Macaulay Culkin life and biography

Macaulay Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple.

Culkin was ranked No. 2 in VH1 and E!'s respective lists, the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars" and "50 Greatest Child Stars".

Culkin was born in Manhattan, New York City, and raised in Yorkville. He is the son of Patricia Brentrup and Kit Culkin, a former stage actor known for his productions on Broadway. Culkin was raised Roman Catholic; he attended a Catholic school (St. Joseph's School of Yorkville) for 5 years before moving on to Professional Children's School. Culkin also studied ballet at the School of American Ballet. Culkin was the third of seven children, five boys and two girls: Shane (born 1976), Dakota (1978-2008), Kieran (born 1982), Quinn (born 1984), Christian (born 1987), and Rory (born 1989). Culkin is the nephew of actress Bonnie Bedelia, his father's sister. During Culkin's early childhood, the family lived in a small apartment; his mother was a telephone operator and his father worked as a sacristan at a local Catholic church.

Macaulay began acting in the theater at four years old. He became an overnight celebrity and household item with John Huges' "Home Alone," in 1990. It was a box office sensation. Two years later, the sequel followed with further success. Shortly thereafter, "The Good Son," followed, requiring Macaulay to do a 180-degree in direction of performance--going from sugary sweet and lovable deviant to neurotic juvenile psychopath.

Throughout his teen years, a string of other movies followed. He was working, but none of the projects hit the same caliber of high notes of the" 'Home Alone's" (with the possible exception of 'My Girl.' In May of 2002, he began work on a film after not working for eight years. The movie was "Party Monster" and received a fair degree of acclaim (but lacking box office success) , showcasing a diversity in talent and emotional range.

By the age of 9, the young actor had nearly upstaged star John Candy in Uncle Buck (1989) (his deadpan interrogation of Candy was Buck's funniest scene). Then, in 1990, writer John Hughes turned his finished Home Alone (1990) script over to director Chris Columbus with a suggestion to consider Culkin for the lead. Though Macaulay was the first kid Columbus saw, he was skeptical about having him in the lead and saw over 200 other possible actors and he admitted that no one came as close to being as good as Culkin. By the callback interview, Mack had memorized two scenes, and Columbus was sure he found his "Kevin McCallister". The movie grossed more than $285 million in the US alone, becoming one of the highest grossing movies of all time and making Macaulay Culkin one of the biggest movie stars of the time.

His next big project was My Girl (1991) in which he played "Thomas J. Sennett", a boy who seems to be allergic to everything. Despite some controversy over the ending, the film was released anyway and proved to be another hit film for Mack (and featured his very first kiss). In 1992 came Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), which grossed more than $172 million in the US alone. In 1993 came The Good Son (1993), which was the first role to depart from his cute kid comedies. He played a murderous little demon named Henry. He got the role when his powerhouse negotiator/manager/father Kit Culkin said that he would pull Mack out of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) unless he was given the psychotic boy lead in The Good Son (1993). He was also given a salary of $5 million for the film.

In 1994, at the age of 14, came a string of duds, The Pagemaster (1994), Getting Even with Dad (1994) and Ri¢hie Ri¢h (1994). He was paid $8 million for the last two, the highest salary ever paid for a child star. Many people believed Mack had lost his touch, though, because he was no longer that cute tiny kid they saw in Home Alone (1990). In 1995 his parents, who were never married, separated and started a greedy legal battle over the custody of their kids and Mack's fortune. In 1996, the young actor had reportedly said he wouldn't accept any roles until his parents settled their custody dispute. That case would not be resolved until April 1997 when Kit Culkin relinquished control to Brentrup.

In 1998, Macaulay married actress Rachel Miner, but separated in 2000 because Rachel wanted to start a family and Mack wanted to get back into acting. There has been a gap of eight years since 1994's Ri¢hie Ri¢h (1994), and although he made a 'comeback' on stage in 2001, appearing in a London production of "Madame Melville", and also portrayed Michael Alig in Party Monster (2003); with an estimated fortune of $17 million he clearly never has to work again - if the roles don't appeal to him.

Awards:

MTV Movie Award - 1994
Nominated for Best Villain
for Good Son, The (1993)

MTV Movie Award - 1992
Won for Best Kiss.
for My Girl (1991) - Award shared with Anna Chlumsky

MTV Movie Award - 1992
Nominated for Best On Screen Duo.
for My Girl (1991) - Nomination shared with Anna Chlumsky

American Comedy Award - 1991
Won for Best Male Performer in a Motion Picture
for Home Alone (1990)

Golden Globe Award - 1991
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
for Home Alone (1990)

Young Artist Award - 1991
Won for Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture.
for Home Alone (1990)

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