Alan Ruck

Like many young actors in the 1980s, Alan Ruck received his start in a John Hughes comedy, specifically "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1987), as the title character's hypochondriac pal, Cameron; however, unlike many of his contemporaries from the period, Ruck enjoyed a lengthy career in the years that followed, with comic and dramatic turns in the action megahit "Speed" (1994) and on the series "Spin City" (ABC, 1996-2002). Older than most players on the teen scene during the 1980s, Ruck segued quickly into character parts, where his dry delivery - which could be quickly and easily driven into a flustered state - was put to excellent use on numerous sitcoms and in features. Ruck was versatile enough to find work in nearly every genre, from big-budget action epics like "Twister" (1996) and science fiction like "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) to more thoughtful drama like "The Bronx is Burning" (ESPN, 2007). He aged gracefully into key roles in television shows ranging from Amy Sherman-Palladino's "Bunheads" (ABC Family 2012-13) to a reboot of "The Exorcist" (Fox 2016- ). His turn as the anxiety-ridden Cameron, however, remained his most beloved and recognizable work, assuring him celebrity status as long as kids dreamed of skipping a day of school.