Our favorite former tiger-blood enthusiast, Charlie Sheen, turns 53 on Sept. 3, 2018. In honor of his big day, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the actor and more of the most controversial stars of the '80s to see how they've changed over the years. Keep reading to see what Charlie, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and more of their once trouble-prone contemporaries are up to now…
RELATED: Charlie's highs and lows
Charlie Sheen scored his first big break when he starred as Matt in 1984's "Red Dawn." That same year, at age 19, he welcomed his first child, daughter Cassandra, with his high school girlfriend. In the years that followed, while starring in films like "Platoon," "Wall Street" and "Young Guns," he made headlines for dating adult-film actresses, dropping thousands of dollars on prostitutes, getting rehabbed for alcohol addiction, nearly dying from a drug overdose, allegedly assaulting various women in his life and more.
Charlie Sheen has scored more comebacks than almost any other individual in Hollywood. After taking over for Michael J. Fox as the male lead on "Spin City" in 2000, he scored a sitcom of his own, "Two and a Half Men," in 2003. But he got the boot from the series that revitalized his career when problems in his personal life (an arrest for assaulting then-wife Brooke Mueller, rehab, hospitalization for extreme intoxication, etc.) began to overshadow his work. He launched a bizarre road show, "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option," after getting canned and then returned to TV with "Anger Management" in 2012. Things seemed to be going well for Charlie for a while: He became a grandfather and got engaged to adult film actress Brett Rossi, though they called it quits before tying the knot. But then he spent 2015 attacking ex-wife Denise Richards on Twitter before confirming in late 2015 — amid reports that he'd spent millions on hush money — that he's HIV positive. In recent years, he's only appeared in a few small projects: on an episode of "The Goldbergs," in the action-drama "9/11," which only scored a limited release, and on two episodes of the Comedy Central series "Typical Rick." Now, he owes millions to the IRS, can't afford to pay child support for his four kids and is reportedly living with a woman who's half his age, girlfriend Julia Stambler.
Rob Lowe made his acting debut on "A New Kind of Family" in 1979 and starred in movies like "The Outsiders" and "St. Elmo's Fire" before making headlines for his bad behavior. Melissa Gilbert, to whom he was engaged during the mid-'80s, claims he dumped her when she got pregnant with his child in 1988, the same year he was videotaped engaging in sex acts with a 16-year-old girl he'd met at a nightclub the night before the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. (He'd been hitting the campaign trail with Democrats Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen throughout the year.) Rehab for alcohol and sex addiction soon followed.
A decade after his sex tape scandal, Rob Lowe scored his major comeback with "The West Wing," which debuted in 1999. He starred on the political drama until 2003 and then headlined "Brothers & Sisters" starting in 2006. Two years later, Jessica Gibson, a former nanny for the actor's two sons with wife Sheryl Berkoff, accused the couple of sexual harassment, claiming that the actor inappropriately touched and exposed himself to her. The Lowes denied the accusations against them and countersued Jessica, alleging that she'd threatened to spread "malicious lies" if they didn't pay her $1.5 million. After a brutal year-long legal battle, both suits were ultimately dismissed. Rob left "Brothers & Sisters" in 2010, the same year he made his debut on "Parks and Recreation." He went on to star on a few short-lived series: "You, Me and the Apocalypse," "Moonbeam City," "The Grinder" and "Code Black," which ended in June 2018. He's also appeared in a few smaller films ("Monster Trucks," "How to Be a Latin Lover" and "Super Troopers 2") in recent years and starred alongside his sons on a 2017 A&E series, "The Lowe Files," chronicling their travels to the sites of infamous unsolved mysteries. He'll make his feature-film directorial debut in September 2018 with the Lifetime movie "The Bad Seed," in which he also stars.
Ally Sheedy starred in two of the biggest Brat Pack movies of the '80s: "The Breakfast Club" and "St. Elmo's Fire." Though she was killing it career-wise, her personal life was in shambles. She suffered from bulimia, depression and an addiction to sleeping pills throughout the decade during which she became a star. She finally went to rehab after "St. Elmo's Fire" co-star Demi Moore staged an intervention.
Ally Sheedy has acted regularly since the '80s but has yet to recreate her early success. She's mostly acted in small films, though she had a cameo in 2016's "X-Men: Apocalypse" and had brief stints on "Kyle XY" and "Psych." She'll reportedly appear on the upcoming second season of "SMILF." In 1992, she married Angela Lansbury's nephew, actor David Lansbury, with whom she shares a transgender son. They called it quits in 2008.
Todd Bridges scored his first big break with "Diff'rent Strokes," on which he starred as Willis Jackson from 1978 to 1986. Two years after the show ended, the young actor, who struggled with crack cocaine addiction and was allegedly molested by a publicist when he was just 11, was arrested for the attempted murder of a Los Angeles drug dealer. Though he was acquitted, it was just the beginning of Todd's troubles. In 1993, he landed in court again when he stabbed a man in the chest with a kitchen knife after the man — to whom Todd was renting a room — attacked him with a sword during a dispute over the rent. Ultimately, it was determined that he acted in self-defense.
Todd Bridges has continued acting since the '80s, though he's yet to recreate his early success. Most notably, from 2007 to 2009, he starred as Monk on "Everybody Hates Chris." In 2012, the former child star split from wife Dori, with whom he shares a son, Spencir. (He also has a daughter, Bo, from a previous relationship.) In June 2018, Melora Hardin told PeopleTV that she remembered Todd "tackling me in his dressing room, closing the door and sticking his tongue down my throat and turning the light off" on the set of "Diff'rent Strokes" when she was 12 or 13 years old. The following month, Todd's ex-girlfriend Tiffany Wolf, whom he met on a dating app, obtained a temporary restraining order against him for threatening her with a crossbow and a taser. She also accused him of pulling a gun on a dog when he thought someone was breaking into his home and alleged that he once told her "he had shot someone before & did not know whether they lived or died." According to The Blast, Tiffany wrote in legal docs, "I am in fear of my life because I know Todd is mentally unstable and has weapons, including a crossbow he says he has so he can 'sneak up on people' and a small loaded gun."
Corey Feldman starred in many of the most memorable movies of the '80s — from "Gremlins" and "The Goonies" to "Stand by Me" and "The Lost Boys." But in spite of his tremendous professional success, the young actor was suffering. Years later, he accused his mom of abusing him throughout his childhood and alleged that older men in Hollywood sexually assaulted him numerous times over the years. He also felt suicidal after suffering bullying at the hands of classmates and started using drugs and alcohol on the set of "Stand by Me" when he was just a teenager. When he was 15, Corey successfully petitioned to be emancipated from his parents. He was arrested three times before he made it to rehab in late 1990.
Though Corey Feldman continues to act regularly, he hasn't had a starring role in a major feature film in decades. In 2003, he starred on the VH1 reality show "The Surreal Life" and on the final episode, married model-actress Susie Sprague, with whom he has a son, Zen. They officially ended their marriage in 2014. (Corey was previously married to Vanessa Marcil from 1989 to 1993.) A few years later, he teamed up with fellow child star and longtime friend Corey Haim, who died in 2010 of pneumonia and a heart condition, for the A&E reality series "The Two Coreys," which inadvertently chronicled Haim's relapse and decent into drug addiction. In recent years, the "Stand by Me" star has competed on the U.K. reality series "Dancing on Ice," attempted to break into music with his band, Corey's Angels, released the autobiography "Coreyography" and sought crowd-funding for a documentary about his experiences with sexual abuse at the hands of people in power in Hollywood. In 2017, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, the former child star finally named his abusers, though no charges were brought against them because the statute of limitations had passed. In January 2018, he came under fire for sexual assault himself, but by the following month, he'd been cleared of the charges. In November 2016, he wed Courtney Anne Mitchell, who plays keyboards and DJs in Corey's Angels.
Vanessa Williams made history in 1983 when she became the first black woman to be crowned Miss America. But 10 months later, she was forced to resign from her post after Penthouse published nude photos of her that she'd posed for two years earlier while working as a photographer's assistant.
If there was a silver lining to Vanessa Williams' Penthouse photo controversy, it was Ramon Hervey, the publicist who handled damage control for her during the scandal: They tied the knot in 1987 and had three children together before calling it quits after a decade of marriage. The former beauty queen went on to launch a successful movie career with roles in "Soul Food," "Shaft," "Hannah Montana: The Movie" and more. She's been even more successful on the small screen, earning three Emmy nominations for "Ugly Betty" and starring on "Desperate Housewives," "The Good Wife" and "Daytime Divas." She's also released eight studio albums and earned 11 Grammy nominations over the years. Vanessa married NBA star Rick Fox in 1998. They welcomed daughter Sasha Gabriella in 2000 but split in 2005. She married third husband Jim Skrip in 2015.
Tracey Gold scored her major breakthrough in 1985 when she debuted as Carol Seaver on "Growing Pains," on which she starred until 1992. But all was not well for the child star, who'd been diagnosed with anorexia when she was just 11. She publicly battled the disease for more than a decade.
Tracey Gold went on to star on countless made-for-TV movies after "Growing Pains" came to an end. In 1994, she wed Roby Marshall, with whom she shares four sons. In 2003, she released her autobiography, "Room to Grow: An Appetite for Life." The following year, the former child star was arrested for DUI after she rolled her SUV while driving drunk on a California highway with her husband and three oldest sons in the car. In recent years, she's made even more TV movies. She also starred in the 2016 family film "All Hallows' Eve" and appeared on "Battle of the Network Stars" in 2017.
Christian Slater made his feature film debut in 1985's "The Legend of Billie Jean." He shot into the spotlight with roles in "Twisted," "Heathers" and "The Wizard," which opened in 1989 — the same year the young actor spent 10 days behind bars for drunk driving and evading arrest. (He reportedly led deputies on a car chase after they attempted to pull him over for speeding. He then crashed into a telephone pole and resisted arrest by kicking a police officer in the head.) It was his second drunk driving charge in two years. Nearly a decade later, he returned to jail for almost two months after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and a police officer while on a cocaine and booze-fueled bender. He was also arrested in 1994 for attempting to board a plane with a gun in his luggage and in 2005 for sexually assaulting a female passerby on the streets of New York City.
Christian Slater's antics throughout the '80s and '90s seemed destined to derail his career, but he stuck around, landing small roles in films like "Windtalkers" and "Bobby" as well as a brief stint on "The West Wing." He headlined four short-lived series — "My Own Worst Enemy," "The Forgotten," "Breaking In" and "Mind Games" — before scoring his major comeback with "Mr. Robot," which debuted in 2015. The following year, he won a Golden Globe for his work on the critically acclaimed hacker drama. From 2000 to 2006, Christian was married to TV producer Ryan Haddon, with whom he shares two children. (In 2003, she was arrested for assaulting him in Las Vegas.) In late 2013, he and Brittany Lopez tied the knot.
In 1980, two years after she starred as a child prostitute in "Pretty Baby," Brooke Shields starred as a teenager experiencing a sexual awakening while stranded on an island with her cousin in "The Blue Lagoon." That same year, at age 14, she became the youngest model to appear on the cover of Vogue and helped make Calvin Klein a household name by starring in a series of controversial, sexually charged advertisements in which she memorably stated that nothing comes between her and her Calvins. Pretty racy stuff for a minor!
Brooke Shields' controversial days are definitely behind her. She graduated with honors from Princeton University in 1987 while balancing her career as a model and actress. She went on to earn two Golden Globe nominations for her work on "Suddenly Susan" and then starred on "Lipstick Jungle." In recent years, she'd had stints on "Jane the Virgin," "The Middle," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Army Wives." She's also enjoyed a successful career as a Broadway actress and released several books. From 1997 to 1999, Brooke was married to Andre Agassi. In 2001, she wed second husband Chris Henchy, with whom she shares two daughters.
Matthew Broderick became a household name during the '80s after starring in films like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination), "Glory" and "Ladyhawke." But the decade wasn't without its low points. In 1987, the young actor caused a car accident while driving recklessly in Northern Ireland with then-girlfriend Jennifer Grey in the car. A woman and her adult daughter were killed in the crash. Though he faced jail time for his role in causing the wreck, which he claims he does not remember, he was ultimately charged with careless driving and fined just $175.
Matthew Broderick went on to star in movies like "The Cable Guy," "Godzilla," "Election," "The Producers," "Manchester by the Sea" and more. His career as a Broadway actor has been equally lucrative: He won the Tony for best actor in a musical in 1995 for "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and earned another nomination for his work in "The Producers" in 2001. He's also headlined productions of "Sylvia," "The Odd Couple" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (he originated the role of Jimmy Winter) and portrayed adult Ralphie on 2017's "A Christmas Story Live!" Matthew has been married to Sarah Jessica Parker, with whom he shares a son and twin daughters, since 1997.