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A look at what Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Gray and more have been up to in the years since the film hit theaters on June 11, 1986.

from Sixteen candles to Breakfast ClubJohn Hughes films are known for giving a voice to the generation that came of age in the 1980s. They captured the social pressures and responsibilities that teens struggled against in high school, giving them permission to accept the messy reality of their lives and embrace the present. Ferris Bueller’s Day Offwhich was released in theaters 40 years ago on June 11, 1986, was the epitome of all that. As Matthew Broderick said in the title role: “Life moves so fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you might miss it.”
The film follows Ferris Bueller, a child who has his parents and most everyone else wrapped around his little finger. He’s mastered the art of faking illness, and uses this scheme to skip school and enjoy one last day in Chicago with his girlfriend (Sloan, played by Mia Sara) and best friend (an uptight Cameron, played by Alan Ruck), before the guys graduate. Among their exploits, the trio goes to a Cubs game, a fancy restaurant, the Art Institute of Chicago, and a downtown parade, where Ferris drives a float and lip-syncs “Danke Schoen” for the crowd.
Why not? When you’re about to leave for college and everything is going to change, sometimes the best thing you can do is leave school for a day to enjoy life — and make sure you don’t miss it.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the popular teen film, THR Checks in with the cast of this culture-defining hit film — including Broderick, Ruck, Sara, and Jennifer Gray — to see where life has taken them in the decades since its release.
Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller

Image source: CBS/Getty Images; Theo Wargo/Getty Images The baby-faced Broderick had his breakout role a few years ago Ferris BollerIn 1983 AD War games. In the cyber thriller, he plays a student who, while trying to hack a video game, accidentally breaks into a military computer and almost starts a nuclear war. In the same year, he became the youngest actor to win the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play Brighton Beach Diaries. Ferris Bueller He quickly became another calling card for the young actor, playing the ultimate slacker with a heart of gold, outwitting his high school principal (Jeffrey Jones) and his antagonistic sister (Jennifer Grey) in pursuit of a good time.
In 1987, a personal tragedy struck when Broadrick and Grey, who were dating at the time, were involved in a serious car accident while on holiday in Northern Ireland. Two people in the other car were killed, while Broderick and Gray were injured. In the years following the accident, Broderick (who was driving) rarely spoke about it, but expressed remorse for what happened. The couple divorced soon after, and Broderick married Sarah Jessica Parker in 1997. The couple, who have three children, starred together on Broadway in Neil Simon’s play. Plaza Suite In 2022.
Broderick continued to be an in-demand leading actor, starring opposite Helen Hunt in The tenth project (1987), about an Air Force project involving chimpanzees, followed by a role as an army recruiter Biloxi Blues (1988), a role he had previously played on Broadway. He was promoted back to the army for a period glory (1989), he played the commander of a black unit in the Union Army during the Civil War, with co-stars including Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. A few years later, Broderick was nominated for an Emmy Award for the television movie version of Life in the theatre (1993), in which he starred opposite Jack Lemmon.
In classic Disney The lion king (1994), Broderick voices adult Simba, and in Cable guy (1996), he played a poor sap who gets more than he bargained for when Jim Carrey’s character hooks him up with free cable. In 1999 electionThe tables were turned for an actor best known as a shirking student when he played a high school social studies teacher in the comedy starring Reese Witherspoon. That year, he also played the title character in a feature version of the live-action film Inspector tool.
A regular presence on the Broadway stage, Broderick won his second Tony Award How to succeed in business without really trying in 1995. He would go on to star opposite Nathan Lane Producers in 2001, and reprized the part in the 2005 film version of the musical about two men trying to get rich through an intentionally failed Broadway production. During this time, he also found time to play Walter, the husband of Joanna, played by Nicole Kidman Stepford Wives (2004). Broderick’s film resume also includes The Tale of Despereaux (2008), Tower robbery (2011), Manchester by sea (2016) and Pain reliever (2023). On television, he appeared in programs such as modern family, 30 Rock, Conners And recently, Murders only in the building and Elspeth.
Alan Ruck as Cameron Frye

Image source: CBS/Getty Images; Tasos Katopoudis/Getty Images As the uptight and fatalistic Cameron, who finally snaps when he realizes that two parking lot attendants are taking his father’s prized 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California for a joyride, Rack played the tense yang with Ferris’ relaxed yin. The actor had already appeared in six films and TV movies before Buellerin his first appearance in Bad boys (1983) — Not the movie you’re thinking, this one is about a reform school and stars Sean Penn. He also knew co-star Broderick already, as they had performed together on Broadway Biloxi Blues In 1985.
After success Ferris BuellerRock starred opposite Charlie Sheen (who also had a small but memorable role in the film). Buellersee below) and Kerry Green in the road trip drama Three for the road (1987) and appeared in Three escapees (1989), a comedy film directed by Nick Nolte and Martin Short about bank robbers on the run, among others. He appeared as a tourist in speed (1994), and in the same year he played the captain of the Enterprise-B ship in the feature Star Trek: Generations. This was quickly followed Hurricane (1996), the classic tornado chase disaster film in which he played Robert “Rabbit” Norrick.
Ruck’s next memorable project was… Spin Cityin which he played the lovable Stuart Pundick throughout the show’s entire run, from 1996 to 2002. After the sitcom ended, he played one of the central family’s neighbors Cheaper by dozens (2003), VM Night Shyamalan’s Schoolmaster Event (2008) and Ghost Father starring Ricky Gervais ghost town (2008). During the first two decades of the 21st century, he also kept busy appearing on shows such as NCIS, Psychological, Burn notice, Cougar City, Boston Legal and Scrubs.
After bouncing around for a few years this way, he found success that captured the zeitgeist again when Ruck joined the hit series on HBO. successionwhich ran from 2018 to 23. He played Connor Roy, a politically inclined half-brother who is an outsider in his family and eventually runs for president. Ruck shared in the series’ awards fortunes, receiving an Emmy nomination and joining the cast in winning two SAG Awards for the series.
On Broadway, Ruck replaced Broderick in the role of Leo Bloom Producers In 2005 he starred in the role of Sydney Single fucking personwhich opened later that year. He met his wife, Mireille Enos, while working on the latest play. The couple shares two children. He was previously married to Claudia Stefani, and they also have two children.
Mia Sara as Sloan Peterson

Image credit: Paramount Collection/Courtesy Everett; Eric Charbonneau/NEON/Getty Images Sarah, who played Ferris’s adorable and compassionate friend Sloane, made her acting debut in 1983 All my children Before landing a role in Ridley Scott’s fantasy epic legend (1985).
after BuellerShe starred in the miniseries Queenie With Kirk Douglas and appeared in the film Apprentice to kill (1988) as well Shadows in the storm (1988), Great time (1989) starring Melanie Griffith A stranger between us (1992), among others. It is worth noting that it is an action, science fiction and time travel movie Timecop (1994), she played the wife of star Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose murder is a pivotal point in the plot.
In a horror movie Madness (1995), Sarah played a young mother held hostage by a crazy couple. She has also worked in several films and TV series, including 1997’s 20,000 leagues under the seaand later played Harley Quinn on The WB’s Birds of prey (2002-03). She starred with Ron Perlman in Hoodlom and Son (2003), a mob drama set in the 1930s, in which she played an ally to the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2012), in which an adult Dorothy realizes that popular books are based on repressed experiences from her youth.
Sarah now lives in England, where she writes poetry, and recently returned to the screen in a Mike Flanagan film Chuck’s life (2024) after an absence of 11 years.
She is married to Brian Henson, son of Jim Henson, and has a daughter. He directed her in the miniseries in 2001 Jack and the Beanstalk: The True Story. She was previously married to Jason Connery, son of Sean Connery, after they co-starred in the TV movie with Michael Caine. Bullet to Beijing (1995). She and Connery have a son.
Jennifer Gray as Jenny Bueller

Image credit: Paramount Collection/Courtesy Everett; Taylor Hill/Film Magic By the time she played Ferris Bueller’s jealous sister, Gray had already appeared in several films, including the 1984 film. reckless, Red dawn and Cotton Club. But it was 1987, the following year Bueller She came out, when she really made her mark as a child Dirty dancing.
After the famous film starring Patrick Swayze, Gray was struggling to reach those heights that define popular culture again. She starred in Police dogs on Broadway (1989) with Matt Dillon, Madonna and Rack, followed by a series of TV films. In the feature film winds (1992), a romantic drama about yacht racing, in which she starred opposite Matthew Modine. She was also in Bounce (2000), a romantic film starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The gray guest starred friends as Mindy, Rachel’s ex-girlfriend, who married Rachel’s ex-fiancé Barry (she appeared in the role only once, later saying that performance anxiety prevented her from returning; Jana Marie Hope took over the role for another episode). From 1999 to 2001, she starred in the ABC sitcom It’s like you know …Like Her, which touched on the backlash she experienced in real life after having rhinoplasty.
Most recently, Gray starred in the Amazon series set in the 1980s Red Oaks From 2014 to 2017, he did voice work on programs such as Phineas and Ferb And a Netflix movie duck duck goose (2018). She also appeared in films including: Change together (2018), Sweet symphony (2019) and on television in shows such as Gray’s Anatomy and Conners. in Real pain (2024), she played Marcia, part of the touring group joined by Kieran Culkin and David Jesse Eisenberg’s Benjy in Europe. Next, she played the mother of the main character in Julia Stiles’ directorial debut, the romantic drama I wish you were here (2025). Meanwhile, the sequel to Dirty dancing A Gray movie is reportedly in development, though it has been delayed from its originally announced 2024 release date.
Gray dated Broderick after his release Ferris BuellerAfter that, he had a serious relationship with Johnny Depp. She was married to Clark Gregg – the actor best known as Agent Coulson from the Marvel Universe – for 20 years, and the couple co-starred in the 2006 Lifetime movie. The road to Christmas. They have a daughter. In 2022, Gray released his memoir, Outside the corner.
Jeffrey Jones as Manager Ed Rooney

Image credit: Paramount Collection/Courtesy Everett; Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic In the same year that he played a stubborn and comedically superior manager who tries to catch Ferris Bueller in his lies, Jones starred in another film, which received a more mixed reception but ultimately gained a cult following: Howard the Duck. This film follows an intelligent, duck-like alien that lands on Earth, with Jones playing a scientist possessed by the Dark Overlord of the Universe who kidnaps Beverly, Howard’s human duck lover.
In 1988, Jones found success again in the role of Charles Dietz, father of Lydia (Winona Ryder), in Tim Burton’s film. Beetlejuice. He later appeared in Burton’s film Ed Wood (1994) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). However, he will not be back in 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuicewhere it is revealed in a stop-motion scene that his character was killed by a shark after a plane crash, leaving Delia (Catherine O’Hara) a widow; His funeral is the reason the family returns to their haunted house.
Jones also had a role in The Search for Red October (1990) and played the role of greedy Thomas Putnam in The crucible (1996), Reunited with Ryder. He played Eddie Barzun, the managing partner of Keanu Reeves’ law firm Devil’s advocate (1997), Uncle Crenshaw was in Stuart Little (1999). As it appeared in Company man (2000); Heartbreakers (2001), starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Gene Hackman; and Dr. Doolittle 2 (2001), among other projects.
In 2003, Jones pleaded no contest when he was accused of hiring a 14-year-old boy to take nude photos, was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender. After that, there was a decline in his career, although he played the role of AW Merrick on HBO Dead wood From 2004 to 2006 and returned to Dead wood The movie is in 2019.
Charlie Sheen as the boy at the police station

Image source: CBS/Getty Images; Unique Nicole/Getty Images Born Carlos Irwin Estevez, Charlie Sheen is the son of Martin Sheen, and has made uncredited appearances in BadlandsIn which his father starred before he was ten years old Ferris Buellerthe 21-year-old appears in one of the scenes in which Jennifer Gray is sent to the police station for “falsely” reporting an intruder in her home. After shamelessly admitting that he was arrested on a drug charge, he imparts some wisdom to Jenny regarding her problem with Ferris, and the two meet.
In 1986, the year in which Bueller After its release, Sheen appeared in several other films, most notably Oliver Stone PlatoonWhich the actor wrote about in detail in his 2025 memoir. In the 1980s and 1990s, Sheen’s star continued to rise, appearing in films such as Wall Street (1987), playing stockbroker Bud Foxx opposite Michael Douglas; Young guns (1988) alongside his brother Emilio Estevez; Clint Eastwood buddy cop movie Rising (1990); and The Three Musketeers (1993), as Aramis.
He turned to television in 2000 with Spin Citytook over the title role after the departure of Michael J. Fox, whose Parkinson’s disease diagnosis made it difficult for him to perform. After concluding this In the show, Sheen went on to star in the lead role Two and a half menbecoming the highest-paid comedian of all time. During this period he also appeared in several films Scary movie films.
After a very public breakdown – which was attributed to drugs but Sheen later said was caused by overuse of testosterone cream – and the break-up of his relationship with men Creator Chuck Lorre, Sheen was banned from the Warner Bros. franchise. He embarked on a national tour where he performed “Winning!” In a slogan phrase. Despite Shin’s challenge, he was replaced men By Ashton Kutcher. He returned to television in 2012 with Anger managementBut his casting in major film and television projects certainly slowed in later years. In 2015, he announced that he was HIV positive, and in 2025, he released his memoirs the Shane’s book He was the subject of a Netflix documentary Also known as Charlie Sheen.
Ben Stein as an economics teacher

Image source: CBS/Getty Images; Jerod Harris/Getty Images Stein has a degree in economics and has worked as an attorney and presidential speechwriter, as well as an author and columnist for major newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal. Despite all this, he was perhaps most famous for the phrase “Buehler? Buehler?”, which he delivered as an economics teacher.
after Ferris Buellerthe man famous for his dry deliveries appeared as an airport representative in Planes, trains and cars (1987) Public Works Officer Ghostbusters II (1989) teacher Richie Rich (1994) and psychologist in The mask (1994). He also had parts in My daughter 2 (1994) and Casper (1995) and appeared in 11 episodes of the series The strange years.
He notably hosted 99 episodes of Earn Ben Stein money (1997-2002) He was a panelist on game shows such as Match game and Hollywood SquaresAnd so is the judge Star search (2003) and commented on it CBS News Sunday Morning. He also did voice work including for the TV series Emperor’s New School He appeared as a guest on Family man. Most recently, Stein landed in 2018 Another Sharknado: It’s about time. He is currently listed on several speakers’ bureau websites as available for public lectures, with fees ranging from $20,000 to $100,000, and writes a column called “The Ben Stein Memoirs” for American viewer. He also wrote more than 20 non-fiction books and seven novels.
Cindy Beckett as Katie Bueller and Lyman Ward as Tom Bueller

Image source: CBS/Getty Images; Bobby Bank/Getty Images Do Ferris’ parents seem to have great chemistry? This should come as no surprise, given that Beckett and Ward married in real life after meeting while working on the film. They had two children and also played a married couple in the Stephen King film adaptation Sleepwalkers (1992); However, they broke up in the same year.
A quick glance at Beckett’s IMDb page will tell you she likes to keep busy: the actress (whose early roles included the lead part in a Roger Vadim film). Night games And important Guidance light) She regularly appeared in three or more projects a year throughout most of her career. After playing Ferris’ well-meaning mother, her highlights include a role in the ABC miniseries Americawhich posits a world in which the Soviet Union has taken over the United States, as well as a white supremacist drama on HBO. Home. She went on to play Dr. Carol Novino in 50 episodes of the series Saint elsewhereAnd also the brave doctor in the movie Deep Sea Monsters Deep Star Six (1989). On a more comedic note, she played Pauly Shore’s mother-in-law son in law (1993). She is also a featured guest on series ranging from Murder, she wrote to NYPD blue, CSI: Miami, Ghost whisperer, Burn notice and Mental.
Ward met John Hughes at Planes, trains and carsShortly thereafter he was cast in a Canadian drama Milk and honey (1988). Gallo’s boss was in Beverly Hillbillies Film (1993); Member of the Secret Service in the blockbuster movie independence day (1996); and Mr. Wyler, father of Jock Jick, in Not another teen movie (2001). In between, he was a guest on shows including The first team, the Silver Spoons, Family ties, The strange years, Melrose Place, JAG, monk and transparentto name just a few of his many credits.
Eddie McClurg as Grace

Image source: CBS/Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Before McClurg became a fan-favorite school secretary Ferris BuellerShe began her career at National Public Radio, where she helped broadcast the Nixon tapes for its local Kansas City station. She moved to Los Angeles when she decided to turn to improv acting, and worked with The Groundlings before landing her first film role in curry (1976).
The actress met John Hughes while working in the 1980s Mr. Momfor which he was the screen writer. This has led to many collaborations, including Bueller And 1987 Planes, trains and carsin which she played a Midwestern car rental agent who refuses to take Steve Martin’s side. She also played the cheerful neighbor Mrs. Bull in the sitcom Valeriewhich ran from 1986 to 1991 (also known as Hogan family). She appeared in popular films including Elvira: Mistress of Darkness (1988), A river runs through it (1992) and Natural born killers (1994).
A prolific voice actor, McClurg has performed in animated films such as Little mermaid (1989) as Prince Eric’s maid; An insect’s life (1998) as Dr. Flora; the Cars Franchises are like minivans; Wreck-It Ralph (2012) as Nislander Marie; and Frozen (2013) as a castle servant. She has voiced characters on television as well, including Ali Higgletown Heroes, Clifford the big red dog, 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and Addams family.
McClurg is retired and has reportedly been diagnosed with dementia. She entered the conservatorship requested by her family in 2019.
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