He’s best known as a member of the iconic group of young 1980s stars known as the Brat Pack, but he looks unrecognizable compared to his heyday after being spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles on Monday.
With other actors in that group he played major roles in some of the best-remembered films of the decade — include two released in the same year.
By the 1990s he was appearing in darker action films and thrillers, but he was increasingly a member of the supporting cast rather than a lead actor.
But the decade was a time of reinvention for him, and he began starring in the main cast of a popular sitcom as the primary love interest of its star — another actress who became a sensation in the ’80s.
He has continued to work steadily throughout the 2000s and 2010s, primarily in low-budget independent and direct-to-video films, but also as an in-demand guest actor on popular television shows — even though he once had to fend off fake news of his death.
Can you guess who this Brat Pack star is?
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This actor is best known as a member of the Brat Pack and starred in several hit 1980s films, before becoming a sitcom star and an in-demand guest star on television. Can you guess who this unrecognizable star is?
He’s Judd Nelson, who shot to fame as part of the ensemble cast of 1985’s The Breakfast Club.
Nelson, 65, was spotted out during a low-key outing to pick up groceries.
He had augmented his rugged looks with a thick salt-and-pepper beard that made him nearly unrecognizable.
Nelson was bundled up on a chilly and particularly windy day with a medium-length navy coat.
He layered with a zip-up navy fleece and a black shirt, as well as dark blue jeans and black leather shoes.
The film and television star wore glasses and covered up with a black beanie.
Nelson, who was born in 1959, grew up in Maine to a mother who was a former member of the Maine House of Represenatives and a father who worked as a corporate lawyer.
After brief studies at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, he moved to New York City to study with the legendary acting teacher Stella Adler.
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He’s Judd Nelson, who shot to fame in 1985’s The Breakfast Club (pictured)
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Nelson, 65, was spotted Monday on a rare grocery outing in Los Angeles. He looked completely different from his heyday thanks to a bushy beard
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He starred in The Breakfast Club — written and directed by John Hughes — with a cast of other young stars soon to be labeled the Brat Pack, including Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy
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The hit film followed five troubled students who were all forced to attend a morning detention class, and Nelson starred as John Bender, the ‘criminal’ and bad boy of the group who reveals a troubled upbringing
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Nelson followed that up with another Brat Pack classic, St. Elmo’s Fire, which was released in the same year. The Joel Schumacher–directed movie was also a success, grossing $37.8 million against a $10 million budget
After early rolles in Rock ‘N’ Roll Hotel (1983) and Making The Grade (1984), Nelson became a bonafide star with 1985’s The Breakfast Club.
He starred in the hit film — which was written and directed by John Hughes — with a cast of other young stars who would come to be labeled the Brat Pack, including Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy.
The film had a postive, if muted, reception from critics, but it was a hit with audiences, grossing $51.5 million against a budget of just $1 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
The film followed five troubled students who were all forced to attend a morning detention class, and Nelson starred as John Bender, the ‘criminal’ and bad boy of the group who reveals a troubled upbringing.
Nelson followed that up with another Brat Pack classic, St. Elmo’s Fire, which was released in the same year.
The Joel Schumacher–directed movie was also a success, grossing $37.8 million against a $10 million budget, though it was less popular with critics.
The movie reunited him with his Breakfast Club costars Estevez and Sheedy, as well as other members who would be added to the unofficial group, including Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy and Demi Moore.
It also featured stars who moved outside of that designation but would become major names in the ’80s and ’90s, including Andie MacDowell and Mare Winningham.
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The movie reunited him with his Breakfast Club costars Estevez and Sheedy, as well as other members who would be added to the unofficial group, including Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy and Demi Moore
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Nelson went on to appear in a supporting role with Wesley Snipes in Mario Van Peebles’ hit crime film New Jack City in 1991, but most of his film roles from that point on were smaller parts in smaller movies
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Television offered more opportunities, and he costarred with lead Brooke Shields in the sitcom Suddenly Susan for its first three seasons, beginning in 1996
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Nelson has since become a popular TV guest star and a fixture of low-budget DTV film, as well as a writer; pictured in 2017 in LA
They starred as a group of recent graduates from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, who struggle to adjust to their new careers and adult lives.
Nelson had a phenomenal 1985, concluding with the well-reviewed comedy Fandango, in which he starred with Costner (making his debut in a starring role) and Sam Robards.
The movie, which got off the ground thanks to funding from Steven Spielberg, failed at the box office, but it was well-received by critics both then and now.
He worked again with fellow Brat Packer Ally Sheedy on 1986’s Blue City, and that year he also turned to voice acting with the lead role as Hot Rod in the cult classic The Transformers: The Movie.
Nelson went on to appear in a supporting role with Wesley Snipes in Mario Van Peebles’ hit crime film New Jack City in 1991, and he had a supporting part in the 1994 comedy Airheads, but most of his film roles from that point on were smaller parts in smaller movies.
Television offered more opportunities, and he costarred with lead Brooke Shields in the sitcom Suddenly Susan for its first three seasons, beginning in 1996.
The series, which also featured Kathy Griffin, Nestor Carbonell and Barbara Barrie, was poorly received by critics but was a ratings hit in its first season, though it began to slip with subsequent seasons.
Nelson went on to star in several TV movies in the late ’90s and early 2000s, and he had guest roles on shows including CSI, Las Vegas, Family Guy, Psych and Two And A Half Men.
One of his biggest latter-day guest roles was on Empire, on which he played Billy Beretti for five episodes.
Nelson has also turned to writing in recent years and has published multiple books.
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