The stars of Home Alone were tormented by afflictions including raging personal problems, legal meltdowns and heartache

It’s been almost 30 years since Home Alone hit cinemas and it changed the lives of most of the cast.

However, many of the actors in the family Christmas movie went on to endure years of torment long after the film dropped out of cinemas.

The most famous victim of the curse was the movie’s star, Macaulay Culkin, who was propelled to superstardom for his role as child hero Kevin McCallister.

He went on to carve out a spectacular career as the most high-profile child star in the world, making millions from films such as Home Alone 2 and Richie Rich.

However, the fame bubble burst for Culkin, now 39, when he was a teenager.

He stepped away from Hollywood, and became embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with his parents, effectively divorcing them and stopping them from controlling his fortune.

In 2004, he landed in trouble with the law when he was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Macaulay Culkin was the star of the hit 1990 film (Image: Publicity Picture)

He battled numerous personal problems over the years including divorcing his parents and a drug arrest (Image: Jose Perez / Splash News)
Police are believed to have 17.3 grams of marijuana, eight Xanax pills and 16 pills containing clonazepam, an addictive sedative used to treat anxiety and seizures.

Culkin pleaded guilty and landed a one-year suspended sentence.

In later interviews, Culkin denied he was ever addicted to hard drugs, telling the Guardian in 2016: “No, I was not pounding six grand of heroin every month or whatever.

“The thing that bugged me was tabloids wrapping it all in this weird guise of concern. No, you’re trying to shift papers.”

John Heard – Peter McCallister

John Heard died in 2017 aged 71. His body was found in a hotel room in California (Image: Getty)
Actor John Heard is best remembered for playing Kevin’s dad Peter in the family-friendly Christmas movie.

However, despite a prolific acting career, Heard’s life was blighted by real life drama and tragedy.

His love life seemed to lurch from one disaster to another. He married Superman star Margot Kidder in 1979, but they split just six days after tying the knot.

He went on to strike up a romance with actress Melissa Leo, who gave birth to his son, but the relationship ended on bad terms and he was arrested in 1991 on suspicion of assaulting her.

Heard married two more times, to Sharon Heard and Lana Pritchard. His marriage to Lana collapsed after just seven months.

The actor’s son Maxwell John, from his marriage to Sharon, died in 2016, aged just 22. He was said to have passed away in his sleep, and was estranged from his famous father at the time of his death.

Just a year later John Heard was found dead in a hotel room in Palo Alto, California, in July 2017.

He suffered a heart attack aged 71.

Roberts Blossom – Old Man Marley

Roberts Blossom had a wonderful acting career but lost his wife young (Image: Wikipedia)
The late Roberts Blossom gave a stellar performance as Kevin’s misunderstand neighbour Old Man Marley.

However, whilst he kept busy until the end of the 1990s, his final big screen credit was 1995’s The Quick and the Dead.

He was left a widower in 1982 when his second wife, Marilyn passed away and Blossom himself was left confined to a nursing home in his later years.

He died of a stroke in 2011 aged 87.

John Candy died in 1994 aged 43 (Image: Getty Images)
Hollywood legend John Candy turned up in Home Alone with a small cameo role as polka king Gus Polinski – a friendly musician who gives mum Kate McAllister a ride from the airport.

Candy’s prolific career was cut short in 1994 – four years after the release of Home Alone – by his shock death at the age of 43.

He collapsed during filming of his last movie project , Wagons East, in Mexico and died of a heart attack.

As well as battling weight issues throughout his life, Candy also smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and was a heavy drinker, but was also reported to have developed a vicious cocaine habit during his time in the spotlight.

His death sent Hollywood into mourning.