Home Alone
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$15 Million
Macaulay Culkin is, without hyperbole, one of the most famous child actors of all time. Culkin got his start as an actor in 1988 at the tender age of eight-years-old. The vast majority of his most popular work can be condensed into a six-year period. The highlight of Culkin's career is, obviously, the Home Alone trilogy. Despite the genuinely kid-friendly nature of his early work, Culkin has impressed in darker projects like The Good Son.
Despite Culkin's early international fame, the child actor would not be destined to stay in the spotlight. Instead, Culkin would end up famously divorcing his parents in 1994 and his work in Hollywood would end shortly thereafter. Culkin would go almost a decade before he'd be back on screen in the 2003 film, Party Monster. The film revolves around Michael Alig and his descent into addiction. While the film was largely panned, it would mark a new era for Culkin as well as the beginning of his relationship with comedian Seth Green (Family Guy, Robot Chicken). Green and Culkin would work together again on the animated parody show, Robot Chicken.
Outside of his work in the entertainment industry, Macaulay is known for his love of music and his close relationship with the late Michael Jackson. In fact, Culkin is the godfather of Jackon's three children, Paris, Prince, and Michael Jr. Culkin has continued to show support for Michael Jackson, testifying repeatedly in court on the pop icon's behalf.
Growing Up Famous
Macaulay Culkin was born on August 26, 1980, to father Christopher Culkin and mother Patricia Brentrup. Macaulay was named after an English politician by the name of Thomas Macaulay. Macaulay Culkin was raised in New York City in a small apartment. His mom worked as a telephone operator while his father worked at a Catholic Church that was local to their area. Culkin would attend school at St. Joseph's School of Yorkville before going on to attend Professional Children's School. Professional Children's School is a special program designed for children who are pursuing a career in the arts and, as such, require a different sort of education.
Culkin was acting before he really understood what acting was. By the age of four, Culkin was memorizing lines for local theatrical shows at the New York Philharmonic. His early passion for acting helped to hide the turbulence that was occurring in his home life. By the time that Culkin was six years old, he was already making waves in the industry. Culkin made his first appearance on TV in 1985 on the show, The Midnight Hour. Before long, Culkin was a household name thanks to his work in See You in the Morning (1989) and, of course, the iconic Home Alone series.
While Culkin's life can be defined by what he has done in the entertainment industry, Culkin himself would rather people had a more textured view of his life. Culkin was raised in a relatively fractured relationship with his parents, and he had two other brothers, Rory and Kieran Culkin.
Culkin's romantic life has been relatively closed off from the rest of the world. In 1998, Culkin married Rachel Miner when they were both just 18-years-old. They would divorce in 2002 and Culkin would soon find himself dating Mila Kunis. That relationship would only last for a couple of years. In 2013, Culkin moved to Paris and he has most recently been romantically linked to Brenda Song, his co-star in the film, Changeland. Culkin has no children,.
Pushing Through Adversity
As a child actor, there were few stars in Hollywood that were shining as bright as Macaulay Culkin. A naturally charismatic performer, Culkin was able to wow audiences in his debut film, Rocket Gibraltar (1998). From there, Culkin would co-star alongside Jeff Bridges in See You in the Morning before working with John Candy in Uncle Buck (1989). With a foundation of great work under his feet, Culkin was ready when Hollywood really came calling.
In 1990, everything changed for Macaulay Culkin. He had landed the role of troublemaker Kevin McCallister in the Christmas-themed film, Home Alone. Culkin would elevate the comedy to an unexpected level, and he would be nominated for a Golden Globe Award as a result. Macaulay also received the Young Artist Award for his efforts. This sudden onset of high-level fame would lead Culkin to host Saturday Night Live before starring in Michael Jackson's music video for 'Black and White'. Unfortunately, this much fame, all at once, can rarely be good for an actor, especially one as young as Culkin. Despite this, Culkin managed to continue working. During this period of time, Culkin was getting prepared for his starring role in The Nutcracker (1993). In order to prepare for the role, Culkin enrolled at the School of American Ballet. He would star in The Pagemaster and Richie Rich before his house of cards would fall down. He would famously split from his parents before taking a ten-year hiatus from the acting industry.
Culkin would end up falling into some bad habits after leaving the industry. Culkin says of his early life, "I'm doing naughty things, I'm drinking too much, I'm going to clubs. It really didn't matter to me, other than the fact that some parents wouldn't let their kids hang out with me." Culkin struggled with his own personal demons, but he was able to work through them. After returning from his career break, Culkin would struggle to gain the same level of fame. Still, Culkin was finding consistent work in comedic productions. Most recently, Culkin appeared in the 2019 film Changeland as Ian.
When he wasn't performing for the camera, Culkin was working on several different artistic endeavors. Culkin would write his autobiography, Junior, in 2006. In 2013, Culkin would create a satirical rock band called The Pizza Underground. The group would release five studio albums and seven live albums during their six-year career. After calling it quits, Culkin would turn his attention toward his pop-culture podcast, Bunny Ears.
After another hiatus from the industry, Culkin would return once more to the world of entertainment. Culkin 'came back' to Hollywood in 2015 with an appearance in a television commercial. From there, Culkin would really embrace the internet as a platform for his work. He'd be hired by Google, work with Red Letter Media, and even collaborate on a project with Gwyneth Paltrow's make-up company, Goop. Culkin says of his current status as a performer, "I'm not one of those actors who needs the media spotlight all the time to feel gratified. I'm happy to do one project a year and take the rest of the year off as long as that project is special."
Most recently, Culkin's 2019 film Changeland was picked up for distribution. Culkin is currently dating his co-star from the film, Brenda Song. The two largely live in Paris, though they both travel extensively for their work. Little else is known about their relationship, outside of what Culkin reveals via his podcast.
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