John Hughes (filmmaker)
Updated: 12/30/2025, 12:44:16 PM Wikipedia source
John Wilden Hughes Jr. (February 18, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for writing, producing, and directing such films as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and Uncle Buck, and writing Pretty in Pink, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone. Most of Hughes' works were set in Chicago. His films often combine slapstick comedy with heartfelt moments. Actors whose careers Hughes helped launch include John Candy, Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Anthony Michael Hall, and Macaulay Culkin. Hughes has since been considered an icon defining the 1980s with his coming-of-age stories, capturing the teenage experience and shaping the teen movie genre.
Infobox
Born
John Wilden Hughes Jr.(1950-02-18)February 18, 1950Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Died
August 6, 2009(2009-08-06) (aged 59)New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting place
Lake Forest Cemetery
Other names
Edmond Dantès
Occupations
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Years active
1970–2009
Employer(s)
Hughes Entertainment (1987–2002) and others
Spouse
mw- Nancy Ludwig (m. 1970)
Children
2
Tables
· Works › Film
1983
1985
1987
1991
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
| 1982 | National Lampoon's Class Reunion | No | Yes | No |
| 1983 | Mr. Mom | No | Yes | No |
| National Lampoon's Vacation | No | Yes | No | |
| Savage Islands | No | Yes | No | |
| 1984 | Sixteen Candles | Yes | Yes | No |
| 1985 | The Breakfast Club | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| National Lampoon's European Vacation | No | Yes | No | |
| Weird Science | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | No | Yes | Executive |
| Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1987 | Some Kind of Wonderful | No | Yes | Yes |
| Planes, Trains and Automobiles | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1988 | She's Having a Baby | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The Great Outdoors | No | Yes | Executive | |
| 1989 | Uncle Buck | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1990 | Home Alone | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1991 | Career Opportunities | No | Yes | Yes |
| Only the Lonely | No | No | Yes | |
| Dutch | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Curly Sue | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1992 | Beethoven | No | Yes | No |
| Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1993 | Dennis the Menace | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1994 | Baby's Day Out | No | Yes | Yes |
| Miracle on 34th Street | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | 101 Dalmatians | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1997 | Flubber | No | Yes | Yes |
| Home Alone 3 | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 1998 | Reach the Rock | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2001 | Just Visiting | No | Yes | No |
| New Port South | No | No | Executive | |
| 2002 | Maid in Manhattan | No | Story | No |
| 2008 | Drillbit Taylor | No | Story | No |
| 2021 | Home Sweet Home Alone | No | Story | No |
· Works › Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
| 1982 | National Lampoon's Class Reunion | Girl with paper bag on head | Uncredited |
| 1985 | The Breakfast Club | Brian's dad | |
| 1986 | Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Man running between cabs |
· Works › Television
2000
American Adventure
Role(s)
Based on characters by Hughes
| Year | Title | Note |
| 1979 | Delta House | 5 episodes |
| 1983 | At Ease | Also creator and creative consultant for 1 episode |
| 2000 | American Adventure | Based on characters by Hughes |
· Works › Television appearances
1994
Hal Roach: Hollywood's King of Laughter
Role(s)
TV documentary
| Year | Title | Note |
| 1994 | Hal Roach: Hollywood's King of Laughter | TV documentary |
| 1995 | Biography | To John with Love: A Tribute to John Candy |
| 2001 | E! True Hollywood Story | Sixteen Candles |
References
- Vanity Fairhttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/03/john-hughes-201003?currentPage=1
- Chicago Tribune obituarieshttps://www.chicagotribune.com/obituaries/marion-c-hughes-il/
- Arizona Daily Starhttp://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tucson/obituary.aspx?n=john-w-hughes&pid=160077308&fhid=2499
- Sports Illustratedhttps://www.si.com/more-sports/2009/05/15/gordie-howe
- MEL Magazinehttps://melmagazine.com/why-cameron-frye-wore-a-gordie-howe-jersey-in-ferris-buellers-day-off-adfc36129fd5
- Seventeen Magazinehttps://web.archive.org/web/20090809144057/http://www.riverblue.com/hughes/articles/molly17.html
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/style/view-when-the-losers-ruled-in-teenage-movies.html?pagewanted=4&src=pm
- Hazlitthttps://hazlitt.net/longreads/diamond-and-kiss-women-john-hughes
- You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generationhttps://books.google.com/books?id=NxgaVJzdFc8C
- You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generationhttps://books.google.com/books?id=NxgaVJzdFc8C
- Biography.comhttp://www.biography.com/people/john-hughes-476258#death
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/director-john-hughes-dies-at-59-1118006975/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-john-hughes7-2009aug07,0,6955065.story
- Salon.comhttps://www.salon.com/2013/06/24/john_hughes_how_national_lampoon_led_to_the_breakfast_club_and_ferris_bueller/
- The Daily Beasthttps://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/22/how-john-hughes-made-conservatism-funny
- National Lampoon
- Spyhttps://books.google.com/books?id=Oepe_lUpLWAC&pg=PA77
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-14-fi-1646-story.html
- Chicago Magazinehttps://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/December-2015/Home-Alone/
- "More Than Meets the Mogwai: Jaws 3/People 0 – Script Review"https://awcgfilmlog.blogspot.com/2006/02/jaws-3people-0-script-review.html
- "National Lampoon's The History of Ohio from the Dawn of Time Until the End of the Universe a.k.a. National Lampoon's Dacron, OH (1980)"https://web.archive.org/web/20160821030618/http://prettyinpodcast.com/2016/04/21/04-dacron-oh/
- "National Lampoon's The Joy of Sex (Part Two 1981–1982)"https://web.archive.org/web/20180620205238/https://prettyinpodcast.com/2016/05/31/nljoy/
- John Hughes: A Life in Film
- "The Lost Projects of John Hughes"https://web.archive.org/web/20180520072857/http://splitsider.com/2012/07/the-lost-projects-of-john-hughes/
- "Details About One of John Hughes Unproduced Screenplays"https://web.archive.org/web/20100222201505/http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/18/details-about-one-of-john-hughes-unproduced-screenplays/
- The New York Timeshttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6DC143AF937A3575BC0A967958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1991/film/features/20th-previews-foxy-lineup-99125620/
- Entertainment Weeklyhttps://ew.com/article/1994/12/02/john-hughes-view-top/
- "Film Projects 1999–2002 (haven't heard anything since)"https://web.archive.org/web/20100919165654/http://www.riverblue.com/hughes/oldnews.html
- "John Hughes to do "The Grisbeys""https://web.archive.org/web/20110526222511/http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=557
- Chicago Sun-Timeshttps://web.archive.org/web/20190925133534/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/9/24/20882439/nancy-hughes-inspiration-trusted-adviser-wife-filmmaker-john-hughes-dies-68
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1995/film/features/hughes-and-mestres-team-in-disney-based-great-oaks-ent-99124577/
- Variety power players 2000: movers and shakers, power brokers and career makers in Hollywoodhttps://archive.org/details/varietypowerplay00chri/page/50
- John Hughes: A Life in Film
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1997/film/news/mestres-takes-root-at-disney-111661086/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/reach-the-rock-2-1117487790/
- "1999 interview with Hughes"https://web.archive.org/web/20120222081155/http://www.ink19.com/issues_F/99_03/screen/john_hughes.shtml
- Los Angeles Times
- "Tracking down the place where we lost John Hughes"https://web.archive.org/web/20111221113151/http://www.movieline.com//2009//08//tracking-down-the-place-where-we-lost-john-hughes.php
- New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/movies/13arts-FUNERALFORJO_BRF.html
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-12-et-hughes12-story.html
- Chicago Tribunehttps://web.archive.org/web/20161109064056/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-famous-people-buried-in-chicago-htmlstory.html
- Tampa Bay Timeshttps://web.archive.org/web/20150501230042/http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/80s/content/nbcs-community-dedicates-its-pilot-late-john-hughes
- Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZiIBMRNtLs
- ScreenRanthttps://screenrant.com/not-another-teen-movie-easter-eggs-references/
- "Eighties Stars Speak About John Hughes"https://web.archive.org/web/20181117193441/https://perezhilton.com/2009-08-07-eighties-stars-speak-about-john-hughes/
- "Video Tribute to John Hughes at the 2010 Oscars"http://www.popsugar.com/Video-Tribute-John-Hughes-2010-Oscars-7661573
- "Oscars 2010: John Hughes Remembered at Academy Awards"https://web.archive.org/web/20110711082829/http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978089080
- The New Yorkerhttps://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/what-about-the-breakfast-club-molly-ringwald-metoo-john-hughes-pretty-in-pink
- Talent Monthly Magazinehttps://web.archive.org/web/20161104193313/http://www.talentmonthly.com/how-80s-filmmaker-john-hughes-changed-the-world/
- The Daily Spectaclehttps://web.archive.org/web/20161104203519/http://dailyspectacle.co.uk/2016/10/teenagers-canadian-skins/
- TalkNerdyWithUshttps://web.archive.org/web/20160923014140/http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/04/29/exclusive-interview-with-teenagers-creator-mathew-murray
- www.mississauga.comhttp://www.mississauga.com/whatson-story/6521190-mississauga-director-s-web-series-a-raw-take-on-teenage-life/
- www.msn.comhttps://www.msn.com/en-sg/entertainment/entertainment-asianbuzz/hailee-steinfeld-talks-making-coming-of-age-film-%E2%80%98edge-of-seventeen%E2%80%99-at-tiff/vi-BBwyWsv
- We Live Entertainmenthttp://weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/tiff-2016-edge-seventeen-review-tribute-john-hughes/
- "How Jon M. Chu Broke the 'Wicked' Curse"https://www.thewrap.com/wicked-jon-m-chu-interview-ariana-grande/
- Jesu and Sun Kil Moon (Ft. Jesu & Sun Kil Moon) – Hello Chicagohttps://genius.com/Jesu-and-sun-kil-moon-hello-chicago-lyrics
- Snackhttps://snackmag.co.uk/maisie-peters-sees-first-charting-single-with-john-hughes-movie
- IndieWirehttps://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/spider-man-homecoming-jon-watts-john-hughes-visual-effects-1201855275/
- Writers Guild of America Westhttps://directories.wga.org/project/1221645/home-sweet-home-alone