[3] Hall diversified his roles to avoid becoming typecast as his geek persona, joining the cast of Saturday Night Live (1985–1986) and starring in films such as Out of Bounds (1986), Johnny Be Good (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Six Degrees of Separation (1993).

After a series of minor roles in the 1990s, he starred as Microsoft's Bill Gates in the 1999 television film Pirates of Silicon Valley.

[10] In 1980, he made his screen debut in the Emmy-winning TV movie The Gold Bug, in which he played the young Edgar Allan Poe.

The following year, Hall landed the role of Rusty Griswold, Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo's son, in National Lampoon's Vacation, catching the attention of the film's screenwriter John Hughes, who was about to make the jump to directing.

He was cast as Brian Johnson, "the brain", in The Breakfast Club, co-starring Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Molly Ringwald.

Film critic Janet Maslin praised Hall, stating that the 16-year-old actor and Ringwald were "the movie's standout performers".

Hall, who portrayed Hughes's alter egos in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science,[21] credited the director for putting him on the map and giving him those opportunities as a child.

"[22] To avoid being typecast, Hall turned down roles written for him by John Hughes in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Cameron Frye) and Pretty in Pink (Phil "Duckie" Dale), both in 1986.

[24] Critic Roger Ebert described Out of Bounds as "an explosion at the cliché factory",[25] and Caryn James from The New York Times claimed that not even "Hall, who made nerds seem lovable in John Hughes' Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, [couldn't] do much to reconcile" the disparate themes of the movie.

"[30] Hall was one of six cast members (the others being Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Randy Quaid, Terry Sweeney and Danitra Vance) who were dismissed at the end of that season.

[31] Hall was offered the starring role in the 1987 film Full Metal Jacket in a conversation with Stanley Kubrick, but after an eight-month negotiation, a financial agreement could not be reached.

His next film was 1988's Johnny Be Good, in which he worked with Uma Thurman and fellow Saturday Night Live cast member Robert Downey Jr.

The film was a critical failure, and some reviewers panned Hall's performance as a high school football star, stating that he, the movies' reigning geek, was miscast in the role.

He was the top choice of Orion Pictures executives, but the actor irritated writer-director Ron Shelton by showing up unprepared for interviews.

[33] After a two-year break due to a reported drinking problem,[4] Hall returned to acting by starring opposite Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder in Tim Burton's 1990 hit Edward Scissorhands, this time as the film's villain.

"[34] The following year, he played a gay man who teaches down-and-out Will Smith to dupe rich people in the critically acclaimed film Six Degrees of Separation; Hall claimed that it was "the hardest role [he] ever had".

Add ill-fitting clothes, mop-top hair, a pair of oversize glasses and a cold stare, and the impersonation is complete.

In the same year, he played renowned music producer Robert "Mutt" Lange in VH1's movie Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story and starred as legendary lefty baseball pitcher Whitey Ford in Billy Crystal's highly acclaimed HBO film, 61*.

[29] The show debuted on June 16, 2002, and drew higher ratings for a premiere than any other cable series in television history[40] with 6.4 million viewers.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote that "Hall's Johnny flashes the qualities - comic timing, great facial expressions - that made him a star in the 1980s movies Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club.

[45] Hall also directed an episode from season three, "The Cold Hard Truth," guest starring standup comic Richard Lewis.

[citation needed] He also guest-starred in Z Nation in the role of Gideon, a former communications manager leading a group of zombie apocalypse survivors (only episode 2.11).

[57] In 2019, Hall began appearing on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs, when he played Rusty in the season 7 premiere, "Vacation", which paid homage to and poked fun at his character from the 1983 film.

[63] Hall was cast in Lee Child's hit series Reacher, and will appear in the third season as the role of Zachary Beck.

[65] Hall became a regular subject of tabloid media after New York magazine named him a member of the "Brat Pack", the group of young actors who became famous in the 1980s and frequently starred together.

His more muscular appearance and intimidating physical demeanor provoked rumors of steroid use, but Hall later said that "the weight gain was natural.

In September 2017, Hall pleaded no contest to a lesser charge, was found guilty, and sentenced to three years probation and 40 hours of community service.

A brief shot of the sign over the door of a high school cafeteria reveals that the facility is named the Anthony Michael Dining Hall.

Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, and Hall appeared together on stage, and Paul Gleason gave the award to his former castmates.

Emilio Estevez could not attend due to family commitments,[75] while Judd Nelson appeared earlier on the red carpet,[76] but while moving to seats closer to the stage, got separated from the group.