Curse of Home Alone cast from sudden deaths to 'abusive' parents and tragic loss

25 December 2023 , 16:30

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Macaulay and Kieran Culkin played cousins in Home Alone (Image: FilmMagic)

It is the feel good festive film that remains much loved to this day. Home Alone, the story of a young boy accidentally left alone at Christmas to fend with two burglars, made a staggering £337m around the globe and was nominated for two Academy Awards.

But while the movie was a smash hit, the actors who starred in it haven't always fared so well. From high-profile arrests to childhood trauma and devastating loss, many have faced troubling and difficult times in the 33 years since the film was first released, leading to rumours of a "curse"...

Troubled child star

Macaulay Culkin was just ten years old in 1990 when he shot to fame as Kevin McCallister, the eight-year-old boy who got left behind by his family in Chicago as they jetted off to celebrate Christmas in Paris.

The actor went onto reprise the role in Home Alone 2 and star in My Girl and Richie Rich but while his career was rocketing, offscreen Macaulay's life was famously a different story. By the age of 15, he had effectively "divorced" his parents to stop them allegedly controlling his vast fortune. The actor then wed actress Rachel Milner when he turned 18 but the marriage lasted just two years.

Macaulay Culkin became a global star when he appeared in the film (20th Century Studios)

The star famously went onto be arrested for drug possession (Getty Images)

In 2004, Macaulay, 43, was arrested for possessing marijuana and a controlled substance without a prescription, receiving a one-year suspended sentence. As a child, he had close friendship with controversial late pop star Michael Jackson but insisted the musician didn't act inappropriately towards him.

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Funnyman's early death

Comedy legend John Candy played Gus Polinski The Polka King who helped Kevin's mum Kate McAllister, played by Catherine O'Hara, get home to her family. Sadly the actor died four years after the smash hit film was released in 1994, aged just 43.

John Candy's character Gus meets Kevin's mum Kate at the airport in Home Alone (Internet Unknown)

John had been filming wild west comedy Wagons East when he wrapped his last scene, cooked a celebratory meal for his assistants and was found dead in his bed the next morning. He had suffered a heart attack and in his life he had been a big drinker, heavy smoker and battled weight issues.

The actor was survived by wife Rosemary, son Christopher and daughter Jennifer. He will be remembered for many hit films including Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Loss of a son

John played Kevin's dad Peter, who flew to France with his family leaving his youngest son Kevin behind

John Heard played Peter McCallister in Home Alone, a loving dad to Kevin and his four older siblings. Offscreen, John's life was more difficult. The actor was the father of three children, having the oldest, John Matthew Heard, with actress and former girlfriend Melissa Leo. John became locked in a battle over his son, known as Jack and was accused of trespass and charged with assault after allegations he had slapped Melissa, stalked her and their son and beat up her new partner.

Married and divorced three times, the star had two younger children, Max and Annika, with his second wife Sharon. Max was just 22 and estranged from his father when he died in 2017, with Sharon saying he had "died peacefully in his sleep". Six months after Max's death, John was found dead in a California hotel room by a maid. He had suffered a fatal heart attack, aged 71.

Traumatic childhood

Actor Kieran, 41, is now starring in hit series Succession (Getty Images)

Macaulay wasn't the only Culkin in Home Alone - his younger brother Kieran played his bed-wetting younger cousin Fuller in the movie. Kieran starred in the second Home Alone film too and had further success in Father Of The Bride and She's all That before landing a role in hit series, Succession.

But offscreen the actor, 41, accused his father Kit Culkin, a former stage actor, of not being "a good person and probably not not a good parent". "I never looked at him as Dad," he said. "He didn't really belong here and when he was finally gone for good, it made the most sense."

Macaulay, for his part, alleged that their father was "physically and mentally" abusive. The brothers were one of eight siblings, tragically losing their sister Dakota Culkin in December 2008, when she was hit by a car aged just 29.

Vikki White