Summary
TheSt. Elmo’s Firecast has worked quite a bit in the nearly four decades since it premiered. The movie, which was helmed byThe Phantom of the OperaandThe Lost Boysdirector Joel Schumacher, was one of two 1985 releases - along with John Hughes’The Breakfast Club- that helped cement the idea of the Brat Pack, a term that was coined by David Blum in an article forNew Yorkmagazine. The Brat Pack was a group of young actors who made a variety of movies about teens and young adults throughout the mid to late 1980s.
The entirety ofthe main cast ofSt. Elmo’s Fireis still alive, and in fact, of the entire ensemble, the only major player to have passed away is Martin Balsam, who played Wendy’s father, Mr. Beamish. Thus, the leads of theBrat Pack movieare still prominent in the industry, though they have since scattered in many different directions across both the big and small screens. For some of them, their 1980s work is still their most recognized, but all of them have appeared in prominent titles within the last five years at the time of writing.
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Emilio Estevez
Character: Kirby Keager
ProminentBrat Pack actorEmilio Estevez, who played St. Elmo’s Bar waiter Kirby Keager, has continued to act in addition to directing more than half a dozen movies. However, he hastaken some time away from the spotlight since 2021, the year he reprised his role as Coach Gordon Bombay in the Disney+ sports sequel seriesThe Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. He left after season 1 due to creative differences, and while he has movies includingGuns 3: Dead or Alive(which he is also set to direct) in pre-production, for the time being, they have not come to fruition.
Emilio Estevez originally played the character Gordon Bombay in the 1992 movieThe Mighty Ducksand reprised the role in its two sequels.
Rob Lowe
Character: Billy Hicks
Rob Lowe, who played immature saxophonist Billy Hicks, found another major role in the early 2010s when he joined theParks and Recreationcast as the indefatigable Chris Traeger. He has continued to hold major television roles in the meantime, particularlystarring as Owen Strand in9-1-1: Lone Star, which was recently renewed for season 5. He also played a satirical version of himself on Netflix’sThe Pentaverateand starred opposite his son John Owen Lowe in the streamer’s comedyUnstable, which premiered in 2023 and has also been renewed for a new season.
Andrew McCarthy
Character: Kevin Dolenz
Andrew McCarthy, who played Kirby’s roommate Kevin Dolenz, has alsosplit his time between directing and acting. As an actor, his longest-running recent role was playing Dr. Ian Sullivan in the medical dramaThe Resident, though he has also held prominent roles inThe Blacklist,Good Girls, and13 Reasons Why. As a director, McCarthy most recently helmed thedocumentaryBrats, which featured interviews with many members of the Brat Pack and tracked the rise of the group as well as the individual members' reactions to being considered Brat Packers.
Demi Moore
Character: Jules Van Patten
Demi Moore, who played banker Jules Van Patten, continued to be both a prominent actor and tabloid figure after her role inSt. Elmo’s Fire. Most recently, she has played supporting roles in projects as varied as the Nicolas Cage meta comedyThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentand the low-budget indie musicalPlease Baby Please. She also played Ann Woodward,one of the titular socialites inFeud: Capote vs. the Swans, opposite former Brat Packer Molly Ringwald. Her next major role will be playing the lead of the horror dramaThe Substance, fromRevengedirector Coralie Fargeat.
Demi Moore became a major tabloid figure partially due to being romantically linked with other major stars including her former husbands Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher.
Judd Nelson
Character: Alec Newberry
Judd Nelson, who played the politically minded Alec, isone of the most prolific former Brat Packers in the modern era. Since 2019, he has appeared in 15 different projects across both movies and television. His most prominent role was likely his four-episode appearance as Billy Beretti on the hip-hop dramaEmpire. However, he has also appeared in titles includingThe Downside of Bliss,Girl in the Basement, 2022’sThe Most Dangerous Game, andSouth of Hope Street.
Ally Sheedy
Character: Leslie Hunter
Ally Sheedy, who played architect Leslie Hunter, has been less prolific in recent years than herSt. Elmo’s FireandThe Breakfast Clubco-star Judd Nelson. Since 2019, she has only appeared in three projects. However, one of those projects wasa major role in the main cast of the Freeform comedySingle Drunk Female, in which she played the mother of Sofia Black-D’Elia’s title character. So far, she hasn’t held another role since the show ended in 2023.
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Mare Winningham
Character: Wendy Beamish
Mare Winningham, who played social worker Wendy Beamish, was nominated for an Oscar a decade after her appearance inSt. Elmo’s Firefor her performance in 1995’sGeorgia. More recently, she has split her time between movies and prestige television, including playing Jeannie Anderson opposite Ben Mendelsohn in 2019’sThe Outsiderand Darlene Kiger opposite Mark Ruffalo in that same year’sDark Waters. She has taken on fewer projects in the 2020s, but aftera roughly three-year hiatus following an eight-episode role as Diane Mallum onDopesick, she took a supporting role in the Chiwetel Ejiofor-directed 2024 dramaRob Peace.
Mare Winningham is one of the only stars in the main cast ofSt. Elmo’s Firenot to be popularly considered to be part of the Brat Pack, because she didn’t have any other major collaborations with the main members.
Andie MacDowell
Character: Dale Biberman
Andie MacDowell, who played Kirby’s love interest Dale Biberman inSt. Elmo’s Fire, followed that performance with a major role opposite Bill Murray in 1993’sGroundhog Day. More recently, she has outpaced even Judd Nelson,appearing in 18 projects since 2019. These include the 2019 Radio Silence horror outingReady or Not, the Ted Danson sitcomMr. Mayor(in which she played herself), and the Hallmark time travel dramaThe Way Home.
St. Elmo’s Fire
A group of close-knit college graduates navigates the challenges of adulthood, balancing careers, relationships, and personal growth. Amidst the backdrop of their favorite bar, they confront their fears, ambitions, and the complexities of growing up, discovering the true meaning of friendship and resilience.
