John Hughes

In 2018, Molly Ringwald wrote an essay about Hughes' films that was inspired by the MeToo movement where she noted that some elements of the films were painful to watch because of the way women (including characters played by Ringwald) were mistreated in them, and that it was important to balance Hughes' brilliance with the ways his films had been morally flawed.

The premiere episode of Community (2009) ("Pilot") is dedicated to his memory.

He wrote the original script for Dumb and Dumber (1994). Due to the deal he made with the directors, his name was to be stripped from the project, including the script.

Dan Aykroyd asked him to direct Nothing But Trouble (1991). He was interested in the story, but ultimately turned it down because he only directed his own scripts.

Rarely gave interviews. By the 1990s, shunned publicity completely, withdrawing from public life.

He originally intended to direct The Great Outdoors (1988), but scheduling conflicts did not allow it.

He was a writer, known for Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Uncle Buck (1989) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). He was married to Nancy Hughes.

Made it clear to anyone who assumed that he was a Chicago Cubs fan (due to his setting a key sequence in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)) that he was most assuredly not and preferred the Chicago White Sox. The only reason he filmed at a Cubs game was the lack of home day games the White Sox were playing during the production schedule.

He has directed two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Breakfast Club (1985) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

Was a fan of The Beatles and frequently had characters in his movies sing Beatles songs: Anthony Michael Hall (the Geek) sings "Hey Jude" in Sixteen Candles (1984), Jon Cryer (Duckie) sings "Love" in Pretty in Pink (1986), and Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller) sings "Twist & Shout" in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

He didn't get to direct Mr. Mom (1983), because he wanted to film in Chicago rather than Hollywood.

He wrote two movies where the main character is involved in a race with the theme from Chariots of Fire (1981) going on in the background (Mr. Mom (1983) and National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)).

He notoriously cut off contact with his favorite young performers - Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall - after they rejected some of his scripts in the mid-1980s. When he died in 2009, Hughes hadn't spoken to either of them in over 20 years. In a NY Times editorial about his death, Ringwald wrote: "Most people who knew John knew that he was able to hold a grudge longer than anyone -- his grudges were almost supernatural things, enduring for years, even decades. [Hall] suspects that he was never forgiven for turning down parts in Pretty in Pink (1986) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). I turned down later films as well [Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)]. Not because I didn't want to work with John anymore -- I loved working with him, more than anyone before or since.".

Many examples of unproduced screenplays he had written and were rejected by studios were:National Lampoon's Jaws 3/People 0 (1979). A documentary spoof of the making of Jaws (1975). Due to a lawsuit from Steven Spielberg looming if it was made, Universal Studios scrapped it.The History of Ohio From the Beginning of Time To the End of the Universe (1980). About a newspaper publishing in small-town Ohio. This was intended to be a "dramatic adaption" parody of National Lampoon's Sunday Newspaper.National Lampoon's The Joy of Sex (1981). A comedy anthology film about the life of a young man obsessed with sex, even when he enters adulthood. It was originally to star John Belushi and be directed by Penny Marshall, but when a reluctant Belushi decided to go ahead with the film, he died from a drug overdose the next morning and Paramount did not produce the movie. The script was eventually re-written as the teenage sex comedy Joy of Sex (1984). Matty Simmons was involved with the movie, but ordered to have his name and the National Lampoon moniker taken off the film after he saw the final cut.Debs (1983) - a satire on Texas debutantes.The New Kid (1985). A movie meant to star Anthony Michael Hall as the new kid in college.Oil and Vinegar (1987). A comedy-drama road movie meant to star Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. Broderick would play a groom driving out of town to a wedding with Sheedy as a hitchhiker that he picks up. They both then talk about their personal problems in the car for the remainder of the trip.Bartholomew Vs. Neff (1991). A comedy meant to star John Candy and Sylvester Stallone as feuding neighbors.The Bee (1994). A feature length Disney film that Daniel Stern was attached to direct.Tickets (1997). A group of teenagers pull an all-nighter waiting for tickets to a legendary rock concert.Grisbys Go Broke (2003). A middle-class family lose all their money and are forced to spend the holidays frugally. It was rumored that Paramount was going to make this movie upon the passing of Hughes, but this has yet to be determined.

Started out in the 1970s as a writer for National Lampoon magazine.

Graduated Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook, Illinois, USA. [1968]

Hughes died of a sudden heart attack while taking a morning stroll down West 55th Street in Manhattan. At the time he was visiting family in New York City.

John Hughes was born on February 18, 1950 in Lansing, Michigan, USA as John Wilden Hughes Jr.

Used the pen name Edmond Dantès, a homage to the lead character in The Count of Monte Cristo (1934).