Anthony Michael Hall was born in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, to Mercedes Hall, an actress-blues and jazz singer, and Larry Hall, who owned an auto body shop. His stepfather was a show-business manager, and his sister, Mary Christian, is also a performer. Hall's ancestry is Irish and Italian, and his full given name was Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall. However, he later adopted the stage name Anthony Michael Hall, as another Michael Hall was already a member of the Screen Actors' Guild.
Hall began his acting career at the age of seven, appearing in commercials. His breakthrough role came as Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983),alongside Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. The success of this film led to a defining period in Hall's career, during which he starred in three John Hughes classics: Sixteen Candles (1984),The Breakfast Club (1985),and Weird Science (1985). To avoid being typecast, Hall turned down roles in two subsequent 1986 Hughes films, Pretty in Pink (1986) and Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).
Before becoming a household name, Hall made his television debut in the Emmy Award-winning "The Gold Bug", in which he played the young Edgar Allan Poe. He also appeared in the TV movie Rascals and Robbers: The Secret Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (1982),as well as specials "The Body Human" and "Orphans, Waifs and Wards". On stage, he performed in the Lincoln Center Festival's production of "St. Joan of the Microphone".
However, Hall's career was threatened by excessive drinking and partying. He struggled with addiction for a year, but eventually regained control and has been sober since 1990. That same year, he played the role of Jim in Edward Scissorhands (1990). After a series of minor roles in the 1990s, Hall starred as Microsoft chairman Bill Gates in the television movie Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999). Since then, he has focused on television work, including an 81-episode run on Stephen King's The Dead Zone (2002),and has also taken on film projects, such as the role of Mike Engel in The Dark Knight (2008).
In addition to his acting career, Hall is also a musician, serving as the songwriter and lead singer of his band, Hall of Mirrors, which he formed in 1998. He is also involved in charitable work, helping at-risk youth through the Anthony Michael Hall Literacy Club. Hall currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
