'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' cast: Where are they now?

Chevy Chase (Clark Griswold)

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 an Emmy-winning gig on Saturday Night Live.

Christmas Vacation was hardly the last time Chase played Clark Griswold. He revisited the part in 1997's Vegas Vacation, a 2007 episode of Family Guy, and 2015's Vacation. He expanded his résumé beyond the famed role, however, hitting the big screen in Snow Day (2000), Orange County (2002), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), The Last Laugh (2019), and Zombie Town (2023). One of Chase's most notable characters, however, was that of Pierce Hawthorne on NBC's Community from 2009 to 2014.

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Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold)

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

D'Angelo joined Chase in Vegas Vacation, the aforementioned episode of Family Guy, and Vacation. She expanded her range with Man Trouble (1992), Eye for an Eye (1996), American History X (1998), The House Bunny (2008), and Violent Night (2022). She also hit the small screen with roles on Rude Awakening in 1999, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Entourage in the 2000s, and Mom in 2015, as well as featured in recurring roles on Shooter, Insatiable, and True Lies, and appeared as a different character in a 2022 episode of Law & Order: SVU.

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Randy Quaid (Eddie Johnson)

The older brother to actor Dennis Quaid, Randy Quaid picked up a familial role 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) — for which he received an Oscar nomination — Midnight Express (1978), and The Long Riders (1980) long before the comedy hit theaters in 1989.

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 parts in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), and Brokeback Mountain (2005). In later years, however, Quaid has been famous more for his widespread legal troubles than his career.

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Juliette Lewis (Audrey Griswold)

Juliette Lewis picked up one of her earliest gigs as 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 parts in 1988's My Stepmother Is an Alien and 1989's Meet the Hollowheads.

Following Christmas Vacation, Lewis turned to television jobs on The Wonder Years and A Family for Joe before earning an Oscar nomination for the 1991 movie Cape Fear. One of the holiday comedy's most famous alumni, Lewis has stayed busy, booking movies such as What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), The Basketball Diaries (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Old School (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Whip It (2009), August: Osage County (2013), and Ma (2019). She hit the small screen as Det. Andrea Cornell on ABC's Secrets and Lies, and stars as Natalie on the critically acclaimed Showtime drama Yellowjackets.

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Johnny Galecki (Rusty Griswold)

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 Clark and 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 best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Leonard Hofstadter on The Big Bang Theory, Galecki filled his résumé with TV and film projects in the years between Christmas Vacation and his TBBT debut. The star made appearances on 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, 2001's Vanilla Sky, 2008's Hancock, and 2019's A Dog's Journey.

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John Randolph (Clark Griswold Sr.)

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 on the likes of Hawaii Five-O, Bonanza, Columbo, Kojak, Dallas, and Matlock.

Randolph continued to act well into his 80s. The actor played 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. He died at the age of 88 in 2004.

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Diane Ladd (Nora Griswold)

The mother of actress Laura Dern and ex-wife to actor Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd played Nora Griswold, the mother to Clark. After making her Hollywood debut in the '50s, the star racked up credits with TV appearances on The Secret Storm, Gunsmoke, Alice, and The Love Boat. She also became a big-screen star with The Wild Angels (1966), The Reivers (1969), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) — for which she scored her first Oscar nomination — Chinatown (1974), and All Night Long (1981).

After Christmas Vacation, Ladd teamed up with her daughter for 1990's Wild at Heart and 1991's Rambling Rose, earning her second and third Oscar nominations. She went on to make mid-'90s appearances on 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 teamed up with her daughter again on the HBO series Enlightened — and later for their 2023 joint memoir, Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding) — and has gone on to appear in such films as Joy (2015), Gigi & Nate (2022), and Isle of Hope (2022).

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E.G. Marshall (Art Smith)

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

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' spin-off TV movies in the late '90s before he died at the age of 84 in 1998.

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Doris Roberts (Frances Smith)

Appearing opposite Marshall, Doris Roberts played Ellen's mother, Frances Smith. The famed actress had more than three decades of 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 performance on Perfect Strangers and won for St. Elsewhere.

Roberts' most famous role was in the mid-'90s, when she debuted Marie Barone on 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). In 2016, Roberts died at age 90.

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Miriam Flynn (Catherine Johnson)

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.

Flynn expanded her filmography with voice work, lending her vocals to the character Grandma Longneck in various Land Before Time movies, the animated DuckTales and Taz-Mania series 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), in a 1998 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Evolution (2001), and starred as Sister Helen on Grounded for Life throughout the 2000s. In later years, she booked roles in episodes of Suburgatory, Bones, Scandal, Mom, Shrinking, Call Me Kat, and The Lincoln Lawyer.

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Ellen Hamilton Latzen (Ruby Sue)

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 Catherine and Eddie, picking up the role after already debuting in 1987's Fatal Attraction, showing up in a 1987 episode of Family Ties and a 1989 episode of The Equalizer, and appearing in 1988's Mr. North.

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.

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William Hickey (Uncle Lewis)

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 acting alongside Vacation costars E.G. Marshall on the '60s series The Defenders and John Randolph in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, receiving an Oscar nomination for the latter.

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 on 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 from emphysema and bronchitis.

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Mae Questel (Aunt Bethany)

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).

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

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Margo Chester)

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

While the Saturday Night Live alum may still be best known for her role as Elaine, she found continued success in the years since Christmas Vacation. In addition to movie gigs in 1997's Fathers' Day and 2013's Enough Said, Louis-Dreyfus booked starring TV roles on The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep — both of which she won Emmys for — and made appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Arrested Development. She has also taken on the role of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and starred in 2023's You People and You Hurt My Feelings.