John Hughes 1950-2009
John Hughes, the producer, writer and director who gave the world such favorites as Home Alone, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club has died of an apparent heart attack in Manhattan. The 59-year-old succumbed while taking a morning walk during a family visit to New York on Thursday, August 6.
He is credited with creating the teen angst genre in modern film. During his 22-year directing career which spanned 1979 to 2001, he chose to go with teen themes of self-discovery and fitting in, and stayed clear of darker themes of the time, which included drugs, political protest and racial themes. When asked why he didn’t include black characters in his films he said, “I’m not going to pretend I know the black experience.”
Other films included Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck and She’s Having a Baby. His National Lampoon Vacation scripts were an offshoot of his own family vacations.
Actors are speaking out about what Hughes meant to them and how he helped their careers. Macaulay Culkin, who was the 8-year-old star of the popular Home Alone films said, “I was a fan of both his work and a fan of him as a person. The world has lost not only a quintessential filmmaker whose influence will be felt for generations, but a great and decent man.”
He removed himself from directing after Curly Sue in 1991, moving into near obscurity in Wisconsin as a gentleman farmer, granting few interviews. He did write a few more manuscripts in the ensuing years, writing under the pseudonym Edmond Dantes. He was reportedly last photographed on the set of his son’s 2001 film.
He is survived by his wife of 39-years, Nancy Ludwig, two sons John Hughes III and James Hughes, and four grandchildren.
View more photos below of his most beloved film covers.