Macauley Culkin
Even people who don't watch movies name Macauley Culkin as the greatest child star since Shirley Temple; the image of him with hands at the side of his face as his father's after shave cologne stings his delicate eight year old face is as iconic as Humphrey Bogart in a trench coat, smoking a cigarette, or Marilyn Monroe standing atop a subway grating in the middle of New York City. Culkin struck the perfect blend of obnoxious and endearing that was the key to making Kevin McCallister appealing to both kids and their parents, and cemented the film as a family Christmas classic.
Culkin, whose "stage mother" steered all of her children into performing, actually began as a dancer, training at the prestigious New York Ballet School, founded and presided over by legendary choreographer George Balanchine, and attended by such ballet luminaries as Gelsey Kirkland. He made his big screen debut at the age of four in the film "Bach Babies".
After following up "Home Alone" with the cheesy but heartwarming "My Girl", and of course the obligatory sequel "Home Alone II", Culkin seemed to succumb to well-trodden path of many child stars before him, when a combination of pressure, success and family angst began to destroy his love of his work. He became better known for his strange celebrity behavior, relationship with Mila Kunis, and for a dubious friendship with Michael Jackson. Culkin is also the godfather of Paris Jackson, and despite evidence to the contrary, one of Jackson's staunchest defenders. Culkin recently reprised the role of Kevin McCallister in a holiday commercial that saw his adult self recreating his bed-jumping, air guitar playing eight year old self.
Joe Pesci
Pesci was one of Chris Columbus' heroes, and because of this, the film's director believed firmly that Pesci would turn down the role of the hapless burglar because it might be too comedic to attract him; Pesci accepted the role precisely because it was comedic, and a pleasant change from a career largely based around his archetypal portrayals of Italian gangsters on the violent and brutal periphery of the Mafia. It is for these roles that Pesci is most awarded, winning a Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Goodfellas". His best known comedy role is that of Vinny in "My Cousin Vinny" opposite Ralph Macchio and Marisa Tomei. Pesci retired from acting because he became tired of reprising the same role over and over again, albeit in different movies.
Daniel Stern
In a duo of hopeless bandits, Stern portrays the more inept of the two, who would be incapable of a crime spree if left to his own devices and more excited about giving the duo a media moniker than about stealing anything of value from the posher homes in Chicago. Stern once stated that his goal was to work consistently in movies because they provided such a pleasant environment for him and a variety of jobs that he never tired of. Known mostly for his award-winning role in the comedy "City Slickers" alongside Billy Crystal, Stern also played the role of Kevin in the beloved television series "The Wonder Years" that was made more famous by then child star Fred Savage.
John Heard
The real feather in the cap for Chris Columbus was the casting of John Heard whom he had idolized growing up; it was not until he had cast Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci that he had the confidence to approach Heard about taking on a role that was largely peripheral, as Peter McCallister is really not featured in the larger middle section of the movie at all. Heard's career is varied and revered, playing characters as diverse as a charismatic Klansman opposite Mel Harris, to crime scene weapons specialist Calleigh Duchesne's alcoholic father in the television series "C.S.I. Miami". Known also for one of Hollywood's shortest ever marriages - his union with "Superman" actress Margot Kidder lasted a whirlwind six days - Heard passed away unexpectedly in 2017 at the age of seventy one.
Catherine O'Hara
Canadian actress Catherine O'Hara was another childhood idol of Columbus and he had grown up watching her heralded and much-awarded performances on a number of Canadian, and American, television sketch shows. O'Hara has an incredible twenty seven prime time Emmy Award nominations, mostly for comedy, but in 2010 she was nominated for her role opposite Clare Danes in the television mini-series "Temple Grandin".
John Candy
There are very few things as consistently funny on a movie screen as larger-than-life big guy John Candy crammed into a small space, and in this regard, his role in "Home Alone" is both a highlight of the film and reliably feel-good funny. Add to this his annoying and relentless Christmassy nature and jolly rendition of holiday music with his fellow band members and this role can be considered a Candy classic. Forever immortalized as the eponymous Uncle Buck, Candy passed away prematurely at the age of forty three.
Roberts Blossom
There are few images more sinister in a comedy film that Blossom, as Old Man Marley, dressed in a dufflecoat and wielding a snow shovel in front of the home where it is rumored that he has murdered and buried his entire family; Blossom manages to blend an outwardly frightening appearance with the demeanor of your favorite grandpa in his role of Marley, although he never really considered himself an actor; rather, he viewed himself as a poet who was known to act occasionally because it was necessary to find a way to support himself as a poet. After retiring from acting at the age of eighty, Blossom devoted himself to poetry and released a number of videos of performance poetry.
