Anthony Michael Hall

Star of a number of classic John Hughes high school comedies in the 1980s, Anthony Michael Hall reinvented himself after a rocky transition to adult roles. Hall's breakout as a gawky but self-possessed freshman geek opposite Molly Ringwald in "Sixteen Candles" (1984) led to similar outcast roles in "The Breakfast Club" (1985) and "Weird Science" (1985), cementing the freckled actor's status as the '80s nerd-of-choice. He was considered a member of Hollywood's Brat Pack, a loosely associated group of young actors who surfaced ad nauseum in dozens of high school and young adult movies of the era, though Hall disassociated himself from that scene and his typecasting when he unsuccessfully ventured into action films and sketch comedy on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ). Hall subsequently put aside his genuine comedic talent and likeable smartass appeal in favor of earnest TV movies and scowling villains in low budget films. He finally earned positive attention again in the new millennium as the paranormally powered protagonist of the Stephen King-based series, "The Dead Zone" (USA, 2002-07), which brought him back into the spotlight and effectively erased his status as a kid-star has-been. Along with recurring roles on TV series including teen comedy "Awkward" (MTV 2011-16) and "Murder in the First" (TNT 2014-16), Hall appeared in character roles in films including the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" (2008), Bennett Miller's acclaimed drama "Foxcatcher" (2014), Ben Affleck's Prohibition-set action drama "Live By Night" (2017) and satirical Iraq War comedy "War Machine" (2017).