With the yuletide season in full swing, one movie that will be played repeatedly throughout many households during the holidays is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The third entry in the Vacation movie franchise turns 35 years old this December and still holds up as one of the most amusing and rewatchable Christmas comedies of all time.
Instead of traveling cross-country to Wally World, overseas to Europe, or Las Vegas to experience Sin City, what sets Christmas Vacation apart is witnessing the Griswolds at home in their Chicago element while hosting several family members for the holidays. As such, there’s no better gift than catching up with the Griswolds and finding out what those still alive are up to in 2024 and beyond.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
- Release Date
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December 1, 1989
- Runtime
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97 minutes
Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold
Saturday Night Live alum Chevy Chase starred in several classic ’80s comedies, including Caddyshack, Fletch, Three Amigos, and more. However, few were more successful than National Lampoon’s Vacation in 1983, an all-time classic road trip comedy written by John Hughes and directed by Harold Ramis. Chase’s movie career cooled down in the 1990s before a career reinvention took place on television in 2009 when he joined the cast of the hit college sitcom Community.
Despite developing a reputation for being difficult to work with, Chase has remained busy in the past decade. After making a cameo as Clark Griswold in the 2015 Vacation remake, Chase has appeared in everything from Hedgehogs and The Last Movie Star to The Last Laugh and Zombie Town. Chase has also stayed in the holiday genre with The Christmas Letter and Glisten and the Merry Mission. Up next, Chase will star in the comedy The Ogilvy Fortune. Fans can follow Chase on Instagram, where he recently posted a Christmas photo with a baby relative.
Beverly D’Angelo as Ellen Griswold
With over 130 credits since 1976, Beverly D’Angelo broke out in the Hollywood version of the hit stage play Hair in 1979 and has never looked back. She played Ellen Griswold in every Vacation movie to date, arguably serving as the franchise’s heart and soul with her emotional pathos. Notable credits include Coal Miner’s Daughter, A Streetcar Named Desire, American History X, Entourage, and more.
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D’Angelo remains incredibly active in 2024, with at least five upcoming projects. Christmas Vacation fans must see D’Angelo play a hardened villain in the delightful holiday action movie Violent Night, released in 2022. D’Angelo has also recently appeared in the True Lies TV remake, and such movies as Drugstore June, Summer Camp, and The Trainer. Upcoming, D’Angelo can be seen in No Address, The Prince, Masha’s Mushroom, Unfriendly Fire, and Capps Crossing: Wrong Side of Dead. D’Angelo recently paid tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson on Instagram.
Juliette Lewis as Audrey Griswold
A ubiquitous actor in the 1990s who has worked with the best directors around, Juliette Lewis broke out in Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear. Performances in From Dusk Till Dawn, Natural Born Killers, and The Other Sister demonstrate Lewis’ versatile range. In Christmas Vacation, Lewis plays Audrey Griswold, one of four actors to play the part throughout the franchise.
Juliette, the daughter of the great character actor Geoffrey Lewis, briefly put her Hollywood career on hold to pursue her musical career. She fronted the punk band Juliette and the Licks before refocusing on acting. Lewis has found her stride on TV in the last few years, starring in such popular shows as Yellowjackets, Welcome to Chippendales, I’m a Virgo, Queer as Folk, and It’s Florida, Man. With five upcoming projects, Lewis can be seen soon in DreamQuil, Lips Like Sugar, The Trip, By Design, and Opus.
Johnny Galecki as Rusty Griswold
Johnny Galecki played Rusty Griswold in Christmas Vacation, adding to the legacy left by Anthony Michael Hall and Jason Lively. While he has his moments in the movie, Galecki will likely always be recognized the most for playing David Heally in Roseanne and Leonard Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory, two of the biggest sitcoms of the 1990s and 2000s. Galecki continued to play David in The Conners in 2018 and 2019.
Last heard voicing Fee-Fo the Giant in the children’s animated movie The Cinnamon Bear: A Holiday Adventure in 2021, Galecki is reportedly developing a new medical drama for ABC. According to Deadline, the medical drama is based on J.D. Kleinke’s novel Catching Babies. With 3.2 million Instagram followers, Galecki recently posted a post-voting image and another appearing to be friends with Taylor Swift. In 2024, Galecki welcomed a daughter with his wife, Morgan Galecki.
Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie
The franchise’s unsung hero, Randy Quaid, was notably absent from European Vacation yet wisely returned from the original as Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation. Equally adept at comedy and drama, Quaid’s notable credits include The Last Detail, Kingpin, Independence Day, Brokeback Mountain, and the atrocious Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure. Fans of Quaid’s comedy must watch Moving opposite Richard Pryor and Quick Change opposite Bill Murray.
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With only one credit since 2018, Quaid recently starred opposite Chevy Chase in the 2024 holiday movie, The Christmas Letter. The plot concerns a copywriter who becomes sick and tired of reading his affluent friend’s outlandish Christmas wishlist and sets out to make his own fortune. Quaid plays Rich the Postman From GGT. Beyond appearing in one movie in the last six years, Quaid has become an outspoken politico supporting the MAGA movement.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Margo Chester
Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the Griswolds’ uptight neighbor, Margo Chester, in Christmas Vacation. 1989 marked the same year Louis-Dreyfus was cast as Elaine Benes in Seinfeld, a landmark sitcom that remains popular today. A TV mainstay since Seinfeld ended, Louis-Dreyfus famously led the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine before starring as Vice President Selina Meyer on HBO’s Veep.
Louis-Dreyfus recently joined the MCU, playing Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in The Falcon and the Winter Solider, Black Widow, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Although absent from the screen in 2024, Louis-Dreyfus recently appeared in such movies as You People, You Hurt My Feelings, and Tuesday. In 2025, Louis-Dreyfus can be seen in Thunderbolts, and Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me. With 2 million Instagram followers, Louis-Dreyfus recently posted an elegant Christmas photo.
In Memoriam
With Christmas Vacation turning 35 in 2024, the sad reality is that many veteran actors have since passed away. As such, it’s with honor and respect that the fallen actors in the film are given a fond farewell. Those who’ve since passed include John Randolph (Clark Griswold Sr.), E.G. Marshall (Ellen’s father, Art Smith), Doris Roberts (Ellen’s mother, Frances Smith), William Hickey (Clark’s uncle, Lewis), and Mae Questel (Clark’s Aunt Bethany).
Clark and Ellen’s relatives in the movie provide huge laughs and heartfelt memories that continue to make Christmas Vacation an annual watch. Fortunately, Diane Ladd, who plays Clark’s mother, Nora Griswold, celebrated her 89th birthday in November 2024. Ladd is still active and will be seen in the upcoming drama Blue Champagne. Christmas Vacation is available to stream on Max & Hulu.