John Hughes was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. As a director, he is known for his unique ability to capture the essence of adolescent angst and the complexities of teenage life.
Born John Wilden Hughes Jr. in Lansing, Michigan, Hughes grew up in Grosse Pointe, a suburb of Detroit. Hughes dropped out of the University of Arizona to become a comedy writer, selling jokes to comedians such as Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers. Hughes worked as a copywriter in advertising through the 1970s, eventually becoming a regular contributor to the humor magazine National Lampoon. Hughes adapted a short story he wrote for the magazine into his first screenplay, National Lampoon's Vacation (1983).
The success of the film propelled Hughes into the spotlight, leading to a string of collaborations with renowned director Chris Columbus and establishing him as a creative force in Hollywood. His directorial debut came in 1984 with the coming-of-age comedy Sixteen Candles. He continued to write and direct cult classics in the 1980s. He later found further success as a screenwriter in the 1990s with titles such as Home Alone, Beethoven, 101 Dalmatians, and Flubber.
Hughes died of a heart attack in 2009.
Written and directed by John Hughes, The Breakfast Club (1985) is a comedy-drama film about five teenagers who forge unexpected bonds over the course of an all-day detention.
Taking place over eight hours inside a fictional Illinois high school,...
Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released in 1986 by Paramount Pictures. The film was written and directed by John Hughes and stars Matthew Broderick with Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones and Jennifer Gray. It was produced by Hughes and Tom Jacobson...
