Home Alone child actor unrecognisable 21 years after movie sequel and quitting fame for nightclub job

HOME Alone star Mike Weinberg would be a lot harder to find now - 21 years after playing brave youngster Kevin McCallister.

He famously replaced Macaulay Culkin in the festive franchise as the son who keeps getting separated from his parents at Christmas.

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Mike was an adorable kid when he starred in Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House alongside Home Alone legends Catherine O’Hara and John Heard, who played Kevin’s panicking mum and dad.

But it was a made-for-television movie and it received mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, with many fans of the original Home Alone movies disappointed with the changes in cast.

Goodfellas star Joe Pesci stole the show as burglar Harry in the first three films that hit cinemas, but he didn't return for the fourth.

And it subsequently didn't achieve the level of success as the original Home Alone movies and failed to make Mike as big a star as Macaulay.

Now aged 30, Mike is a successful entrepreneur who has worked a number of different jobs in the music business.

He can often be found behind the decks at events, having worked in event promotion, concert touring, and audio/video production.

As a teen he set up a lighting, DJing, and production company in his native Los Angeles before studying at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

He moved to Nashville after university and now runs the startup Nightscape, billed as a "state-of-the-art entertainment venue" in the city.

In Home Alone 4 his character's parents go through a bitter divorce, and Kevin's father is about to marry a woman named Natalie, with the family planning to spend Christmas together.

However, Kevin finds himself alone once again and must protect his father's high-tech mansion from a villain named Marv, who is trying to steal a valuable crown.

Kevin cleverly sets traps to thwart Marv's plans and ensure a merry Christmas for his family.

In real life, John Heard who played Kevin’s loving dad Peter McCallister also went through a heartbreaking split.

He was married three times, and fathered three kids, but his first marriage to actress Marot Kidder lasted only last six days.

Later, he became locked in a bitter custody battle over his son Jack with the actress Melissa Leo. 

Throughout the Nineties, John faced a number of offences and was found guilty of trespassing at his ex’s home in Baltimore in 1997.

He was also charged with third-degree assault after allegedly slapping Melissa, as well as stalking her and their son and allegedly beating up her new partner.

“I fear for the safety of my son and my safety,” Melissa told People magazine.

John and his second wife Sharon had two children together, Max and Annika, but in 2017 they were devastated when their son died.

In an obituary, Sharon said Max “died peacefully in his sleep” and was “in deep grief” due to allegedly “not having a father participating in his life”.

Six months later, John was found dead in a hotel room by a maid at the age of 71 after he suffered a fatal heart attack.