Most of us see him at least once a year -- more if we watch the "A Christmas Story" marathon on TBS -- when he professes his annual love for th
e Red Ryder BB gun. His name is Peter Billingsley, and he is best known as Ralphie Parker, the bespectacled, dimple-cheeked protagonist of one of America's most beloved holiday films.
Of course, a few of us remember the gig he had prior to that, as a delightful little scamp named Messy Marvin:
So what happened to young Mr. Billingsley after his "You'll shoot your eye out" days? He continued to act in movies and on TV throughout the '80s and '90s. And the pop-culture savvy no doubt know that he eventually grew up to become a producer who frequently works with his good buddies, Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn. He can be spotted in mostly brief cameos in some of the movies he produced, including "Elf," "The Break-Up" and this summer's "Iron Man."
In addition to remaining a major player in Hollywood, the FoF (that's Friend of Flick) celebrated his 37th birthday earlier this year. Strollerderby salutes you, Ralphie (see picture below), and promises that we
would never, ever shoot your eye out.
Photos: Turner Broadcasting via MSNBC.com; reversemonster.org
