Anthony Michael Hall

Anthony Michael Hall, born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall on April 14, 1968, is an American actor. He gained widespread recognition as a youth actor in the 1980s, particularly for his breakout roles in films written and directed by John Hughes, including Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science. Associated by mainstream media with the "Brat Pack" group of young actors, Hall established a prominent career across film and television over several decades.

Hall was born in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston to Larry Hall, an auto-body-shop owner, and Mercedes Hall, a blues-jazz singer. After his parents divorced when he was six months old, he relocated with his mother to the West Coast and later settled in New York City. Hall attended St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School and Manhattan's Professional Children's School. He transposed his first and middle names upon entering show business because another actor named Michael Hall was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild.

Hall began his career at age seven appearing in television commercials before making his stage debut in 1977 in the play The Wake. He made his screen debut in the 1980 television movie The Gold Bug and gained wider notice in the 1982 film Six Pack. His major breakthrough arrived with the 1983 comedy National Lampoon's Vacation, where he played Russell "Rusty" Griswold. That success led to his collaboration with John Hughes, starring as likable misfits and geeks in Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Weird Science (1985).

To avoid being typecast, Hall turned down subsequent roles written by Hughes and pursued different genres. In 1985, at age 17, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for its 1985–1986 season, becoming the youngest cast member in the show's history. He then expanded into action and comedy feature films, starring in Out of Bounds (1986) and Johnny Be Good (1988).

In the 1990s, Hall shifted to more mature roles, beginning with his performance as the villain in Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990). He subsequently appeared in Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and made his directorial debut with the 1994 feature Hail Caesar, which he also starred in and produced music for. In 1998, he formed the band Hall of Mirrors, releasing an album the following year. Hall earned critical praise in 1999 for his portrayal of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in the television film Pirates of Silicon Valley.

Hall experienced a career resurgence during the 2000s as the star of the USA Network science fiction series The Dead Zone (2002–2007), playing lead character Johnny Smith while also serving as a producer and director on the show. His later screen credits include a supporting role in the superhero film The Dark Knight (2008), as well as roles in Results (2015), War Machine (2017), Bodied (2017), Halloween Kills (2021), and Trigger Warning (2024). He also secured a main role in the third season of the series Reacher.