See Photos of 'A Christmas Story' Cast Then and Now

Can you believe Peter Billingsley was only 12 years old when the original movie came out? And A Christmas Story wasn't even his first acting credit: The adorable child star starred in a commercial when he was just seven years old.

After several television and film roles in the '90s, Billingsley shifted his focus to behind-the-scenes work as an editor, director, and producer. You can even catch him in cameos in some of the films he produced, like The Break-Up and Four Christmases. It was great to see him back on the big screen in A Christmas Story Christmas, though!

Playing Ralphie's dad, or "Old Man Parker," was certainly not Darren McGavin's first rodeo. He started out as a set painter for Columbia Pictures and went on to have a prolific television, film, and stage career. On Broadway, McGavin originated roles in My Three Angels and The Rainmaker. The actor was 61 years old when he starred as little Ralphie's grumpy pop!

After A Christmas Story, McGavin received recognition for his comedic skills when he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his work on Murphy Brown. The popular '90s movie Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler, was one of McGavin's last major film roles. He died in 2006 at the age of 83.

You may know Melinda Dillon best as Mother Parker, but she too had a well-established acting career before A Christmas Story. In fact, 20 years prior, she received a Tony Award nomination for her first major role, in a Broadway production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. In the years that followed, she was also nominated for two Oscars and a Golden Globe. No wonder we all fell in love with Mother Parker!

After playing Ralphie's loving but frazzled mom, Dillon continued to act in major films and guest star on TV shows. Notable film credits include Harry and the Hendersons, The Prince of Tides, and Magnolia. Dillon was set to star in the sequel A Christmas Story Christmas, but she fell ill and had to be replaced by actress Julie Hagerty. Dillon died at age 83 in January 2023, less than two months after the film was released.

Much like Peter Billingsley, Ralphie's adorable on-screen brother also started acting at a very early age—three years old! Ian Petrella's aunt worked at a talent agency and had suggested he give it a try. Before A Christmas Story, he had primarily appeared in commercials and television shows.

Ian continued acting throughout his teens and eventually found his way into comedy improv. At the age of 17, he was the youngest person ever to audition and be accepted to attend classes at L.A's famous Groundlings Comedy Theater. A true creative at heart, the actor-comic eventually put a pause on acting to pursue puppeteering, animation, and cartooning. As fate would have it, the 20th reunion for A Christmas Story rekindled his love for film, and he soon began his own production company.

Sweet, sweet Flick. You remember, Ralphie's friend who got his tongue stuck to the pole? While his fellow child stars only had minor acting experience, Scott's big film break happened prior to A Christmas Story. He co-starred with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason in 1982's The Toy.

Scott had a pretty normal life in his teen years, though he did attend a prep school for aspiring child actors. Since 1987, he has helped manage a sports and movie memorabilia collectibles store with his father. Most recently, he became the president of a non-profit that lobbies for the protection of young performers in the industry. Lucky for us, he reprised his role as Flick in the sequel!

And next up in Ralphie's gaggle of buddies is Schwartz, played by R.D. Robb. The film was R.D.'s first acting appearance, which makes sense since he was only 11 years old when A Christmas Story premiered!

R.D. stayed in the industry after his breakout role and has over 20 acting credits and 10 producer credits. He was featured in other notable family movies, like Matilda and The Brady Bunch Movie. He recently guest starred in an episode of The Goldbergs (pictured right). Funny enough, the episode references his success as a child actor in A Christmas Story.

When Zack initially expressed an interest in acting, his mother discouraged it despite being an actress herself. Eventually, his brother intervened, and he was allowed to go out on auditions. A year later, he landed Scut Farcus in A Christmas Story after competing with 300 other kids for the role!

Thank goodness his mom relented because Zack's career seriously took off after the Christmas classic. He's performed in numerous television series throughout the years, along with roles in films like Almost Famous, Transformers, and Anne of Green Gables. In a completely different direction than A Christmas Story, Ward has also starred in horror flicks such as Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Freddy vs. Jason. Ward co-founded a film production company in 2014, and he's been the CEO of Global Sports Financial Exchange, Inc since 2017. The actor went back to his roots when he reprised his role for the A Christmas Story sequel!

Just like R.D. Robb, Anaya's first acting credit was at age 11 in A Christmas Story. He landed the role of Scut's sidekick, Grover Dill.

Yano continued to pursue acting into his teens. Two years after A Christmas Story, Anaya was cast in a minor role in the dark comedy Better Off Dead. He also starred in the late 1980s indie film The Blue Iguana alongside Dylan McDermott and Dean Stockwell. Later in life, the actor turned his focus to health and wellness as "a body transformation expert and exercise science educator."