“I Heard a Ruckus”

One of my most favorite movies of all time is The Breakfast Club. Released in 1985, this film followed five very different high school students as they spend a Saturday together in detention. After this Saturday together the lives of a jock, a weirdo, a nerd, a prom queen, and a criminal were forever changed for the better.

One of the greatest lines in the movie comes from vice-principal Richard Vernon. While addressing John Bender, the criminal played by Judd Nelson, Vernon says, “Don’t mess with the bull, young man. You’ll get the horns.” This is a classic movie line.

Today vice-principal Vernon’s portrayer, Paul Gleason, died at the age of 67. He died of mesothelioma, which is a rare form of lung cancer that is linked to asbestos.

Gleason has also appeared in many other films, including Van Wilder and Die Hard, as well as guest spots in dozens of television shows from the original Mission: Impossible through his most recent appearance on George Lopez. Gleason also made a classic appearance in Not Another Teen Movie where he parodied his Breakfast Club role.

Rest in Peace.