keepers of the 5 Kingdoms, andBlue Eye Samurai. Recent live-action roles for Watanabe include playing Professor Harpin in four episodes ofThe Sex Lives of College Girlsand single-episode appearances onCall Me KatandMagnum P.I.
6Paul Dooley
Character: Jim Baker
Paul Dooley, who portrayed Sam’s father Jim Baker,was already playing more adult roles at the time of the movie’s release(including playing Wimpy in Robert Altman’s 1980 moviePopeye, adapting the comic strip of the same name), so he didn’t get swept up in the teen movie mania thatSixteen Candleshelped ignite. However, that hasn’t prevented him from appearing in more than 200 movies and television shows over the course of his decades-long career.
Dooley, now 96, has been married to Winnie Holtzman(who wrote the book for the smash hit musicalWicked) since the same year thatSixteen Candlespremiered. While he performs onscreen less frequently than he did in the period between the early 1970s and the late 2000s, he has appeared in five projects in the 2020s including an episode ofModern Family, the Michael Jr. comedySelfie Dad, and the 2023 sci-fi movieBoy Makes Girl.
7Justin Henry
Character: Mike Baker
On the other end of the spectrum from Paul Dooley, Justin Henry, who played Sam’s little brother Mike Baker inSixteen Candles, was too young to play a major part in the teen movie boom of the mid-1980s. However,his career didn’t need the boost from the Hughes movie, as he had recently become the youngest nominee for a competitive Oscar when he was given a nod by the Academy for his supporting performance inKramer vs. Kramer.
Henry, now 53, has only acted periodically since the 2000s.One of his last credited roles was in the 2014 horror movieReaper, which also starred Danny Trejo and Vinnie Jones. At the time of writing, according to hisLinkedInpage, he primarily works in media strategy, business development, and finance. As of 2023, he has been working with the digital video company Telestream. He also does work for companies including Worthington Media Group and N2 Media Holdings, Inc.
8Blanche Baker
Character: Ginny Baker
Blanche Baker, who shares a last name with herSixteen Candlescharacter (Sam’s older sister Ginny Baker),played a variety of roles in projects throughout the end of the 1980s,including appearing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action movieRaw Deal. She closed out the decade by playing Ofglen in the 1990 movieThe Handmaid’s Tale, adapted from the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name that inspired the contemporary dystopian Hulu series, in which her character was played byGilmore Girls' Alexis Bledel.
Her only feature-length project in the last five years has been the 2021 thrillerAshley Fades Away, in which she appeared opposite William Sadler and Ashley Shelton.
Baker, now 67, has continued to act, though she has appeared onscreen with less frequency since the late 2010s.Her only feature-length project in the last five years has been the 2021 thrillerAshley Fades Away, in which she appeared opposite William Sadler and Ashley Shelton. Since 2003, she has been married to Mark Magill, with whom she has a son, her fourth child overall after having three children with her first husband.
9Liane Curtis
Character: Randy
Liane Curtis, who played Sam’s best friend Randy inSixteen Candles, became better known as a television actor after the movie’s release. Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in various roles in small screen titles includingAnother World,The Best Times,The Equalizer,Married… with Children,21 Jump Street,Knots Landing, andThe Bronx Zoo.She also appeared in the cult moviesCritters 2: The Main CourseandGirlfriend from Hell.
Curtis, now 58, has not acted onscreen since 2018 when she played a role in the short filmSelfie. However, sinceSixteen Candles,she has had a robust career creating various companies. Her businesses, many of which have shuttered since their founding, include production companies Vulcan A Productions and oy-oy-click-click.com as well as the event and management company Mackenzie Group Entertainment, Inc., which she co-founded with her husband Timothy J Mackenzie. According to herLinkedIn, her most recent venture is the record label Feather Rouge Music.
Sixteen Candles
Cast
In John Hughes’s directorial debut, Molly Ringwald stars as Samantha Baker, a high school student in suburban Chicago whose sixteenth birthday is marred when her whole family forgets to celebrate the occasion due to her older sister’s wedding. Navigating a school dance and a seemingly unrequited crush on an older boy, Sam’s sweet sixteen becomes a day to remember. Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, and Gedde Watanabe also star.
