What happened to Peter Billingsley and his costars following the 1983 classic's release. A Christmas Story cast: See the actors from the holiday classic, then and now What happened to Peter Billingsley and his costars following the 1983 classic's release. By Sarah Weldon and Kevin Jacobsen November 30, 2025 8:00 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/achristmasstoryMelindaDillonDarrenMcGavinIanPetrellaPeterBillingsley11182479c53d29c55445dba5bb3de715611acb.jpg) Melinda Dillon as Mrs.

What happened to Peter Billingsley and his costars following the 1983 classic's release.

A Christmas Story cast: See the actors from the holiday classic, then and now

What happened to Peter Billingsley and his costars following the 1983 classic's release.

By Sarah Weldon

and Kevin Jacobsen

November 30, 2025 8:00 a.m. ET

Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker, Darren McGavin as Old Man Parker, Ian Petrella as Randy, and Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story'. Credit:

MGM/Courtesy Everett

Break out the fudge and the provocative lamp: It's time for our annual check-in with the Parkers. Since its release in 1983, *A Christmas Story* has turned into a family tradition, one of the essential films to watch around the holiday season. Capturing the nostalgic glow of childhood wonder and hijinks, the film — about an adult Ralphie looking back on one chaotic Christmas in 1940 — hits the sweet spot for viewers of all ages.

While most of the *Christmas Story* cast are primarily recognized for their roles in the film, each has led a wildly different career during the past four-plus decades. From Peter Billingsley to Ian Petrella and everyone in between, we're looking at where the cast of *A Christmas Story* is now.**

Peter Billingsley (Ralphie)

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story'; Peter Billingsley poses in the Getty Images Portrait Studio at the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association press tour at the Langham Hotel on Jan. 5, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. Everett Collection; Maarten de Boer/Contour by Getty Images

Although he technically only had a handful of lines in *A Christmas Story — *a muddled expletive being one of them — Peter Billingsley stayed on the Christmas movie circuit later in life, appearing in *Elf* (2003) and *Four Christmases* (2008) years after his iconic role.

"People ask me, 'Why does this movie resonate?'" Billingsley told EW in 2022 of *A Christmas Story*. "Because it's a real family, man. By the same token, it's also not quite the super dark, indie, the 'Oh, no, don't open that family door.' It's not that family, but it's also not the Bradys or Disney-fied."

Billingsley also added a handful of TV appearances over the decades on shows like *Who's the Boss?*, *Punky Brewster*, and *The Wonder Years*. He has primarily worked behind the scenes, as a director of films including *Couples Retreat* (2009) and *Term Life* (2016), and producer of projects like *The* *Break-Up* (2006), *Iron Man* (2008), *The Opening Act* (2020), *Broke* (2025), and the Netflix series *F is for Family*.

He also co-produced the original 2012 Broadway musical adaptation of *A Christmas Story*, and reprised his role as Ralphie in the 2022 HBO Max film *A Christmas Story Christmas*.

Ian Petrella (Randy)

Ian Petrella as Randy in 'A Christmas Story'; Ian Petrella attending the 2007 Chiller Theatre Convention at the Hilton Hotel on Oct. 5, 2007, in Parsippany, N.J. Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/WireImage

After his breakout role as Ralphie's little brother Randy, Ian Petrella went on to appear on a string of television shows, including *Diff'rent Strokes*, *Who's the Boss?*, *Highway to Heaven*, *My Sister Sam*, and *Beverly Hills, 90210* (his last credit before a 15-year acting break).

The actor studied improv at the Groundlings Comedy Theater in Los Angeles and now focuses on animation and puppetry (having worked on the Henson Company's '90s series *Brats of the Lost Nebula*). He played Randy again in *A Christmas Story Christmas*.

Melinda Dillon (Mrs. Parker)

Melinda Dillon as Mrs. Parker in 'A Christmas Story'; Melinda Dillon attends the memorial service for Hal Ashby on Dec. 27, 1988, at the Director's Guild Theater in Hollywood, Calif. Everett Collection; Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

Melinda Dillon was already a Tony-winning actress before she starred as Ralphie and Randy's kind, eccentric mother in *A Christmas* *Story*, with two Oscar nominations under her belt to boot for *Close Encounters of the Third Kind* (1977) and *Absence of Malice* (1981).

After 1983, Dillon appeared in such films as *Harry and the Hendersons* (1987), *Staying Together *(1989), *Captain America* (1990), *The Prince of Tides* (1991), *How to Make an American Quilt* (1995), and *Magnolia* (1999). In 2005, Dillon guest-starred on *Law & Order: SVU*. She was last seen on screen in 2007, with the TV series *Heartland *and the film *Reign Over Me* alongside Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Dillon died in 2023 at the age of 83.

Darren McGavin (Old Man Parker)

Darren McGavin as Old Man Parker in 'A Christmas Story'; Darren McGavin at the 51st annual Directors Guild Awards in Los Angeles on March 6, 1999. Everett Collection; Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

Back in 1983, Darren McGavin helped to make a practically pornographic lamp an icon as Ralphie and Randy's major-award-winning Old Man.

Following *A Christmas Story*, he appeared in films like *Turk 182 *(1985), *Raw Deal *(1986), *Dead Heat *(1988), and 1990's *Captain America —* the latter alongside his former onscreen wife, Melinda Dillon. He played Adam Sandler's billionaire dad in *Billy Madison* (1995) and was also nominated for an Emmy in 1990 for his guest appearance on *Murphy Brown* (other guest spots included *Murder, She Wrote*; *The X-Files*; and *Touched by an Angel*).

McGavin died of cardiovascular disease in 2006 at the age of 83.

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Scott Schwartz (Flick)

Scott Schwartz as Flick in 'A Christmas Story'; Scott Schwartz attends Chiller Theater Expo Winter 2017 at the Parsippany Hilton on Oct. 28, 2017, in Parsippany, N.J. Everett Collection; Bobby Bank/Getty Images

After *A Christmas Story*, Scott Schwartz appeared in *Kidco *(1984) and the TV movie *A Time to Live* (1985) with Liza Minnelli and Corey Haim.

In the 1990s, Schwartz worked in the adult film industry both in front of and behind the camera, appearing in such films as *Beauty and the Beast Part II *(1990) and *Scotty's X-Rated Adventure *(1996). He also starred in a few low-budget horror films, including 2021's *Normal Terror *and 2025's *Scissors.*

Schwartz is known for his line of celebrity-based trading cards and was even featured on a 2008 cover of *Sports Card Monthly. *He returned to the role of Flick in *A Christmas Story Christmas*.

R.D. Robb (Schwartz)

R.D. Robb as Schwartz in 'A Christmas Story'; R.D. Robb at the 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD release of 'A Christmas Story' in 2003.

Everett Collection; Ann Johansson/AP/REX/Shutterstock

Back in 1983, R.D. Robb made his acting debut by wearing a sock hat and issuing one of the more memorable, traumatizing acts of peer pressure in cinematic history.

Since then, he's gone on to appear in films like *The Brady Bunch Movie* (1995) and *Matilda* (1996) and on TV shows including *ER*, *Unhappily Ever After*, *Touched by an Angel*, and *The Goldbergs*. In 1995, he wrote and directed the movie *Don's Plum*, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, both of whom tried to stop the movie from being released in the United States.

Later in his career, Robb served as executive producer for the series *Siren* on Freeform. He played Schwartz again in *A Christmas Story Christmas*.

Tedde Moore (Miss Shields)

Tedde Moore as Miss Shields in 'A Christmas Story'; Tedde Moore on March 18, 1999. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; Vince Talotta/Getty Images

Tedde Moore reprised the role of Miss Shields for 1994's *My Summer Story* (originally released as *It Runs in the Family*), which was taken from the same book of vignettes as *A Christmas Story*. She was the only actor to appear in both films.

Moore later went on to appear in projects like *RoboCop: Prime Directives* (2001) and the 2011 miniseries *The Kennedys*. She was also in the film *High-Rise Rescue *and Hallmark's *Magical Christmas Ornaments* in 2017.

Music fans might also know her as the mother of Canadian producer and actor Noah James Shebib, a.k.a. 40, who is best known for his work with Drake.

Jean Shepherd (Adult Ralphie)

Peter Billingsley as Ralphie in 'A Christmas Story'; Jean Shepherd on a radio broadcast. Everett Collection; Arthur Pomerantz/Getty Images

Prolific writer and radio host Jean Shepherd co-wrote the semi-fictional 1983 film and also served as its narrator. He also narrated the film's sequel of sorts, *My Summer Story*.

Shepherd also lent his signature voice to *Sesame Street* in the animated "Cowboy X" segment that aired repeatedly over the years before his death in 1999 at the age of 78. In 2005, he was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

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Source: Children

Published: December 01, 2025 at 07:36AM on Source: SHOWBIZ MAG

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