The Cast ofA Christmas Story: See Where the Stars Are Now 4 Decades After Ralphie Got His Christmas Wish

Mar. 15, 2025

Jeff Gillen and Peter Billingsley in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983.Photo:Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock

Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock

Ralphie Parker nearly shot his eye out more than 40 years ago.

On Nov. 18, 1983,Peter Billingsleycaptivated audiences in Bob Clark’sA Christmas Storyas a 9-year-old boy living in 1940s Cleveland whose sole Christmas wish was for a Red Ryder Range 200 shot BB gun.

“There’s not only a fan base for [A Christmas Story], butit’s borderline sacredfor a lot of people,” Billingsley told PEOPLE in 2022 ahead of its sequel,A Christmas Story Christmas, which he co-produced for Max and reunited with most of the original cast to reprise the role of Ralphie.

Discussing the sequel’s plot with PEOPLE, Billingsley shared, “[Adult] Ralphie’s not really where he wants to be in his life, but he’s still a dreamer, so he still has these fantasies of what his life could be, where it could go. And then he’s called home with some real responsibilities and burdens.”

Put on your pink bunny pajamas and read ahead to see what the Christmas Story cast has been up to!

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Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie Parker in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Peter Billingsley at the ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2022.Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

By the time he made audiences laugh at age 11 inA Christmas Story, Peter Billingsley had a fair amount of acting experience, including in the 1981 comediesHonky Tonk FreewayandPaternity.

While Billingsley didn’t return for the first two projects related toA Christmas Story— 1994’sIt Runs in the Family(later renamedMy Summer Story) and 2012’sA Christmas Story 2— he served as a producer of the three-timeTony-nominated Broadway production ofA Christmas Story: The Musicalin 2012.

With a few other cameo exceptions (yep, that’s him in 2003’sElf), Billingsley shifted to behind-the-camera work in his adulthood, serving as a producer onIron Man(2008) and directingCouples Retreat(2009).

In 2005, he earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for his production work onDinner for Five, on which his friendVince Vaughnappeared a handful of times. The two later collaborated to co-produceChristmas with the Campbells(2022) and the holiday movie podcastA Cinematic Christmas Journey, with Billingsley co-hosting alongside actor Steve Byrne.

Billingsley and his wife, Elizabeth “Buffy” Bains, have been married since 2015 and share two children.

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Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker

Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Melinda Dillon at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 35th anniversary screening of ‘A Christmas Story’ at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Dec. 10, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif.Everett; Morgan Lieberman/Getty

Before starring as the matriarch of the Parker family, Melinda Dillon was an established actress onstage and on the big screen. She was nominated for twoAcademy Awardsfor her supporting performances inSteven Spielberg’sClose Encounters of the Third Kind(1977) andAbsence of Malice(1981).

Dillon also received aGolden Globenod in 1976 for her role in the Woody Guthrie biopicBound for Gloryand aTony Awardnomination for her Broadway debut in the 1963 original production ofWho’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

In January 2023, Dillondied at age 83. Billingsley honored her memory,writing on Instagram, “I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity tocall her my on-screen mother. Rest in peace, Melinda.”

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Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker

Darren McGavin as Mr. Parker in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Darren McGavin pictured in New York City on Dec. 1, 1985.Everett; Yvonne Hemsey/Getty

Darren McGavin’s portrayal of Ralphie’s grouchy yet loving father, known simply in the film as “the Old Man,” has touched generations of fans. The actor, who died in 2006, was already a showbiz veteran when he brought Old Man Parker to life on-screen in 1983. He had performed in the original Broadway productions ofMy Three AngelsandRainmakerand starred in mid-century feature films likeSummertime(1955) withKatharine Hepburn.

A Christmas Story Christmasbegins with the unexpected death of the Old Man, and, according to McGavin’s former on-screen son, the sequel “is, in many ways, a love letter to the Old Man character and to Darren himself.”

Billingsley continued, “Darren was the best. He was such a gifted actor and a great person and such a mentor to me in the shooting of the first film and was kind of like having [another] dad.”

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Jean Shepherd as Adult Ralphie

Jean Shepherd photographed in 1975.Michael Tighe/Donaldson Collection/Getty

The voice presenting eachA Christmas Storyvignette is more than just a narrator — it’s Jean Shepherd, a broadcast personality, humorist and the closest thing there is to a real-life Ralphie Parker. The hit holiday film is based on Shepherd’s semi-autobiographical collection of short stories,In God We Trust:All Others Pay Cash, published in 1966.

BeyondA Christmas Story’s impact, Shepherd left a broad legacy in the comedy world:Jerry Seinfeldhas shared how the late author influenced his own humor and even paid tribute to him in 2005 throughhis third child’s name.

05of 10Ian Petrella as Randy ParkerIan Petrella as Randy Parker in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Ian Petrella at the ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2022.Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stewart Cook/ShutterstockThe actor behind Ralphie’s little brother, Ian Petrella, was only 8 years old when he played little Randy Parker. AfterA Christmas Story, Petrella appeared onDiff’rent Strokes,Who’s the Boss?andBeverly Hills, 90210.He broke away from acting during the aughts and found a new calling while traveling around Europe, staying in the Czech Republic to study the art of marionette puppetry. When Petrella returned to the States, he dove back into show business and started creating animated shorts before signing on for the holiday favorite’s HBO sequel,A Christmas Story Christmas.

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Ian Petrella as Randy Parker

Ian Petrella as Randy Parker in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Ian Petrella at the ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2022.Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

The actor behind Ralphie’s little brother, Ian Petrella, was only 8 years old when he played little Randy Parker. AfterA Christmas Story, Petrella appeared onDiff’rent Strokes,Who’s the Boss?andBeverly Hills, 90210.

He broke away from acting during the aughts and found a new calling while traveling around Europe, staying in the Czech Republic to study the art of marionette puppetry. When Petrella returned to the States, he dove back into show business and started creating animated shorts before signing on for the holiday favorite’s HBO sequel,A Christmas Story Christmas.

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Zack Ward as Scut Farkus

Zack Ward as Scut Farkus in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Zack Ward at the 11th annual Final Draft Awards in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2016.Everett; Phillip Faraone/WireImage

Ward gave PEOPLE the inside scoop on how he landed the role of Scut, which he reprised inA Christmas Story Christmas. After several auditions, Ward originally got the role of the antagonizer’s sidekick, Grover Dill (Yano Anaya).

“I only had, like, two lines, and I showed up on set right beside Yano Anaya and met [director] Bob Clark for the first time,” Ward told PEOPLE in 2018, the year ofA Christmas Story’s 35th anniversary. “He saw that I was a foot taller than Yano and said, ‘You get his lines, he gets yours.’ So Scut Farkus became the bully, and I became the beloved jackass of Christmas.”

After returning as Scut in the 2022 sequel film, Ward booked roles in Todd Tucker’s musical comedyRockbottom(2024) and the crime thrillerDarkness of Man(2024) from James Cullen Bressack.

Ward has been married to Jennifer McMahan since 2018.

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Scott Schwartz as Flick

Scott Schwartz as Flick in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Scott Schwartz at the ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2022.Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

However, Schwartz didn’t step away from acting completely and took the opportunity to reprise Flick inA Christmas Story Christmas. He also appeared in various indie films, includingNormal Terror(2021),Space Sharks(2024) andThe Friendly(2024).

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R.D. Robb as Schwartz

R.D. Robb as Schwartz in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; R.D. Robb at the ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2022.Mgm/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock; Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

Eventually, Robb ventured behind the camera, and in 1995, he even directedLeonardo DiCaprioandTobey Maguirein a 2001 indie drama calledDon’s Plum(which the two stars prevented from being shown in the United States or Canada,Collider reported).

Additionally, he had a three-episode run on ABC’sThe Goldbergsand served as an executive producer behind 26 episodes of Freeform’sSirenfrom 2018 to 2019. ToA Christmas Storyfans’ delight, the actor returned as Schwartz in the holiday film’s 2022 sequel.

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Yano Anaya as Grover Dill

Just afterA Christmas Story, Yano Anaya was featured inVan Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” music video as a young Michael Anthony. He appeared in a couple of films in the late ’80s — includingBetter Off Dead(1985) andThe Blue Iguana(1988) — before leaving the industry to become a fitness and body transformation expert.

After returning to acting in the indieSunday Mornings(2021) andA Christmas Story Christmas,TMZ reportedin November 2022 that the man behind bully Grover Dill hadexpressed interest in buying the iconic housefrom the 1983 film. However,the owner had a public dispute with the actorand later sold it to another buyer.

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Tedde Moore as Miss Shields

Tedde Moore as Miss Shields in ‘A Christmas Story,’ 1983; Tedde Moore at the ‘Nighttalk’ premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.MGM/UA Entertainment Co.; Darren Eagles/Getty

Tedde Moore — who played Ralphie Parker’s teacher, Miss Shields — was the onlyA Christmas Storycast member to reprise her role for the follow-up filmA Summer Story.

source: people.com