'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Cast: Where Are They Now?

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the beloved classic about a teen enjoying one last day of playing hooky with his friends, is as funny and poignant now as it was when it came out in 1986. John Hughes’ ability to capture the pain and beauty of being a teenager resulted in a timeless film with something for everyone. Of course, as talented as writer/director Hughes was, the film never would have worked without the fantastic cast who brought it to life. Many, including Matthew Broderick who played Ferris, and Alan Ruck, who played Ferris’s best friend Cameron, went on to appear in other, equally remarkable properties over the years. Life really does move pretty fast.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

A popular high school student, admired by his peers, decides to take a day off from school and goes to extreme lengths to pull it off, to the chagrin of his Principal, who'll do anything to stop him.

Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller

Matthew Broderick is a household name these days, but prior to his role as charming slacker Ferris, his only other big screen role had been as David in the 1983 film WarGames. Broadway audiences however had already gotten to see him in Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues. (The latter of which Broderick won a Tony for.) After Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Broderick went on to star in the film version of Biloxi Blues and voice Simba as an adult in 1994’s The Lion King. He also continued work on Broadway, earning a second Tony for his role in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and getting a nomination for his role in The Producers. In 1999 Broderick was in both the live-action Inspector Gadget film and the clever political satire Election. He has also appeared in More recently Broderick has continued acting both on stage and on screen, starring in the play Plaza Suite in 2022.

He will next be seen in the upcoming comedy film No Hard Feelings alongside Jennifer Lawrence and will be narrating the documentary The Gettysburg Address. You will also be able to see Broderick playing Richard Sackler in the upcoming Netflix series Painkiller, which deals with the opioid epidemic.

Related:Matthew Broderick Celebrates While the Opioid Crisis Wreaks Havoc in First 'Painkiller' Images

Alan Ruck as Cameron Frye

Alan Ruck has recently undergone quite a transformation in the public consciousness, going from being known primarily as Ferris’s neurotic best friend Cameron to being known as Connor Roy, the eldest of the dysfunctional but wealthy Roy family in the HBO hit series Succession.

Ruck has had plenty of other fantastic roles in between though as well. You may recognize him as Stewart from the ABC political satire Spin City where he starred alongside Michael J. Fox and later Charlie Sheen. He has also had guest roles in series including Psych, Burn Notice, CSI: Miami, and NCIS. Ruck will also be in the upcoming films The Burial alongside Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones and Wind River: The Next Chapter alongside Scott Eastwood.

Mia Sara as Sloane Peterson

Ferris’s cool and clever girlfriend Sloane was played by actress Mia Sara. Sara had previously been in the Ridley Scott film Legend before landing the role of Sloane. After working on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Sara went on to have roles in a variety of projects including the 1995 film Timecop and the short-lived WB series Birds of Prey, where she played Harley Quinn. Sara has since retired from acting and primarily focuses on her writing and her family.

Jennifer Grey as Jeanie Bueller

Jennifer Grey played Ferris’s sister Jeanie who tries obsessively to expose Ferris’s truancy. Prior to landing the role of Jeanie, Grey had been in The Cotton Club and Red Dawn, a war film where she starred opposite Patrick Swayze. After Ferris Bueller’s Day Off came out, Grey and Swayze starred together again, this time in Dirty Dancing. Grey played Baby, likely her most iconic role. From 1999 to 2001 Grey played a satirical version of herself in the sitcom It’s Like, You Know… In 2010 Grey won Dancing With the Stars. Before being able to compete she had spinal surgery to correct spinal cord compression caused by a severe car accident she and Matthew Broderick had been in the late 80s. Grey has been in multiple episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and The Conners and was in the 2019 film Bittersweet Symphony. Grey is set to reprise her Dirty Dancing role in a sequel directed by Jonathan Levine, set to hit theaters next year.

Jeffrey Jones as Ed Rooney

Ferris’s principal Ed Rooney is played by Jeffrey Jones. Jones had a run of memorable roles in the mid-80s. In 1986, the same year Ferris Bueller came out, Jones was in the infamous flop Howard the Duck. Then in 1988, he played Charles Deetz in the significantly better-received film Beetlejuice. More recently Jones played A.W. Merrick in Deadwood and Deadwood: The Movie.

Ben Stein as the Economics Teacher

Ben Stein’s deadpan delivery made the role of Ferris’s economics teacher far more hilarious and memorable than it had any right to be. Stein went on to bring that same effect to roles in the film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the shows Charles in Charge, The Wonder Years, and guest appearances on everything from Seinfeld to Rugrats to Family Guy. Stein hosted the trivia show Win Ben Stein’s Money from 1997 to 2003. Then, from 2012 to 2018 Stein, who has a law degree and degree in economics and was a law professor at Pepperdine University Law School, was a panelist in the Fox show Cavuto on Business. Stein has also created books, articles, and documentaries on a variety of topics. In 2018 Stein played Alexander Hamilton in The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time.

Related:'Succession's Alan Ruck Explains Connor's Reaction to Logan's Death

Louie Anderson as the Flower Delivery Man

Beloved actor and comedian Louie Anderson had a small early role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as the flower delivery man who accompanies the singing telegram “nurse” to the Buellers’ door. Before that role, Anderson had a few other small parts in films and had been part of 1984’s “9th Annual Young Comedians Special,” which also featured Bob Saget and Yakov Smirnoff. Anderson quickly went on to be a familiar face for game show fans as he was a regular panelist in New Hollywood Squares as well as the rebranded Hollywood Squares. He also hosted Family Feud from 1999 to 2002. Anderson was also the co-creator of the beloved animated series Life with Louie. Anderson voiced the main character, eight-year-old Louie, who was based loosely on a younger version of himself. Life with Louie ran from 1995 to 1998 and won Anderson two Emmys. From 2016 to 2019 Anderson played Christine Baskets, the mother of Zach Galifianakis’s Chip Baskets in the FX black comedy series Baskets. Anderson won an Emmy for the role and has stated that his performance was partially inspired by his mother. Anderson sadly passed away in 2022, leaving behind a remarkable and endlessly rewatchable body of work.

Charlie Sheen as Garth Volbeck

Charlie Sheen, who has a small role as the troubled but wise young man that Jeanie meets at the police station, had a few roles prior to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 1986 proved to be a massive year for Sheen, as he starred in Oliver Stone’s Platoon and was in an episode of the Steven Spielberg show Amazing Stories: Book Three. Sheen went on to star alongside his father Martin Sheen in Wall Street in 1987. Sheen’s career continued to climb, and he starred in comedies including Major League, Hot Shots, and Men at Work. The latter of which co-starred his brother Emilio Estevez. Sheen also starred alongside Alan Ruck in the sitcom Spin City. Sheen played Charlie Harper in the extremely popular Chuck Lorre sitcom Two and A Half Men for several seasons before his character was killed off following the behind-the-scenes drama. More recently Sheen has struggled publicly with substance abuse and legal issues but has continued to work, starring in the FX sitcom Anger Management from 2012 to 2014. Sheen’s public discussion of his HIV diagnosis led to an increase in testing and awareness, sometimes dubbed the “Charlie Sheen Effect.” We’ve also recently learned that Sheen will be reuniting with Chuck Lorre in the upcoming Max original series How To Be a Bookie.

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