Tampabay.com
MAY 28, 2006

Breakfast Club star dies at 67

Paul Gleason, who played the villainous high school principal in The Breakfast Club, died this weekend at age 67. He had a rare form of lung cancer, according to media reports.

In his acting career, Gleason appeared in more than 60 films though he's probably best known as Principal Vernon in Breakfast Club, the 1985 movie by John Hughes that served as a landmark film for the 80s generation. As the antagonist to Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy, he scored some of the most memorable lines, including:

-- "You're not fooling anyone Bender. The next screw that falls out will be you."
-- "Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns."
-- "Now this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night. That when I get older, these kids are going to take care of me."
-- "I was just in my office and I heard a ruckus."
-- "The next time I have to come in here I'm crackin' skulls."

Put Breakfast Club aside, and Gleason's acting career is impressive. Remember these gems?

-- Arthur (Unnamed executive): "He gets all that money. Pays his family back by bein' a stinkin' drunk. It's enough ta make ya sick."
-- Trading Places (Clarence Beeks): "Back off! Or I'll rip out your eyes and p--s on your brain."
-- Van Wilder (Professor McDoogle): "Ok, Wilder. Let's dance."

That's just a small taste. To be honest, most of his best quotes are unprintable in this family-oriented blog. So queue up your DVDs to enjoy the real Paul Gleason. We'll miss him.

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About the blogger

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

E-mail Steve Spears:
stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com
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