‘A Christmas Story’s Peter Billingsley Then & Now: What Ralphie’s Been Up To After 37 Years

Peter Billingsley was just 12 years old when he starred as Ralphie in the holiday classic ‘A Christmas Story.’ Peter is all grown up now and is still working in Hollywood today!

No matter how many times you watch A Christmas Story, it never gets old. The movie has a cult following now and is played countless times during the holiday season. Peter Billingsley, 49, starred as the adorable and mischievous Ralphie, a young boy who attempts to convince his parents, his teacher, and Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun is the perfect Christmas gift for him. Peter was 12 years old when he had his big breakout role as Ralphie in the 1983 film, and he is still widely recognized for the role 37 years later.

So, what is Peter Billingsley doing now? Peter is still acting! He recently appeared in Spider-Man: Far From Home as William Ginter Riva, a role he also played in 2008’s Iron Man. In 2020, Peter appeared in the Netflix docuseries Challenger: The Final Flight about the 1983 Challenger space shuttle disaster. His other acting credits include Elf, The Dirt Bike Kid, Arcade, and more.

The actor has also decided to step behind the camera as well. He directed the 2009 comedy Couples Retreat and the 2016 film Term Life. He also produced the films Elf, The Break-Up, Iron Man, Four Christmases, Zathura: A Space Adventure, and Wild West Comedy Show. Peter currently serves as an executive producer on the animated Netflix series F Is For Family.

Both films that Peter directed starred his close friend Vince Vaughn. They met while working together on the 1990 CBS Schoolbreak Special The Fourth Man. Peter also became friends with Vince’s Swingers co-star Jon Favreau. Peter, Vince, and Jon produced the 2001 movie Made, which Jon also directed. Jon starred in the movie as well, along with Vince. Peter and Jon worked together on Iron Man, which Jon directed, a few years later.

Peter also earned an Emmy nomination in 2005 for Outstanding Nonfiction Series for producing the series Dinner for Five. As for his personal life, Peter has kept that mostly private. As of 2015, Peter was engaged to Buffy Bains. Peter is also not a heavy social media user. He has an official Twitter account, but he hasn’t tweeted since 2014.