Ian
08-06-2009, 05:38 PM
(CNN) -- John Hughes, whose 1980s films such as "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club" and "Some Kind of Wonderful" offered a sharp-eyed look at teenagers and their social habits, has died, according to a statement from his representative. He was 59.
The director died of a heart attack while taking a morning walk in Manhattan, according to the statement.
Hughes, who was also a prolific screenwriter and producer, was at his peak in the 1980s, when his films -- which starred young actors such as Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Jon Cryer -- dominated the box office and were hailed by critics for their thoughtful teen protagonists, rarely portrayed with such sympathy in comedies.
Ringwald, in particular, became a star, thanks to her performances as the lead in "Sixteen Candles," "Breakfast Club" and "Pretty in Pink."
For a time during the decade, the writer and director was behind two or three films a year. Among his other credits were "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983), "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986), the Thanksgiving classic "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Home Alone" (1990).
John Hughes was born February 18, 1950, in Michigan. He started his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago, and by the end of the 1970s was a frequent contributor to National Lampoon magazine.
His first screenwriting credit, according to the Internet Movie Database, was as a writer for the "Animal House" TV spinoff, "Delta House." But Hughes quickly moved over to the big screen, writing 1982's "National Lampoon's Class Reunion," followed the next year by "National Lampoon's Vacation," based on a story he had written for the magazine.
The director died of a heart attack while taking a morning walk in Manhattan, according to the statement.
Hughes, who was also a prolific screenwriter and producer, was at his peak in the 1980s, when his films -- which starred young actors such as Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Jon Cryer -- dominated the box office and were hailed by critics for their thoughtful teen protagonists, rarely portrayed with such sympathy in comedies.
Ringwald, in particular, became a star, thanks to her performances as the lead in "Sixteen Candles," "Breakfast Club" and "Pretty in Pink."
For a time during the decade, the writer and director was behind two or three films a year. Among his other credits were "National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983), "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986), the Thanksgiving classic "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Home Alone" (1990).
John Hughes was born February 18, 1950, in Michigan. He started his career as an advertising copywriter in Chicago, and by the end of the 1970s was a frequent contributor to National Lampoon magazine.
His first screenwriting credit, according to the Internet Movie Database, was as a writer for the "Animal House" TV spinoff, "Delta House." But Hughes quickly moved over to the big screen, writing 1982's "National Lampoon's Class Reunion," followed the next year by "National Lampoon's Vacation," based on a story he had written for the magazine.