He was the boy every girl swooned over and every teen idolized in the ’80s — the kind of face that seemed to belong on posters, lunchboxes, and magazine covers.
With tousled dark hair, a disarming smile, and a quiet charm, he made awkward high school crushes feel personal.
But behind the perfectly framed photos and the heartthrob persona, a darker story was unfolding.
Totally unprepared for the stardom
Known for iconic 1980s films like St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, Mannequin (1987), and later Weekend at Bernie’s, this actor quickly became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars.
But he was born just a regular kid in 1962, in Westfield, New Jersey, the third of four boys. His mother worked at a newspaper, and his father dealt in investments and stocks – a typical, hardworking family far removed from the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown.
“I was totally unprepared for any kind of success when I was a young person. I didn’t know anyone who was successful in that way in show business, or famous,” he once shared. “I also temperamentally wasn’t particularly suited for it. Attention made me recoil.”
During his high school years, it became clear that this future star had a strong passion for performing. But his school years weren’t exactly smooth sailing.
“I just felt sort of very lonely at school. I just didn’t feel like I belonged there,” he once said.
After graduating, he enrolled at NYU to study acting, though he was expelled after two years.
“I didn’t really go [to class],” as he later put it.
In bed with Jacqueline Bisset
Given that he’d just been kicked out of school, nothing could have prepared the young, aspiring actor for how quickly he would break into the movie business. Just a few weeks after being unceremoniously dismissed, he decided to respond to an “open call” in the newspaper for a role in Class, which starred Jacqueline Bisset.
“I waited for hours with 500 other kids and they call me back. It was so out of the blue. One week I was in school and the next week I’m in bed with Jacqueline Bisset. I thought, ’I’m doing something right here,’” he recalled.
After playing Jonathan in Class, where he famously romanced his prep school roommate’s mother (Jacqueline Bisset) the New Jersey-born actor suddenly became the talk of the town.
“Then [NYU] offered that I come back, pay the tuition and I could use [the movie] as independent study. I told them to go f*** themselves.”
A few years later, he hit the big time with St. Elmo’s Fire in 1985. Despite harsh reviews, the film was a massive hit and starred a powerhouse cast including Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore.
Our star was undeniably a box-office draw, but his reputation took a hit from being lumped together with other young actors — some of questionable talent and notorious for their arrogance and partying. They were dubbed the “Brat Pack.”
By 1986, he had fully cemented his place as a teen heartthrob. Acting alongside Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink, he became known for his quiet charm and sensitive, understated presence that won over audiences everywhere.
And now maybe you can guess who we’re talking about? That’s right, none other than Andrew McCarthy!
Battling a much tougher struggle
In his memoir, Brat: An 80s Story, Andrew opens a window into the glamorous Hollywood whirlwind he was suddenly thrown into. Stays at the Chateau Marmont and wild parties at Sammy Davis Jr.’s house became part of the routine. At one hotel bash, he noticed a “cute young woman with a pixie haircut.”
The young actor tried to strike up a conversation, but “Courteney Cox was having none of me,” he wrote.
Today, Andrew McCarthy is recognized as a respected actor and a lasting icon of his generation — ranked No. 40 on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Teen Stars of All Time. Beyond acting, he has also made a name for himself as a director, notably for his work on Orange Is the New Black.
But when he burst onto the scene in the ’80s, the rising star was secretly battling a much tougher struggle. Neither his co-stars, the press, nor even he himself fully realized he was sliding into alcoholism. He’d been smoking weed since high school and drinking socially, but eventually, things spiraled out of control.
”Like in Pretty in Pink for example, people said, ”Oh, he’s so sensitive and lovely in that movie. I was so hungover for that whole movie… I’m thinking, ’ God, I got a headache. I am just dying here. I got to go lay down’. But on film I came across a certain way,” Andrew told ABC’s 20/20 in 2004.
He has also shared why alcohol became such an important crutch for him.
”If I was frightened, it gave me good Dutch courage,” McCarthy admitted. ”I felt confident and sexy and in charge and in control and powerful — none of those things I felt in my life.”
The turning point
But in 1989, he made a turning point in his life. The star quitted drinking cold turkey just before shooting the comedy Weekend at Bernie’s. To stay sober, he pulled back completely from his social life.That wasn’t really a huge problem for McCarthy, who considers himself an introvert.
”I’m very comfortable being alone and I’ve always been comfortable being alone,” he said in 2020. “I find that people go to great lengths to avoid being alone and they get themselves into a lot of trouble. I find that a lot of unhappiness is from trying not to be alone.”
However, the temptation for alcohol crept back while filming Jours tranquilles à Clichy, when a co-star casually offered him a beer. As he lifted the can, his hands started shaking, a clear warning that he was on the edge of a dangerous slide.
What followed were three years he would later call “lost and painful.” One morning, violently hungover and wracked with convulsions, he collapsed on the bathroom floor, sobbing over the state his life had reached.
McCarthy also opened up about his brief brush with cocaine in the 1980s.
”If you had it, I did it,” he admitted, adding that it mostly just fueled his drinking. Still, he rarely touched drugs while on set, explaining, ”I was anxious enough — I didn’t need to be adding cocaine.”
A more rugged look
By 1991, McCarthy’s boyish glow had faded into a more rugged, lived-in look. In his casual denim shirts and easygoing charm, he looked approachable and relaxed.
On the surface, he was still a familiar face on red carpets with his confidence intact. But inside, he was still struggling with addiction. Then, at 29, he made a game-changing decision. He checked himself into rehab, went through a detox program and committed to life without alcohol or drugs.
That choice kicked off a whole new chapter: one focused on sobriety, self-awareness, and slowly rebuilding both his career and his sense of purpose. He stepped away from Hollywood’s endless parties, and rediscovering what it meant to live fully and honestly.
His career evolved, too. From the glitter of teen movies McCarthy went on to directing acclaimed television series, such as Orange Is the New Black and Gossip Girl. He has also focused more on independent films.
In addition to being an actor and director, the St. Elmo’s Fire star has also earned acclaim as a talented writer and travel author. He was recognized as Travel Journalist of the Year in 2010 and since then, he has contributed to top-tier outlets like National Geographic Traveler and Men’s Journal.
“People say, ‘How does an actor become a travel writer? That’s interesting. They are so different.’ But they are exactly the same to me. They manifest in the same way in that they’re both storytelling, and that’s how I communicate. They’re both some expression of creativity,” McCarthy shared.
“I’m just a better version of myself when I’m traveling,” he added in another interview with NJ Monthly. “You’re more vulnerable, you’re present in the world, your ‘Spidey sense’ is up.”
Andrew McCarthy’s wife
On October 9, 1999, McCarthy tied the knot with his college sweetheart, Carol Schneider — nearly 20 years after they first dated.
He later explained why he reached out after all those years:
”I ran into someone who said they had seen Carol and her boyfriend and they seemed really happy, and for some reason it bothered me for a week. I called her and asked her if she was really with this guy and asked her out for coffee.” The couple welcomed a son, Sam, in 2002, who also followed in his dad’s footsteps into acting. They ended up divorcing in 2005.
Then, on August 28, 2011, McCarthy married Irish writer and director Dolores Rice, and the two have two kids together, Willow and Rowan.
Now, nearly 40 years after his first breakout role, the actor who once had an entire generation of teenagers swooning is remembered not just for his movies, but for the life he rebuilt, the challenges he faced, and the legacy he continues to shape.
His eyes no longer hold the wide-eyed wonder of youth; instead, they crinkle with a quiet intensity. After years in Hollywood, he developed a certain armor and a general detachment from the industry. Nostalgia isn’t really his thing — even when it comes to his own past.
What he thinks of his ’80s movies today
McCarthy is modest about the lasting effect his iconic films have had on women of a certain age, even if he doesn’t completely understand the fuss. “It’s nice,” he says. “It’s their experience, but it doesn’t have a lot to do with me particularly at this point. I don’t have a lot of nostalgia for my past.”
However, he’s still adored by fans. “Still as gorgeous as ever ❤️,” one person wrote. “He’s aged very well indeed ❤️,” another added. A third commented, “Gosh, you’re gorgeous.” And one more fan gushed, “Andrew! It’s so great to see you on Instagram, you’re more handsome than ever!”
Over time, McCarthy has carved out an impressive career as a director, overseeing nearly a hundred hours of television. And now a dad of three, he enjoys a fairly normal family life in the West Village with his second wife.
”I adore my children, naturally,” he shared.
Considering how things turned out for many of Andrew’s peers who hit stardom young, it’s truly amazing that he pulled himself out of addiction and all the chaos, coming out stronger on the other side.
What an inspiring and incredible life story he has. Thank you for all the wonderful movies, Andy, and for continuing to grace our screens with your gems!
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