Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com Entertainment Weekly EW.com Entertainment Weekly
  • TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • TV Recaps
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Mystery
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music
    • Music Reviews
  • Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Awards
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Order Past Issues this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com Entertainment Weekly EW.com Entertainment Weekly
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Every RuPaul's Drag Race season 13 runway look, ranked

      Read More Next
    • Spread the love with EW's Valentine's Day gift guide

      Read More Next
    • The Masked Dancer revealed: Every unmasked celebrity on season 1

      Read More Next
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • TV Recaps
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Mystery
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Awards

    Awards

    See All Awards
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Order Past Issues this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Gallery Chevron Right
  3. 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation': Where Are They Now?

'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation': Where Are They Now?

It's been 26 years since the Griswold family decked the halls.
By Madeline Boardman
Updated July 27, 2017 at 12:03 PM EDT
Skip gallery slides
Save FB Tweet

1 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold)

Credit: Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

THEN: Chevy Chase led the Griswold clan as patriarch Clark. The comedian picked up the role after previously appearing as the father figure in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation and 1985's National Lampoon's European Vacation. Before attempting to get his fictional family in the holiday spirit in Christmas Vacation, Chase also earned credits for Foul Play (1978), Caddyshack (1980), and ¡Three Amigos! (1986), and rose to fame with a gig on Saturday Night Live.

NOW: Christmas Vacation was hardly the last time Chase played Clark Griswold. He revisited the gig in 1997's Vegas Vacation, a 2007 episode of Family Guy, and 2015's Vacation. He expanded his resume beyond the famed role, however, hitting the big screen in Snow Day (2000), Orange County (2002), and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). Chase's most successful role in recent years, however, was that of Pierce Hawthorne on NBC's Community.

 

1 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; David Livingston/Getty Images

THEN: After making a name for herself with appearances in 1977's Annie Hall, 1980's Coal Miner's Daughter, and 1984's Finders Keepers Beverly D'Angelo joined National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as Ellen Griswold. She played the wife to Chase's Clark and the mother of the Griswold family for a third time, after previous turns in National Lampoon's Vacation and National Lampoon's European Vacation.

NOW: D'Angelo joined Chase in 1997's Vegas Vacation, a 2007 episode of Family Guy, and 2015's Vacation. She expanded her range with Man Trouble (1992), Eye for an Eye (1996), American History X (1998), and The House Bunny (2008). She also hit the small screen with roles in Rude Awakening in 1999, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Entourage throughout the 2000s, and Mom in 2015.

 

2 of 14

3 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Randy Quaid (Eddie Johnson)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; Vermont State Police via AP

THEN: The older brother to actor Dennis Quaid, Randy Quaid picked up a familial gig in Christmas Vacation as Ellen's relative, the famed Cousin Eddie. The gig was hardly his first, as his filmography was filled with movies like The Last Detail (1973), Midnight Express (1978), and The Long Riders (1980) long before the comedy hit theaters in 1989.

NOW: Following National Lampoon's Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and Vegas Vacation, Quaid got his own spinoff with the 2003 made-for-TV movie, Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure. He continued to act throughout the 2000s, booking gigs in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), and Brokeback Mountain (2005). In recent years, however, Quaid has been famous more for his widespread legal troubles than his career.

 

3 of 14

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Juliette Lewis (Audrey Griswold)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; Harmony Gerber/ FilmMagic

THEN: Juliette Lewis picked up one of her earliest gigs as resident daughter Audrey of Christmas Vacation's Griswold family. She came into the role after a 1987 turn on the short-lived ABC series I Married Dora, a two-episode arc on The Facts of Life in 1988, and big-screen gigs in 1988's My Stepmother Is an Alien and 1989's Meet the Hollowheads.

NOW: Following Christmas Vacation, Lewis turned to television jobs in The Wonder Years and A Family for Joe before making an Oscar-nominated appearance in the 1991 movie Cape Fear. One of the comedy's most famous alumni, Lewis stayed busy, booking movies such as What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Basketball Diaries, From Dusk Till Dawn, Old School, Starsky & Hutch, Whip It, and August: Osage County. She most recently hit the small screen as Detective Andrea Cornell in ABC's Secrets and Lies.

 

4 of 14

Advertisement

5 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Johnny Galecki (Rusty Griswold)

Credit: Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection; Michael Tran/FilmMagic

THEN: With a handful of TV movies, 1988's A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, and 1989's Prancer to his name, relative unknown Johnny Galecki picked up a gig as Rusty Griswold, the son to Chase's Clark and D'Angelo's Ellen. He followed in the footsteps of Anthony Michael Hall and Jason Lively, who played Rusty in National Lampoon's Vacation and National Lampoon's European Vacation, respectively.

NOW: Now best known for his role of Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory, Galecki filled his resume with TV and film projects in the years between Christmas Vacation and his TBBT debut. The star made appearances in episodes of Blossom, American Dreamer, Billy, and Roseanne in the '90s, hitting the big screen in 1997's Suicide Kings and I Know What You Did Last Summer, 2000's Bounce, and 2001's Vanilla Sky.

 

5 of 14

6 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

John Randolph (Clark Griswold, Sr.)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

THEN: A veteran star, John Randolph came to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation after decades in the industry. His pre-Clark Griswold, Sr. films include Seconds (1966), Serpico (1973), King Kong (1976) and Prizzi's Honor (1985). He also made small screen appearances in the likes of Hawaii Five-O, Bonanza, Columbo, Kojak, Dallas, and Matlock.

NOW: Randolph continued to act well into his eighties. The actor starred as Schuyler Fox in 1998's You've Got Mail, picked up a role in 1999's The Dogwalker, and starred in 2000's Sunset Strip. Randolph died at the age of 88 in 2004.

 

6 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Diane Ladd (Nora Griswold)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; Angela Weiss/Getty Images

THEN: The mother of actress Laura Dern and ex-wife to actor Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd played Nora Griswold, the mother to Chase's Clark. After making her Hollywood debut in the '50s, the star raked up credits with TV appearances in The Secret Storm, Gunsmoke, Alice, and The Love Boat. She also became a big-screen star with The Wild Angels (1966), The Reivers (1969), Chinatown (1974), and All Night Long (1981).

NOW: After Christmas Vacation, Ladd teamed up with her daughter for 1990's Wild at Heart and 1991's Rambling Rose. She went on to make mid-'90s appearances in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Touched by an Angel, and Grace Under Fire, and continued her movie career with Father Hood (1993), Primary Colors (1998), and 28 Days (2000). She recently booked a gig in David O. Russell's Joy alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro.

 

7 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

E.G. Marshall (Art Smith)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; Jim Smeal/WireImage

THEN: E.G. Marshall played the father to D'Angelo's Ellen, the cranky Art Smith. Before his role in the Christmas classic, Marshall was best known for appearances in 1957's 12 Angry Men, the 1960s TV series The Defenders, and the 1970s series The Bold Ones: The New Doctors.

NOW: The longtime actor added to his TV credits with '90s gigs on The Cosby Show, Chicago Hope, and Courthouse. He made his final appearances as Lawrence Preston in The Defenders's spinoff TV movies in the late '90s before he died at the age of 84 in 1998.

 

8 of 14

Advertisement

9 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Doris Roberts (Frances Smith)

Credit: Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection; Steve Granitz/WireImage

THEN: Appearing opposite Marshall, Doris Roberts played Ellen's mother, Frances Smith. The famed actress had more than three decades in Hollywood experience under her belt when she took on the role, boasting credits for 1967's Barefoot in the Park, 1974's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, 1979's The Rose, and the '80s series Remington Steele. She also picked up an Emmy nomination for her role in Perfect Strangers and won for St. Elsewhere.

NOW: Roberts picked up her most famous role as of late in the mid-'90s, when she debuted Marie Baron in Everybody Loves Raymond. The star played Raymond's mother for nearly 10 years and won four Emmys during that time. She also made cameos in Murder, She Wrote, Step by Step, The King of Queens, The Middle, and Melissa & Joey, and appeared in movies such as Used People (1992), The Grass Harp (1995), Grandma's Boy (2006), and Madea's Witness Protection (2012).

 

9 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Miriam Flynn (Catherine Johnson)

Credit: Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection; Adam Taylor/ABC via Getty Images

THEN: Miriam Flynn dropped in on the Griswolds' Christmas celebrations as Ellen's cousin Catherine Johnson. She debuted the role in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation, also earning credits for the '80s TV series Maggie, 1983's Mr. Mom, and the late '80s series Raising Miranda.

NOW: Flynn expanded her filmography with voice work, lending her vocals to the character Grandma Longneck in various Land Before Time movies, in the animated DuckTales and Taz-Mania in the late '80s and early '90s, respectively, and to the sheep Maa in 1995's Babe. She also appeared in Waiting for Guffman (1996), a 1998 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Evolution (2001), and starred as Sister Helen in Grounded for Life throughout the 2000s. In recent years, she booked cameos in 2012 and 2013 episodes of Suburgatory, a 2014 episode of Bones, and a 2015 episode of Scandal.

 

10 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ellen Hamilton Latzen (Ruby Sue)

Credit: Ellen Latzen (@ellenlatzen) via Twitter

THEN: In her short-lived run as a child star, Ellen Hamilton Latzen was just 9 years old when National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation arrived in theaters. Latzen played Ruby Sue, the daughter of Flynn's Catherine and Quaid's Eddie, picking up the role after already debuting in 1987's Fatal Attraction, making a cameo in a 1987 episode of Family Ties and a 1989 episode of The Equalizer, and appearing in 1988's Mr. North.

NOW: Following Christmas Vacation, Latzen's acting career all but ended with final roles in a short film, a TV episode of ABC Afterschool Special, and an appearance in 1997's Boys Life 2. Now a self-described "creative soul with an entrepreneurial spirit and a tireless work ethic," Latzen attended the California College of the Arts and spent years in sales.

 

11 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

William Hickey (Uncle Lewis)

Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

THEN: Industry vet William Hickey joined the Christmas Vacation family as Uncle Lewis, the man responsible for the movie's bang-up ending. Hickey came into the role after previously starring alongside Vacation costar E.G. Marshall in the '60s series The Defenders and John Randolph in 1985's Prizzi's Honor.

NOW: Hickey went on to appear with Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack in 1990's My Blue Heaven. He also had early '90s arcs in Baby Talk and Wings, and returned to the big screen in 1995's Major Payne and 1997's Mousehunt. Hickey died at the age of 69 in 1997 after battling emphysema and bronchitis.

 

12 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mae Questel (Aunt Bethany)

Credit: Catherine McGann/Getty Images

THEN: Mae Questel appeared opposite Hickey as Lewis' wife Aunt Bethany. Much of the star's work was vocal in her early career, as she voiced Olive Oyl and Betty Boop. Her other credits before Christmas Vacation include Funny Girl (1968), Move (1970), and New York Stories (1989).

NOW: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation was Questel's final feature film credit. She died at the age of 89 in 1998.

 

13 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 14

Save FB Tweet
Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Margo Chester)

Credit: Steve Granitz/ WireImage

THEN: One year after she wrapped her stint as Seinfeld's Elaine Benes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus starred as Margo Chester in Christmas Vacation. The role marked her fourth big-screen appearance, following Troll, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Soul Man in 1986.

NOW: While the Saturday Night Live alum may still be best known for her role as Elaine, she found continued success in the years since the Christmas Vacation. In addition to movie gigs in 1997's Fathers' Day and 2013's Enough Said, Louis-Dreyfus booked starring TV roles in The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep, and made appearances in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Watching Ellie, and Arrested Development.

 

14 of 14

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Madeline Boardman

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 14 Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold)
2 of 14 Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold)
3 of 14 Randy Quaid (Eddie Johnson)
4 of 14 Juliette Lewis (Audrey Griswold)
5 of 14 Johnny Galecki (Rusty Griswold)
6 of 14 John Randolph (Clark Griswold, Sr.)
7 of 14 Diane Ladd (Nora Griswold)
8 of 14 E.G. Marshall (Art Smith)
9 of 14 Doris Roberts (Frances Smith)
10 of 14 Miriam Flynn (Catherine Johnson)
11 of 14 Ellen Hamilton Latzen (Ruby Sue)
12 of 14 William Hickey (Uncle Lewis)
13 of 14 Mae Questel (Aunt Bethany)
14 of 14 Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Margo Chester)

Share options

Pinterest Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
EW.com Entertainment Weekly

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
© Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

View image

'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation': Where Are They Now?
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.