Coming-of-age rom-com Sixteen Candles graced cinema screens back in 1984 and swiftly became a hit among viewers – and almost five decades later, it still fondly lives in the hearts of many.
During the hour and a half long Hollywood film, leading lady Samantha Baker goes through a rollercoaster of emotions after no one in her family remembers her 16th birthday.
In the warm-hearted teen flick director John Hughes perfectly encapsulated what it was like to be a teenager who feels invisible, with help of a star-studded cast – including the likes of Molly Ringwald, Paul Dooley and Anthony Michael Hall.
But what are the stars of the hit romantic comedy up to now?
Here at Daily Star online we take a look at where the cast are now – and what they’ve achieved since.
Molly Ringwald – Samantha Baker
(Image: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for BAM)
Molly took the lead role in Sixteen Candles as the newly 16-year-old Samantha Baker whose parents forget her birthday.
After her star role, the actress featured in The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, The Giving Tree, Jem and the Holograms and the Kissing Booth franchise.
In 2010 she released her biography, Getting the Pretty Back, followed by another book titled When It Happens to You: A Novel two years later.
She married writer and editor Panio Gianopoulos in 2007, and welcomed daughter Mathilda in 2003 and twins Roman and Adele in 2009.
Michael Schoeffling – Jake Ryan
Michael went on to feature in a number of films after his role as Sam’s high school crush Jake Ryan, who falls for her after getting fed up with his girlfriend Caroline.
His movie appearances include Vision Quest, Sylvester, Slaves of New York, Mermaids and Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken.
In 1991 he walked away from acting and has mostly stayed out of the spotlight in the years since.
He has two children, Zane and Scarlett, with wife Valerie Robinson.
Anthony Michael Hall – Ted
(Image: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Ted’s main goal throughout the film is to show to his friends that he can get with Sam, despite ending up with Caroline as his plans go awry by the end of the film.
Ted was played by Michael Schoeffling who continued to work with director John Hughes in two more films – The Breakfast Club and Weird Science.
He also starred in the likes of Edward Scissorhands,The Photographer,The Dark Knight, Foxcatcher,Out of Bounds andWar Machine.
From 1985 to 1986 he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live.
One of his most recent acting stints include playing Tommy Doyle in the 2021 horror Halloween Kills.
In 2016, Anthony was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney with felony assault with serious bodily injury after an incident with a neighbour.
He pleaded no contest to a lesser charge, was found guilty and sentenced to three years probation with 40 hours of community service, and was later sued by the victim.
The lawsuit was resolved in 2019 and the terms were never divulged.
Haviland Morris – Caroline Mulford
(Image: Andrew Kent/Getty Images)
Haviland portrayed popular school girl Caroline who began as Jake’s girlfriend, but after two break ups, went on to spend the night with Ted.
Haviland Morris appeared in not only movies but also TV shows and even Broadway plays following her stint in Sixteen Candles.
Some of her other movie roles include Who’s That Girl, A Shock to the System, Home Alone 3, The Baxter, Cherry Crush and Burning Blue. While some of her TV appearances include Law & Order, Diagnosis: Murder, Sex and the City and One Tree Hill.
She’s also acted in Broadway productions of Arcadia, Tartuffe: Born Again and Ring Round the Moon.
Haviland currently works in real estate after retiring from acting in 2014.
Paul Dooley – Jim Baker
Paul Dooley’s role in the film was as Sam’s father Jim.
He went on to then star in My Boyfriend’s Back, Evolver, Telling Lies in America, Angels in the Endzone, Hairspray and more.
He also took up a spot of voice acting with voicing the character of Sarge in Cars, Cars 2 and Cars 3.
He also hasn’t been sky when it’s come to TV acting, guest starring on shows like The Golden Girls, ALF, The Wonder Years, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ER, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ally McBeal, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood, The Good Doctor and The Kids Are Alright.
Carlin Glynn – Brenda Baker
(Image: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)
Carlin’s played the character Brenda Baker, Sam’s mother.
Following this she continued her acting work by appearing in the likes of The Trip to Bountiful, Resurrection, Continental Divide, The Escape Artist, Gardens of Stone, Blood Red, Night Game, Convicts, Judy Berlin and Whiskey School.
In 2006 she announced her retirement from acting and married actor, director, producer and writer Peter Masterson, who died in 2018.
Together they shared three children, Mary Stuart Masterson, Alexandra Masterson and Peter Masterson Jr.
Blanche Baker – Ginny Baker
(Image: Jim Spellman/WireImage)
Blanche Baker took on the role of Sam’s older sister Ginny, who spends most of her time during the film getting ready for her wedding. But thing started to go wrong when she started her period on her big day.
Since her on-screen wedding, the American actress went on to star in The Handmaid’s Tale,Dead Funny, The Girl Next Door and Hypothermia.
The now 65-year-old has also guest starred in a number of TV shows, including Law & Order,Law & Order: Criminal Intent,Clarissa Explains It All andThe Equalizer.
Gedde Watanabe – Long Duk Dong
(Image: Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
Gedde Watanabe played Long Duk Dong, the Chinese foreign exchange student in the film who stays with the Bakers as they prepare for Ginny’s wedding.
Following his stint in Sixteen Candles, he appeared in Mulan, Mulan II, Two for the Money, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Parental Guidance and 47 Ronin.
He also featured in several TV shows such asMurphy Brown, Newhart, Seinfeld and Home Improvement.
John Cusack – Bryce
(Image: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images)
John Cusack played Bryce, the high school student known for being a bit of a nerd and hanging out with Ted in the film.
After Sixteen Candles, he featured in several movies, including One Crazy Summer, Hot Pursuit, Tapeheads, Eight Men Out,Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Must Love Dogs, 2012 and The Raven.
Most recently he starred in the 2022 film Pursuit as John Calloway, a ruthless hacker who’s trying to save his kidnapped wife from a drug cartel.
In 2008, a woman was arrested outside John’s Malibu home for stalking.
She pleaded no contest and received five years’ probation, mandatory psychiatric counselling and was also ordered to stay away from the actor, his home and business for 10 years.
In 2019, John was forced to apologise after he tweeted an image of a fist with a blue Star of David crushing some people along with a quote which was a comment from a white supremacist and neo-Nazi.
While he initially defended the tweet, blaming it on a “bot”, he later apologised and deleted it.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
