'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' stars now

By Wonderwall.com Editors 7:53am PST, Nov 21, 2018

Ready to take a trip down Christmas memory lane? Dec. 1, 2018, marks 29 years since "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" was released in theaters. Join Wonderwall.com as we discover what cast members Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki and more are doing today…

Chevy Chase starred in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as Clark Griswold Jr., the patriarch who kept trying to have a perfect family Christmas despite a slew of setbacks.

Chevy Chase continued to have a successful career after "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" premiered in 1989. The "Saturday Night Live" alum has appeared in "Hot Tub Time Machine," TV's "Community" and had a cameo in the fifth "Vacation" installment, simply titled "Vacation," in 2015. Next up, fans can catch him in the movie "The Last Laugh." The father of three — who's been married to third wife Jayni Luke since 1982 — has struggled with addiction issues over the decades. He checked into the Betty Ford Center for an addiction to painkillers in the '80s and returned to rehab in 2016, entering the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center in Minnesota to deal with alcohol-related issues.

Beverly D'Angelo starred in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as mother-of-two Ellen Griswold, Clark's wife.

Beverly D'Angelo also made an appearance as Ellen Griswold in the 2015 film "Vacation" with movie husband Chevy Chase. Other than the "National Lampoon's Vacation" franchise, she memorably had a recurring role as a powerful Hollywood agent on the HBO series "Entourage" until 2011 as well as memorable guest-starring roles on the CBS sitcom "Mom" and NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." She's also been in a few hit movies, like 1998's "American History X." In 2018, she appeared in "The Unicorn" and "Insatiable." As for her love life? We haven't heard much on the dating front since she split from Al Pacino in 2003. The couple have twins together: Olivia and Anton.

Juliette Lewis starred in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as Audrey Griswold, Clark and Ellen's daughter.

Juliette Lewis's career skyrocketed after starring in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." She was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her work in the 1991 film "Cape Fear." She's since gone on to make a slew of well-received movies such as 1999's "The Other Sister" and 2013's "August: Osage County." Juliette — who once famously dated Brad Pitt — most recently appeared on TV's "The Conners," "Camping" and in the thriller "Back Roads." She went on to marry and divorce skateboarder Steve Berra in the early 2000s. Juliette also has a solo rock career and has released four albums with her former band, Juliette and the Licks.

Johnny Galecki starred in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as Rusty Griswold, Clark and Ellen's son.

Johnny Galecki has had two very successful runs on television since starring in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." First, he had a major role on "Roseanne" in the mid-'90s. Then in 2007, he started working on the hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory," which wraps up production in 2019. He is currently one of the highest paid TV actors in the world, earning $900K per episode! For a few years, he dated his "Big Bang" co-star Kaley Cuoco, who has since married equestrian Karl Cook. He is currently dating Alaina Meyer.

Doris Roberts starred in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as Frances Smith, Ellen's mom who comes into town for the holidays.

Doris Roberts went on to win four Emmys for her work on the hit TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond" during its long run from 1996 to 2005. She also had small guest roles on shows like "Melissa & Joey" and starred in 2012's "Madea's Witness Protection." Sadly, Doris died in her sleep in April 2016 after suffering a stroke. She was 90. She left behind a son, Michael Cannata Jr., from her first marriage and three grandchildren, Kelsey, Andrew and Devon.

Diane Ladd starred in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as Nora Griswold, Clark's mom who also came to visit for Christmas.

Did you know that Diane Ladd's daughter is Laura Dern, the actress who's consistently nominated for Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes? The duo has starred together in a number of projects, more recently on the HBO series "Enlightened" until 2013, and in movies like "Inland Empire" in 2006. Laura's father, Bruce Dern, was Diane's first husband, though Diane is currently married to her third, Robert Charles Hunter. Diane currently stars as Nell O'Brien in the Hallmark Channel's "Chesapeake Shores" and will star alongside Christopher Plummer in 2019's "The Last Full Measure."