Macaulay Culkin
Encyclopedia
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone
and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck
, My Girl
, The Pagemaster
, and Party Monster. At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple
.
Culkin was ranked No. 2 in VH1
and E!
's respective lists, the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars" and "50 Greatest Child Stars".
, a former stage actor known for his productions on Broadway
. Culkin was raised Roman Catholic; he attended a Catholic school (St. Joseph's School of Yorkville) for 5 years before moving on to Professional Children's School
. Culkin also studied ballet
at the School of American Ballet
. Culkin was the third of seven children, five boys and two girls: Shane (born 1976), Dakota (1978–2008), Kieran (born 1982), Quinn (born 1984), Christian (born 1987), and Rory
(born 1989). Culkin is the nephew of actress Bonnie Bedelia
, his father's sister. During Culkin's early childhood, the family lived in a small apartment; his mother was a telephone operator and his father worked as a sacristan
at a local Catholic church.
Culkin began acting at the age of four. Early roles saw him appearing in a stage production of Bach Babies at the New York Philharmonic
. He continued appearing in roles on stage, television, and in films throughout the 1980s. Notable parts in this period included an episode of the popular action series The Equalizer
in which he played the victim of a kidnapping
, and also in the TV movie The Midnight Hour
. In 1989 he starred in Uncle Buck
with John Candy
.
Culkin rose to international fame with his lead role as Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster film Home Alone (1990), where he was reunited with Uncle Buck writer and director John Hughes and Uncle Buck co-star John Candy. He reprised the role of Kevin in the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
.
Culkin also starred in a Saturday morning cartoon
entitled Wish Kid
, and hosted Saturday Night Live
in late 1991.
By then, Culkin was in high demand and was paid a reported $750,000 by the World Wrestling Federation to serve as the ring bearer in Macho Man Randy Savage's wedding to Miss Elizabeth at SummerSlam in 1991.
Despite the huge success of Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and My Girl, other films Culkin acted in, such as The Good Son, only did reasonably well (although he was nominated for MTV Movie Award in the category for Best Villain for his performance in the film). Getting Even with Dad
, Richie Rich, and The Pagemaster
, all released in 1994, were only mildly successful at the box office. He also appeared in a filmed version of The Nutcracker
as the title role in 1993, which was staged from the 1954 George Balanchine New York City Ballet version of the ballet. He appeared in the 1998 music video for the song "Sunday" by the rock band Sonic Youth
.
After several years of inactivity, Culkin returned to acting in 2000 with a role in the play Madame Melville
, which was staged in London's West End
. In the spring of 2003, he made a guest appearance on the NBC
sitcom Will & Grace
. His role as Karen Walker
's deceptively immature divorce
lawyer won him favorable reviews. Culkin headed back into motion pictures in 2003 with Party Monster, in which he played a role very different from those he was known for, that of party promoter Michael Alig
, a drug user and murderer. He quickly followed that with a supporting part in Saved!
, as a cynical wheelchair-bound, non-Christian student in a conservative
Christian
high school. Though Saved! only had modest success at the box office
, Culkin received positive reviews for his role in the film and its implications for a career as an adult actor.
Culkin began doing voice-over work, with his appearances on Seth Green
's Robot Chicken
. In 2006, he published an experimental, semi-autobiographical novel, Junior, which featured details into Culkin's stardom and his shaky relationship with his father. Culkin starred in Sex and Breakfast
, a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. Alexis Dziena
, Kuno Becker
and Eliza Dushku
also star in this story of a couple whose therapist recommends group sex to them. Shooting for the film, Culkin's first since Saved!
, took place in September 2006. The film opened in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007, and was released on DVD on January 22, 2008 by First Look Pictures. Culkin's next project was a role in the thirteen-episode NBC
television series Kings
as Andrew Cross.
In 2009, Culkin appeared in a UK-based commercial for Aviva
Insurance (formerly Norwich Union) to help promote their company's rebranding. Culkin stared into the camera citing the phrase "Remember me."
On August 17, 2009, Culkin made a brief cameo appearance on WWE Raw
at the Scottrade Center
in St. Louis, Missouri
, following a "falls count anywhere" match between Hornswoggle and Chavo Guerrero
, in which Guerrero was defeated by the classic Home Alone gag of rigging a swinging paint can to hit him upon opening a door. Culkin appeared in the doorway and said, "That's not funny."
In February 2010 Culkin appeared in an episode of Poppy de Villeneuve
's online series for the New York Times The Park.
On March 7 of the same year, he appeared alongside actors Matthew Broderick
, Molly Ringwald
, Judd Nelson
, Ally Sheedy
, Anthony Michael Hall
and Jon Cryer
in a tribute to the late John Hughes.
In April 2011, Culkin featured in musician Adam Green
's experimental film The Wrong Ferrari which was entirely shot on an iPhone
. In the same month he also appeared in the music video for Stamp Your Name On It performed by Green's former bandmate Jack Dishel
/Only Son.
, he tends to refrain from disclosing aspects of his personal life, though he discussed his life as a child actor, the conflict in his family life (including his estrangement from his father), and how he retired from child acting at 14. Culkin married actress Rachel Miner
in 1998, but the couple later separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. Culkin began dating actress Mila Kunis
in May 2002. By 2006, Culkin was residing in New York, and Kunis was in Los Angeles. On January 3, 2011, Kunis's publicist confirmed reports that Culkin and Kunis had ended their relationship several months previously, saying "The split was amicable, and they remain close friends."
On September 17, 2004, Culkin was arrested in Oklahoma City
for the possession of 17.3g of marijuana and two controlled substances, 16.5 mg of Alprazolam
and 32 mg of Clonazepam
, for which Culkin was briefly jailed but soon released on a $4,000 bond. After being arraigned in court for misdemeanor drug offenses, he pleaded not guilty at the trial (October 15, 2004 to June 9, 2005), then later reversed the plea to guilty. His lawyers reached a plea bargain with the state of Oklahoma and Culkin received three one-year suspended prison terms, forced enrollment into a probationary drug treatment program and a $540 fine. Culkin currently resides in Queens, New York.
Around the time of the first Home Alone movie, Culkin became close friends with pop singer Michael Jackson
, making an appearance in Jackson's "Black or White" music video.
During the trial against Jackson
, Culkin reported he had slept in Jackson's bed on countless occasions, but that Jackson never sexually molested him or touched him in improper ways, and referred to the allegations as "absolutely ridiculous." Culkin attended Jackson's funeral
on September 3, 2010.
Home Alone
Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...
and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while...
. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, and Macaulay Culkin, and co-stars Jay Underwood and Laurie Metcalf.-Plot:Bob Russell Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby...
, My Girl
My Girl (film)
My Girl is a 1991 drama film directed by Howard Zieff and written by Laurice Elehwany. The film depicts the coming-of-age of a young girl who faces many different emotional highs and lows and stars Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis in their first film together since 1983's Trading Places. The film...
, The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster is a 1994 adventure fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy...
, and Party Monster. At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
.
Culkin was ranked No. 2 in VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
's respective lists, the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars" and "50 Greatest Child Stars".
Early life
Culkin was born in Manhattan, New York City, and raised in Yorkville. He is the son of Patricia Brentrup and Kit CulkinKit Culkin
Christopher Cornelius "Kit" Culkin is an American stage actor, most famous for being the father of Macaulay Culkin, of Home Alone fame, as well as his productions on Broadway.-Life and career:...
, a former stage actor known for his productions on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Culkin was raised Roman Catholic; he attended a Catholic school (St. Joseph's School of Yorkville) for 5 years before moving on to Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
. Culkin also studied ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
at the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
. Culkin was the third of seven children, five boys and two girls: Shane (born 1976), Dakota (1978–2008), Kieran (born 1982), Quinn (born 1984), Christian (born 1987), and Rory
Rory Culkin
Rory Hugh Culkin is an American actor and is the younger brother of actors Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin.-Personal life:...
(born 1989). Culkin is the nephew of actress Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia
Bonnie Bedelia Culkin is an American actress best known for her supporting roles in the action film Die Hard and the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent...
, his father's sister. During Culkin's early childhood, the family lived in a small apartment; his mother was a telephone operator and his father worked as a sacristan
Sacristan
A sacristan is an officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.In ancient times many duties of the sacristan were performed by the doorkeepers , later by the treasurers and mansionarii...
at a local Catholic church.
Career
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
. He continued appearing in roles on stage, television, and in films throughout the 1980s. Notable parts in this period included an episode of the popular action series The Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
in which he played the victim of a kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, and also in the TV movie The Midnight Hour
The Midnight Hour
The Midnight Hour is a 1985 comedy/horror television movie which aired on ABC on October 27, 1985, and stars Shari Belafonte-Harper, LeVar Burton, Peter DeLuise, and Dedee Pfeiffer.- Plot :...
. In 1989 he starred in Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck
Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, and Macaulay Culkin, and co-stars Jay Underwood and Laurie Metcalf.-Plot:Bob Russell Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby...
with John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
.
Culkin rose to international fame with his lead role as Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster film Home Alone (1990), where he was reunited with Uncle Buck writer and director John Hughes and Uncle Buck co-star John Candy. He reprised the role of Kevin in the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while...
.
Culkin also starred in a Saturday morning cartoon
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
entitled Wish Kid
Wish Kid
Wish Kid starring Macaulay Culkin was an animated television series that originally aired on Saturday mornings from September 14, 1991, through July 1992 on NBC, although a few repeats aired on Toon Disney after that...
, and hosted Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
in late 1991.
By then, Culkin was in high demand and was paid a reported $750,000 by the World Wrestling Federation to serve as the ring bearer in Macho Man Randy Savage's wedding to Miss Elizabeth at SummerSlam in 1991.
Despite the huge success of Uncle Buck, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and My Girl, other films Culkin acted in, such as The Good Son, only did reasonably well (although he was nominated for MTV Movie Award in the category for Best Villain for his performance in the film). Getting Even with Dad
Getting Even with Dad
Getting Even With Dad is a 1994 American comedy film starring Macaulay Culkin and Ted Danson.- Plot :The movie is about a dysfunctional father-son relationship. Timmy Gleason is Ray Gleason's estranged son, who tries to blackmail his ex-con father into spending time with him...
, Richie Rich, and The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster is a 1994 adventure fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy...
, all released in 1994, were only mildly successful at the box office. He also appeared in a filmed version of The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
as the title role in 1993, which was staged from the 1954 George Balanchine New York City Ballet version of the ballet. He appeared in the 1998 music video for the song "Sunday" by the rock band Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
.
After several years of inactivity, Culkin returned to acting in 2000 with a role in the play Madame Melville
Madame Melville
Madame Melville is a play by Richard Nelson. It is set in Paris in 1966 and is about an American student, Carl, who finds himself alone in the flat of Claudie, one of his teachers...
, which was staged in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. In the spring of 2003, he made a guest appearance on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
. His role as Karen Walker
Karen Walker (character)
Karen Walker is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace . She was portrayed by actress and singer Megan Mullally...
's deceptively immature divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
lawyer won him favorable reviews. Culkin headed back into motion pictures in 2003 with Party Monster, in which he played a role very different from those he was known for, that of party promoter Michael Alig
Michael Alig
Michael Alig is the co-founding member of the Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, a drug user and murderer. He quickly followed that with a supporting part in Saved!
Saved!
Saved! is a 2004 teen comedy-drama film involving elements of religious satire. It was directed by Brian Dannelly and written by Dannelly and Michael Urban. It stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker...
, as a cynical wheelchair-bound, non-Christian student in a conservative
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
high school. Though Saved! only had modest success at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
, Culkin received positive reviews for his role in the film and its implications for a career as an adult actor.
Culkin began doing voice-over work, with his appearances on Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
's Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
. In 2006, he published an experimental, semi-autobiographical novel, Junior, which featured details into Culkin's stardom and his shaky relationship with his father. Culkin starred in Sex and Breakfast
Sex and Breakfast
Sex and Breakfast is a 2007 dark comedy independent film starring Macaulay Culkin, Eliza Dushku, Alexis Dziena and Kuno Becker. Shooting took place in September 2006. The film opened in Los Angeles November 30, 2007, and was released on DVD on January 22, 2008 by First Look Pictures. The film was...
, a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. Alexis Dziena
Alexis Dziena
-Early life :Dziena was born in New York City of Irish, Italian and Polish descent. She attended the private Saint Ann's School alongside her Bringing Rain costar, Paz de la Huerta. She spent many of her summers growing up in the small South Jersey shore town of Sea Isle City...
, Kuno Becker
Kuno Becker
Eduardo Kuno Becker Paz is a Mexican actor who has worked in telenovelas, Mexican cinema and U.S. cinema, but is best known for his portrayal of Ruben Berrizabal in Soñadoras and Santiago Muñez in the football movie Goal! and following sequels.-Early years:Becker was born in Mexico City to Manuel...
and Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...
also star in this story of a couple whose therapist recommends group sex to them. Shooting for the film, Culkin's first since Saved!
Saved!
Saved! is a 2004 teen comedy-drama film involving elements of religious satire. It was directed by Brian Dannelly and written by Dannelly and Michael Urban. It stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker...
, took place in September 2006. The film opened in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007, and was released on DVD on January 22, 2008 by First Look Pictures. Culkin's next project was a role in the thirteen-episode NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television series Kings
Kings (U.S. TV series)
Kings is an American television drama series which aired on NBC. The series' narrative is loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States....
as Andrew Cross.
In 2009, Culkin appeared in a UK-based commercial for Aviva
Aviva
Aviva plc is a global insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the sixth-largest insurance company in the world measured by net premium income and has 53 million customers in 28 countries...
Insurance (formerly Norwich Union) to help promote their company's rebranding. Culkin stared into the camera citing the phrase "Remember me."
On August 17, 2009, Culkin made a brief cameo appearance on WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
at the Scottrade Center
Scottrade Center
Scottrade Center is a 19,150 seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, opened in 1994. It is the home of the St...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, following a "falls count anywhere" match between Hornswoggle and Chavo Guerrero
Chavo Guerrero, Jr.
Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling...
, in which Guerrero was defeated by the classic Home Alone gag of rigging a swinging paint can to hit him upon opening a door. Culkin appeared in the doorway and said, "That's not funny."
In February 2010 Culkin appeared in an episode of Poppy de Villeneuve
Poppy de Villeneuve
is a director and photographer.-Early life:Poppy was born in Hampstead, London and grew up in the countryside of West Sussex in England...
's online series for the New York Times The Park.
On March 7 of the same year, he appeared alongside actors Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
, Molly Ringwald
Molly Ringwald
Molly Kathleen Ringwald is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies Sixteen Candles , The Breakfast Club , and Pretty in Pink , Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time...
, Judd Nelson
Judd Nelson
Judd Asher Nelson is an American actor. He is best known for being a member of the "Brat Pack" in the mid-1980s; and for his roles as John Bender in The Breakfast Club, Alec Newbary in St...
, Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy
Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...
, Anthony Michael Hall
Anthony Michael Hall
Michael Anthony Hall , known professionally as Anthony Michael Hall, is an American actor, film producer and director who starred in several teen-oriented films of the 1980s. Hall began his career in commercials and on stage as a child, and made his screen debut in 1980...
and Jon Cryer
Jon Cryer
Jonathan Niven "Jon" Cryer is an American actor, screenwriter and film producer. He is the son of actress–singer Gretchen Cryer. He made his motion picture debut in the 1984 romantic comedy No Small Affair, but gained greater fame as "Duckie" in the 1986 John Hughes-scripted film Pretty in Pink...
in a tribute to the late John Hughes.
In April 2011, Culkin featured in musician Adam Green
Adam Green
Adam Green may refer to:*Adam Green , writer/director of Hatchet*Adam Green , staff cartoonist for the New Art Examiner, early 1990s...
's experimental film The Wrong Ferrari which was entirely shot on an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
. In the same month he also appeared in the music video for Stamp Your Name On It performed by Green's former bandmate Jack Dishel
Jack Dishel
Jack Dishel is an American singer-songwriter. Dishel was frontman of the New York City band Stipplicon, lead guitarist for The Moldy Peaches and is currently pursuing his individual project Only Son...
/Only Son.
Personal life
Culkin stated in an May 27, 2004 interview on Larry King LiveLarry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, he tends to refrain from disclosing aspects of his personal life, though he discussed his life as a child actor, the conflict in his family life (including his estrangement from his father), and how he retired from child acting at 14. Culkin married actress Rachel Miner
Rachel Miner
Rachel Miner is a Broadway, film and television actress, born in New York City.-Personal life:A third generation Miner in show business, she is the daughter of director and teacher Peter Miner and the granddaughter of director/producer Worthington Miner and actress Frances Fuller...
in 1998, but the couple later separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002. Culkin began dating actress Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
in May 2002. By 2006, Culkin was residing in New York, and Kunis was in Los Angeles. On January 3, 2011, Kunis's publicist confirmed reports that Culkin and Kunis had ended their relationship several months previously, saying "The split was amicable, and they remain close friends."
On September 17, 2004, Culkin was arrested in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
for the possession of 17.3g of marijuana and two controlled substances, 16.5 mg of Alprazolam
Alprazolam
Alprazolam is a short-acting anxiolytic of the benzodiazepine class of psychoactive drugs. Alprazolam, like other benzodiazepines, binds to specific sites on the GABAA gamma-amino-butyric acid receptor...
and 32 mg of Clonazepam
Clonazepam
Clonazepamis a benzodiazepine drug having anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant, and hypnotic properties. It is marketed by Roche under the trade name Klonopin in the United States and Rivotril in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Europe...
, for which Culkin was briefly jailed but soon released on a $4,000 bond. After being arraigned in court for misdemeanor drug offenses, he pleaded not guilty at the trial (October 15, 2004 to June 9, 2005), then later reversed the plea to guilty. His lawyers reached a plea bargain with the state of Oklahoma and Culkin received three one-year suspended prison terms, forced enrollment into a probationary drug treatment program and a $540 fine. Culkin currently resides in Queens, New York.
Around the time of the first Home Alone movie, Culkin became close friends with pop singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, making an appearance in Jackson's "Black or White" music video.
During the trial against Jackson
People v. Jackson
People vs. Jackson was a 2005 trial involving recording artist Michael Jackson. The accuser was a boy, Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged crimes...
, Culkin reported he had slept in Jackson's bed on countless occasions, but that Jackson never sexually molested him or touched him in improper ways, and referred to the allegations as "absolutely ridiculous." Culkin attended Jackson's funeral
Michael Jackson memorial service
A public memorial service for Michael Jackson was held on July 7, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California 12 days after his death on June 25...
on September 3, 2010.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Midnight Hour The Midnight Hour The Midnight Hour is a 1985 comedy/horror television movie which aired on ABC on October 27, 1985, and stars Shari Belafonte-Harper, LeVar Burton, Peter DeLuise, and Dedee Pfeiffer.- Plot :... |
Halloween Kid | |
| 1988 | The Equalizer The Equalizer The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past... |
Paul Gephardt | (1 episode) |
| 1988 | Rocket Gibraltar Rocket Gibraltar Rocket Gibraltar is an American film released in 1988, directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Burt Lancaster and Patricia Clarkson. In the movie, an aging patriarch reunites his entire family for his birthday, but personal and social problems abound.-Cast:... |
Cy Blue Black | |
| 1989 | See You in the Morning See You in the Morning (film) See You in the Morning is a 1989 romantic comedy film written and directed by Alan J. Pakula, and starring Jeff Bridges, Alice Krige and Farrah Fawcett. It features music by Nat "King" Cole and Cherri Red. The original music score was composed by Michael Small.-Plot:Larry Livingstone falls in love... |
Billy Livingstone | |
| 1989 | Uncle Buck Uncle Buck Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffman, and Macaulay Culkin, and co-stars Jay Underwood and Laurie Metcalf.-Plot:Bob Russell Uncle Buck is a 1989 John Hughes comedy film starring John Candy, Amy Madigan, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby... |
Miles Russell | |
| 1990 | Jacob's Ladder | Gabe Singer | Uncredited |
| 1990 | Home Alone Home Alone Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation... |
Kevin McCallister Kevin McCallister Kevin McCallister is the main protagonist from the films Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Home Alone 4 in the Home Alone franchise. Kevin is played by Macaulay Culkin in the first two films, but in Home Alone 4, Kevin is played by Mike Weinberg. Kevin is not featured in Home Alone 3,... |
American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture American Comedy Awards The American Comedy Awards were a group of awards presented annually in the United States from 1987 to 2001 recognizing performances and performers in the field of comedy, with an emphasis on television comedy and comedy films... Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Emerging Actor Chicago Film Critics Association The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong... Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1991 | Wish Kid Wish Kid Wish Kid starring Macaulay Culkin was an animated television series that originally aired on Saturday mornings from September 14, 1991, through July 1992 on NBC, although a few repeats aired on Toon Disney after that... |
Nicholas McClary | (Voice) |
| 1991 | Only the Lonely Only the Lonely (film) Only the Lonely is a 1991 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Columbus. It starred John Candy, Ally Sheedy, Maureen O’Hara and Anthony Quinn. The plot is similar to the earlier award-winning film Marty.-Plot:... |
Billy Muldoon | |
| 1991 | My Girl My Girl (film) My Girl is a 1991 drama film directed by Howard Zieff and written by Laurice Elehwany. The film depicts the coming-of-age of a young girl who faces many different emotional highs and lows and stars Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis in their first film together since 1983's Trading Places. The film... |
Thomas J. Sennett | MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss This is a following list for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss.This is a following list for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss.... shared with Anna Chlumsky Anna Chlumsky Anna Chlumsky is an American actress best known for playing Vada Sultenfuss in the 1991 movie My Girl and the 1994 sequel My Girl 2. Her father, Frank Chlumsky, is an instructor in the culinary program at Kendall College in Chicago... Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best On-Screen Duo. It was later changed to Best On-Screen Team in 2001. This award was last given out in 2006.-References:... shared with Anna Chlumsky Anna Chlumsky Anna Chlumsky is an American actress best known for playing Vada Sultenfuss in the 1991 movie My Girl and the 1994 sequel My Girl 2. Her father, Frank Chlumsky, is an instructor in the culinary program at Kendall College in Chicago... |
| 1992 | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the direct sequel to Home Alone. The film stars Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, while... |
Kevin McCallister | |
| 1993 | Dangerous - The Short Films Dangerous - The Short Films Dangerous: The Short Films is a collection of music videos from the Dangerous album by Michael Jackson released initially on VHS, double Video CD in 1993 and reissued on DVD in 2001... |
Himself | |
| 1993 | The Good Son | Henry Evans | Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Villain MTV Movie Award for Best Villain This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Villain.-References:... |
| 1993 | The Nutcracker | The Nutcracker Prince | |
| 1994 | Getting Even with Dad Getting Even with Dad Getting Even With Dad is a 1994 American comedy film starring Macaulay Culkin and Ted Danson.- Plot :The movie is about a dysfunctional father-son relationship. Timmy Gleason is Ray Gleason's estranged son, who tries to blackmail his ex-con father into spending time with him... |
Timmy Gleason | |
| 1994 | The Pagemaster The Pagemaster The Pagemaster is a 1994 adventure fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy... |
Richard Tyler | |
| 1994 | Frasier Frasier Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars... |
Elliot | (Voice) (1 episode) |
| 1994 | Richie Rich | Richie Rich | |
| 2000 | Madame Melville Madame Melville Madame Melville is a play by Richard Nelson. It is set in Paris in 1966 and is about an American student, Carl, who finds himself alone in the flat of Claudie, one of his teachers... |
Carl | Play |
| 2003 | Party Monster | Michael Alig Michael Alig Michael Alig is the co-founding member of the Club Kids, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s... |
|
| 2003 | Will & Grace Will & Grace Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters... |
Jason "J.T." Towne aka Soupy | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Foster Hall | Clark Hall | |
| 2004 | Saved! Saved! Saved! is a 2004 teen comedy-drama film involving elements of religious satire. It was directed by Brian Dannelly and written by Dannelly and Michael Urban. It stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Eva Amurri, Martin Donovan, and Mary-Louise Parker... |
Roland | |
| 2004 | Jerusalemski Sindrom | Unknown | |
| 2005–2010 | Robot Chicken Robot Chicken Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show... |
Bastian Bux (voice)/ Kevin McCallister / Billy / Kid (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2007 | Sex and Breakfast Sex and Breakfast Sex and Breakfast is a 2007 dark comedy independent film starring Macaulay Culkin, Eliza Dushku, Alexis Dziena and Kuno Becker. Shooting took place in September 2006. The film opened in Los Angeles November 30, 2007, and was released on DVD on January 22, 2008 by First Look Pictures. The film was... |
James Fitz | |
| 2009 | Kings Kings (U.S. TV series) Kings is an American television drama series which aired on NBC. The series' narrative is loosely based on the Biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States.... |
Andrew Cross | TV series |
| 2010 | The Park | A celebration of Central Park made for the New York Times. | |
| 2011 | The Wrong Ferarri, A Screwball Tragedy - A Film by Adam Green | Various | Filmed entirely with an iPhone |
External links
- BBC News report on drug charges
- Oklahoma Court case file report
- Oklahoma police report file at thesmokinggun.com