The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes.It stars Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy as teenagers from different high school cliques who spend a Saturday in detention with their authoritarian assistant principal (Paul Gleason). Through his career, Gleason appeared in over 60 movies that included "Die Hard," "Johnny Be Good," and "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." Most recently, Gleason made a handful of television appearances in hit shows such as "Friends" and "Seinfeld.". Gleason's passions went beyond acting. Character actor Paul Gleason was adept at playing tough guys and white collar sleazebags, making his film debut in Winter A-Go-Go (1965). He made a name for himself portraying these unlikeable characters. Suddenly, acting was an option, and an increasingly attractive one, given Gleason's stillborn baseball career. [3] He is buried near the southeast corner of the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, Los Angeles. Gleason was 67 years old. In 2005, he appeared as the Sheriff in the horror film Abominable. Paul Xavier Gleason (May 4, 1939 – May 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. BURBANK, Calif., May 28 (AP) — Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," died here on Saturday. Gleason starred in many movies, and became well-known initially as Dr. David Thornton on All My Children, playing the role from 1976 to 1978. or redistributed. Gleason died on May 27, 2006 at a Burbank, California hospital from pleural mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer connected with asbestos, which he is thought to have contracted from asbestos exposure on building sites while working for his father as a teenager. BURBANK, Calif. – Paul Gleason, who played the go-to bad guy in "Trading Places" and the angry high school principal in "The Breakfast Club," has died. His "Breakfast Club" role in 1985 was memorable enough that 16 years later he was able to lampoon it in "Not Another Teen Movie. [3] He attended North Miami High School and Florida State University, where he played football. Paul Gleason, best known for playing the grumpy high school principal who presides over detention in the 1985 film “The Breakfast Club,” has died. Gleason was survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. Gleason starred in many movies, and became well-known initially as Dr. David Thornton on All My Children, playing the role from 1976 to 1978. Gleason as Assistant Principal Richard Vernon in, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Paul Gleason: Miamian Stars as Soaps' Newest Angry Young Man", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Gleason&oldid=982870777, Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Articles needing additional references from December 2019, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Television; One Episode; As Paul Xavier Gleason, Detective Commander Phillip Hallins Everitt, Television; One Episode (5x19; "Speak, Lawyers, for Me"), Television; One Episode (6x03; "Scenes from a Wedding"), Television; One Episode (4x03, "The Public Domain"), Television; One Episode (4x10, "Hardball"). He moved to New York City, eventually joining The Actors Studio,[5][6] where he would study for four years before moving to Los Angeles.[7]. Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 10 October 2020, at 21:44. He was 62. Gleason died at a local hospital Saturday of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos, said his wife, Susan Gleason. "Whenever you were with Paul, there was never a dull moment," his wife said. At 44, Gleason played Richard Vernon, the disciplinarian high school assistant principal, in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. He was 62. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, A native of Miami, Gleason was an avid athlete. "He just always had great stories to tell," Hawkins said. Before becoming an actor, he played Triple-A minor league baseball for a handful of clubs in the late 1950s. He directly parodied his Breakfast Club role in the 2000 A-Teens music video for "Dancing Queen" and in the 2001 comedy film Not Another Teen Movie. He guest-starred in "The Trouble with Harry" and "Fire", two episodes of The A-Team. From 1995 until his death, he was married to Susan Kehl; they had one daughter, Kaitlin. He also played Deputy Police Chief Dwayne T. Robinson, the blowhard police official, in Die Hard. He also played Deput… He had recently published a book of poetry. Actor Jimmy Hawkins, a friend of Gleason's since the 1960s, said he remembered Gleason for a sharp sense of humor. "He was awesome.". [4], During that last season, a West Coast trip led to an introduction to sitcom icon Ozzie Nelson, which, in turn, led to an appearance on Ozzie and Harriet (as per Nelson's habit of hiring athletes for guest spots on the show). All market data delayed 20 minutes. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved. Voisin, Scott, "Character Kings: Hollywood's Familiar Faces Discuss the Art & Business of Acting." "He gave me and my sister a love that is beyond description that will be with us and keep us strong for the rest of our lives.". In 1999, he reprised this role in the A-Teens music video for their cover of the song "Dancing Queen."