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Hollywood bad boy and Brat Pack star unrecognisable 39 years after movie hit

A Hollywood star looked completely different from his movie bad boy fame when he was spotted recently in a Los Angeles car park.

The Breakfast Club - trailer

A Hollywood star looked completely different from his movie bad boy fame as he stepped out in a car park in Los Angeles.

The Breakfast Club actor, 64, also clocked up roles in Girls In The Basement, St Elmo’s Club and New Jack City during his stellar film career in the “Brat Pack” group.

The Brat Pack was a nickname given to a collection of young actors who frequently appeared together in coming-of-age films in the mid-80s.

It included actors Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Anthony Michael Hall, 56, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, who were all on the 1985 cover of New York Magazine that forever changed their lives.

Judd played John Bender in the iconic 1985 movie, The Breakfast Club. Picture: Universal
Judd played John Bender in the iconic 1985 movie, The Breakfast Club. Picture: Universal

Tom Cruise broke away from the Brat Pack with his movie Top Gun in 1986 and saw him become a grown-up star in his own right.

Now Maine-born Judd Nelson, 64, appeared unrecognisable as he walked past a series of parking spaces in the city.

Clear to go unnoticed, he kept his head down as he scuttled past a row of vehicles.

Judd donned jeans paired with a cosy grey jumper and black gilet.

He pulled on a pair of round-rimmed glasses and black trainers to complete his look.

Nelson looked unrecognisable as he is spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles. Picture: TheImageDirect.com
Nelson looked unrecognisable as he is spotted on a rare outing in Los Angeles. Picture: TheImageDirect.com

Popular films that featured several members of the Brat Pack at one time were The Outsiders, Sixteen Candles, St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, and, of course, The Breakfast Club.

Judd played John Bender in the iconic 1985 movie, The Breakfast Club.

The role often saw him don checked shirts and a floppy brunette hairstyle in the flick centred on high school students.

The Breakfast Club cast (from left to right): Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. Picture: Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Breakfast Club cast (from left to right): Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. Picture: Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Brat Pack, with Nelson at left, was a name given to young actors who frequently starred in coming-of-age movies in the ‘80s.
The Brat Pack, with Nelson at left, was a name given to young actors who frequently starred in coming-of-age movies in the ‘80s.

Yet now, he can often be seen with a grey beard and moustache, and close-cropped hairstyle.

Judd’s bad boy character found love with Molly Ringwald’s Claire Standish in the movie, something which she has now expressed discomfort over.

Molly was praised for calling out “troubling” sexual harassment on the show in a recent essay.

Yet in a recent interview with The StarNews of Wilmington Judd said the movie is “a product of its time.”

He then added he doesn’t “see those problems that Molly sees.”

Nelson says he still receives fan mail from a new generation of The Breakfast Club viewers. Picture: Bennett Raglin/WireImage
Nelson says he still receives fan mail from a new generation of The Breakfast Club viewers. Picture: Bennett Raglin/WireImage
Nelson also starred in films including St Elmo’s fire and New Jack City. Picture: Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Nelson also starred in films including St Elmo’s fire and New Jack City. Picture: Vince Bucci/Getty Images

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Metro, he said: “You always hope a project that you work on has the legs to last longer than that minute you worked on it.

“And The Breakfast Club was like an incredibly fast horse. Just stay on. Do not fall off. Do not use your riding crop. Do not use your spurs. Just hold on to that horse and you’ll be fine.

“To receive letters from people that had seen the movie … it was just fascinating to hear the same thing from people from, say, Japan.

“I’m like, ‘What? How can your school be the same?’ There are many similarities to all kids trying to become adults.”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Hollywood bad boy and Brat Pack star unrecognisable 39 years after movie hit

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/hollywood-bad-boy-and-brat-pack-star-unrecognisable-39-years-after-movie-hit/news-story/6aa42b1fc0ab890bc45a13dfdb86a06b