Biography
Youthful actor Andrew McCarthy went to prep school in New Jersey, lending to his classic, clean-cut good looks. A member the so-called Brat Pack of '80s Hollywood teen stars, McCarthy was usually cast as a good-guy leading man, basically sincere underneath his brooding teen angst. After studying theater at N.Y.U., he made his film debut in 1983 in the teen sex comedy
Class with
Rob Lowe and
Jacqueline Bisset. In 1985, he appeared as the sulky writer Kevin in St. Elmo's Fire and the new Catholic school kid in
Heaven Help Us. The next year, he was cast opposite
Molly Ringwald as rich boy Blaine in
John Hughes'
Pretty in Pink. He later re-teamed with Ringwald for the dark romantic drama
Fresh Horses. In 1987, he appeared opposite
Kim Cattrall in the screwball comedy
Mannequin and opposite
Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. in the addiction drama
Less Than Zero. The same year, he portrayed Henry Hopper in the PBS
American Playhouse production of
Waiting for the Moon, based on the colorful lives of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. In 1989, McCarthy formed a winning comedy team with
Jonathan Silverman for the goofy farce
Weekend at Bernie's, a surprisingly funny hit. They re-teamed for the less-successful
Weekend at Bernie's II in 1993. The next year, he appeared briefly in the critically acclaimed ensemble films
The Joy Luck Club and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. In 1999, he married his college girlfriend, actress Carol Schneider. They have one child. Much of his work during this time involved independent films (
New Waterford Girl), straight-to-video thrillers (
Nowhere in Sight), and made-for-TV movies (
Straight From the Heart). His youthful good looks enabled him to play Bobby Kennedy in the 2000 television miniseries
Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. He also appeared in a romantic musical called
Anything but Love. In 2004, McCarthy was cast as surgeon Dr. Hook in the ABC horror miniseries
Kingdom Hospital. Adapted by
Stephen King, the television drama is based on the original series by Danish filmmaker
Lars von Trier. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide