‘A Christmas Story’ Cast Then & Now: Look At The Stars Of The 1983 Classic

                                                                                                          By:
                                                                                                          ,
                                                                                                          December 1, 2024 9:00AM EST
                                                                                                          'A Christmas Story' Cast Then & Now: Look At The Stars Of The 1983 Classic
                                                                                                          Getty Images

                                                                                                          Since 1983, ‘A Christmas Story’ has been a beloved classic of the holiday season. Take a look at the cast of this iconic Christmas film.

                                                                                                          Since 1983, ‘A Christmas Story’ has been a fixture of the holiday season. A moderate sleeper hit at the box office (it pulled in $19 million), the movie would become a cult classic thanks to the era of VCRs and basic cable showings.

                                                                                                          In the late 1990s, the film became synonymous with Christmas, thanks to the first-ever 24-hour ‘A Christmas Story’ marathon on TNT. From there, the story of Ralphie Parker, his brother Randy, and his parents have christened the season with each yearly viewing.

                                                                                                          Since then, the cast has gone on their separate ways, building their own legacies. Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is a director and producer. Randy (Ian Petrella) is a successful puppeteer and animator. The Old Man (Darren McGavin) was best known as ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ and Mrs. Parker (Melinda Dillon) had a featured role in ‘Magnolia’.

                                                                                                          As the world gets ready to stick their tongues to the flagpole and write essays about BB guns, click through to take a look at the cast of ‘A Christmas Story.’

                                                                                                          1 of 8

                                                                                                          Ralphie AKA Peter Billingsley

                                                                                                          Ralphie AKA Peter Billingsley
                                                                                                          MGM/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Peter Billingsley is best known for portraying Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Now he focuses on producing, directing, and celebrating the legacy of ‘A Christmas Story’.

                                                                                                          Remembering the film’s quiet release, Peter told ABC in Nov. 2017, “Nobody had any expectations. It was this quirky, weird period movie about a kid who wants this BB gun, with all these dreams sequences and fantasies. It’s kind of eccentric. It had odd tone, but clearly the filmmakers got it right.”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:24AM
                                                                                                          2 of 8

                                                                                                          Mrs. Parker AKA Melinda Dillon

                                                                                                          Mrs. Parker AKA Melinda Dillon
                                                                                                          MGM/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Melinda Dillon played Ralphie’s mom, Mother Parker in ‘A Christmas Story’.

                                                                                                          She last appeared on the television series ‘Heartland’ in 2007. She also had roles in ‘Magnolia’, and ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. The actress passed away on January 9, 2023, at the age of 83.

                                                                                                          Star Peter Billingsley joked about ‘A Christmas Story’s’ simple plot with Vanity Fair in Nov. 2016. “I think it took so long to get made because the movie, by modern-day standards, is about nothing,” he said. “It’s a family a couple of weeks before Christmas, and the kid wants a BB gun. That’s not exactly a pitch in which you’d say, ‘Let me get the president of the studio on the phone!'”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM
                                                                                                          3 of 8

                                                                                                          Randy AKA Ian Petrella

                                                                                                          Randy AKA Ian Petrella
                                                                                                          MGM/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Ian Petrella played Ralphie’s little brother, Randy in the original ‘A Christmas Story’. He quit acting and discovered a new love of puppetry.

                                                                                                          Reflecting on the film in 2013 with the Rock Island Dispatch Argus, Ian said he was “lucky to be a part of something like that.”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM
                                                                                                          4 of 8

                                                                                                          Farkus AKA Zack Ward

                                                                                                          Farkus AKA Zack Ward
                                                                                                          MGM/Shutterstock

                                                                                                          Zack Ward is best known as the bully, Scut Farkus, from ‘A Christmas Story’ has been acting consistently since. He even appeared on ‘American Horror Story in 2017’. Nice glow-up, Scut!

                                                                                                          Zack looked back on the film with Fox News in Dec. 2021. Talking about the moral of the story, he said, “I think [it] teaches kids that bullies are people, too. And the fact is, once you face your fears, you can overcome that ‘bully’ who is intimidating you.

                                                                                                          He went on, “I don’t think that it has to do just with getting into a fistfight, but I think it’s a metaphor for life. If you are scared of something, face it. If you are intimidated by something, address it. If you want to overcome the hurdles in life, you can’t do it by going down the side street to trying to avoid the confrontation. You have to take your life head on.”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM
                                                                                                          5 of 8

                                                                                                          The Old Man AKA Darren McGavin

                                                                                                          The Old Man AKA Darren McGavin
                                                                                                          MGM

                                                                                                          Darren McGavin played Old Man Parker in the original ‘A Christmas Story’.

                                                                                                          His career was immense, as he played ‘Kolchak: The Nightstalker’, Mike Hammer, and more on television. His film legacy was just as long. Sadly, he passed away in February 2006 at the age of 83.

                                                                                                          Film reporter Murray Horwitz talked about Darren’s acting in a 2011 NPR interview, “Darren McGavin is over the top, but he is everybody’s dad. I mean, he’s really – you know, dad’s this bumbling jerk who somehow saves the day always.”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM
                                                                                                          6 of 8

                                                                                                          Santa AKA Jeff Gillen

                                                                                                          Santa AKA Jeff Gillen
                                                                                                          MGM

                                                                                                          Jeff Gillen played the mall Santa Claus in the original ‘A Christmas Story’. Sadly he died in June of 1995. He also appeared in ‘Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things’, ‘Easy Money’, and ‘Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach’.

                                                                                                          Jeff’s son Phil talked about the film with Beyond The Marquee in 2012, saying, “I get a little emotional every time when the movie is at the point where Ralphie is standing in line waiting to see Santa. I hear my dad’s voice in the background, ‘Ho Ho Ho, Ho Ho Ho!’ I know my dad’s voice, so it’s great for me.”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM
                                                                                                          7 of 8

                                                                                                          Ms. Shields AKA Tedde Moore

                                                                                                          Ms. Shields AKA Tedde Moore
                                                                                                          MGM

                                                                                                          Tedde Moore played Miss Shields in the original ‘A Christmas Story’. She still acts occasionally, including 2017’s ‘Magical Christmas Ornaments’ movie.

                                                                                                          Tedde said she remembered shooting the iconic pole scene, telling the Northwest Indiana Times actor Scott Schwartz “had to wear that thing (bandage) on his tongue all day, and he never complained.”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM
                                                                                                          8 of 8

                                                                                                          Schwartz AKA R.D. Robb

                                                                                                          Schwartz AKA R.D. Robb
                                                                                                          MGM

                                                                                                          R.D. Robb played Ralphie’s friend, Schwartz, in the original ‘A Christmas Story’. He’s still acting and producing, with one of his most recent projects being Freeform’s ‘Siren’.

                                                                                                          R.D. said the role has stayed with him for years. “Every room I’ve ever walked in as an actor on an audition of on the set of something, or even as a producer or director, people do tend to recognize me. R.D. Robb said in 2013. “It’s definitely a conversation starter”

                                                                                                          December 20, 2021, 9:25AM