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The Brat Pack, Explained: A Guide to the Iconic 1980s Acting Posse


Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe and Sean Penn were some of the actors named in a 1985 magazine article about the Brat Pack — and the label stuck.

There were many other Brat Pack-adjacent actors who starred in classic films of the ’80s, from Anthony Michael Hall and Estevez’s younger brother Charlie Sheen to Matthew Broderick, Mare Winningham, James Spader, Kevin Bacon, Robert Downey Jr., Lea Thompson, Diane Lane and Phoebe Cates. Dillon earned a supporting actor nom for his role in Paul Haggis’ “Crash” and he has been cast by directors as varied as Lars von Trier in “The House That Jack Built” and Wes Anderson in “Asteroid City.” He also starred in one season of the series “Wayward Pines.” But nearly all his roles during that period became the stuff of legend: from Hollywood punk Randy in “Valley Girl” to “Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Moonstruck” and “Raising Arizona.” He went on to win an Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas” and nabbed a nomination for “Adaptation.” Let’s just forget about the fact that the New York Magazine article described the Italian American actor as “The Ethnic Chair” of the Brat Pack.

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