--- description: From Matthew Broderick to Jennifer Grey title: 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' Then and Now image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefc2199d8e8a132c/6988965c3c1639a18e45d85c/ferris-bueller-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See the Stars of _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ Then and Now by [Kenneth Bachor](/author/kenneth-bachor/) ## Kenneth Bachor Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 7, 2016 5:14 PM CUT  Paramount Pictures by [Kenneth Bachor](/author/kenneth-bachor/) ## Kenneth Bachor Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 7, 2016 5:14 PM CUT _Ferris Bueller’s Day Off_, John Hughes’ classic 1986 film, turns thirty on June 11—and in the years since its release, _Ferris Bueller_ has become a [cultural staple](http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-forest/lifestyles/ct-hpn-go-web-ferris-bueller-30th-tl-0512-20160506-story.html "undefined"). Matthew Broderick stars as a high school senior named Ferris Bueller, who fakes an unspecified illness to skip a day of class, setting a tone as the perfect [potential guidebook](http://time.com/money/4339370/how-to-call-in-sick-ferris-buellers-day-off/ "undefined") for everyone who wishes they could blow off their responsibilities toward the end of senior year. With memorable quotes like “Bueller? …Bueller? …Bueller?” entering America’s pop culture lexicon, the National Film Registry even selected the film for preservation [in 2014](https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2014/14-210.html "undefined"). Last year, Broderick [told TIME](http://time.com/4013303/matthew-broderick-dirty-weekend-ferris-bueller-at-30/ "undefined"), “The whole movie, I can now say, really hit a nerve. And I’m not at all taking credit for that. But John Hughes and whatever it is, undeniably, I had no idea it would stick around this long. No idea.” Reportedly writing the script in [less than a week](http://www.amc.com/talk/2007/04/ferris-buellers "undefined"), Hughes shot the film using downtown Chicago as the students’ figurative playground. Co-starring Mia Sara as Bueller’s girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, and Alan Ruck as his best friend, Cameron Frye, the film trails the three as they enjoy a perfect day. Avoiding authority figures, such as dean of students (and main antagonist) Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), and Bueller’s bitter sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey), Bueller just wants to have fun, pulling pranks and exploring landmarks such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Sears (now Willis) Tower. But Bueller’s message at the beginning of the film still rings true thirty years later: “‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.'”  At age 23, Ferris Bueller's Day Off was Matthew Broderick's fifth film, which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Launching a successful film career, including The Lion King and The Producers, to this day, the character of Ferris Bueller remains a fan favorite and is arguably his best known role. See how some of your favorite characters from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off have changed over the last thirty years. Pictured: Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller. Paramount Pictures; Steven A. Henry—Getty Images  Mia Sara as Sloane Peterson Paramount Pictures; Paul Redmond—Getty Images  Alan Ruck as Cameron Frye Paramount Pictures; Richard Cartwright—ABC/Getty Images  Jennifer Grey as Jeannie Bueller Paramount Pictures; Donato Sardella—Getty Images  Ben Stein as Economics Teacher Paramount Pictures; Jerod Harris—Getty Images  Charlie Sheen as Garth Volbeck Paramount Pictures; Jason LaVeris—Getty Images  Jeffrey Jones as Edward R. Rooney Paramount Pictures; Stefanie Keenan—Getty Images  Edie McClurg as Grace Paramount Pictures; Tommaso Boddi—Getty Images  Lyman Ward as Tom Bueller Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection  Cindy Pickett as Katie Bueller Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4357356/ferris-bueller-then-now/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4357356/ferris-bueller-then-now/"},"headline":"See the Stars of Ferris Bueller's Day Off Then and Now","datePublished":"2016-06-07T17:14:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:59:55.998Z","description":"From Matthew Broderick to Jennifer Grey","url":"https://time.com/4357356/ferris-bueller-then-now/","keywords":["movies","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefc2199d8e8a132c/6988965c3c1639a18e45d85c/ferris-bueller-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kenneth Bachor","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefc2199d8e8a132c/6988965c3c1639a18e45d85c/ferris-bueller-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ferris-bueller-lead","caption":"","creditText":"Paramount Pictures","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4357356/ferris-bueller-then-now/","name":"See the Stars of Ferris Bueller's Day Off Then and Now"}}]}] ```