| Michael Maronna | |
| Birth Name: | Michael C. Maronna |
| Birth Date: | 27 September 1977 |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 1989–present |
| Children: | 1 |
Michael C. Maronna (born September 27, 1977) is an American actor, who has appeared in several television programs and films. He is best known for his roles as "Big Pete" Wrigley on the television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete and as Jeff McCallister in the movie Home Alone (1990) and (1992).
Maronna was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a firefighter father and a guidance counselor mother. He is of one half Italian, three-eighths Irish, and one-eighth Dutch descent. He was the first grandchild in a big family, which included one younger brother and sister.[1] [2] As a teenager, he went to Hunter College High School in New York City, before attending Purchase College of the State University of New York, where he studied documentary/nonfiction filmmaking.[3] [4]
Maronna appeared in his first commercial at a very young age, and it was for a Scott Paper advertisement. He played older Pete Wrigley in the television show The Adventures of Pete & Pete on Nickelodeon (from 1989 to 1996), as well as the character of Jeff McCallister in the movie Home Alone (1990) and (1992). In the first one he says the line "Kevin, you are such a disease!", which became widely popular.[5] He also portrayed a teenage killer in an episode of Law & Order.
Maronna was in a widely seen series of 1999 ads for TD Ameritrade as Stuart, a slacker employee of a clueless boss whom he helps get on the internet with over-the-top zealousness.[6] Maronna reprised the role in a comedy reel with Bill Clinton, which was shown at Clinton's final appearance as the President of the United States at the 2000 White House Correspondents' Association dinner.[7]
In the 2000s, Maronna appeared in the movies Slackers and 40 Days and 40 Nights. Other credits include roles in Sex and the City and Be Kind Rewind.[8]
He also appeared in music videos for the 2007 Nada Surf song "Whose Authority"[9] and The XYZ Affair's "All My Friends."
Maronna's last acting credits were in 2013, and since then he has worked as an electrician on films and television in New York.[10] He co-hosts the podcast The Adventures of Danny and Mike with his Adventures of Pete and Pete co-star Danny Tamberelli.[11] He has resumed acting in the 2020s.
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-1996 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Big Pete Wrigley | 3 seasons (+ specials and shorts) | |
| 1990 | Home Alone | Jeff McCallister | Film debut | |
| 1992 | Jeff McCallister | Film | ||
| 1994 | The Weinerville New Year's Special: Lost in the Big Apple | TV special | ||
| 1997 | Law & Order | Dale Kershaw | "Thrill" (S8E1) | |
| 1998 | Le New Yorker | Ami de Kareen | Film | |
| 2000 | Expired | Trevor | Short film | |
| 2000 | The Final Days | Stuart | Short film | |
| 2002 | Slackers | Jeff Davis | Film | |
| 2002 | 40 Days and 40 Nights | Bagel Guy | Film | |
| 2003 | What Alice Found | Alice's Boyfriend | Film | |
| 2003 | Gilmore Girls | Leon | "Here Comes the Son" (S3E21) | |
| 2004 | Bad Apple | Videographer | TV film | |
| 2004 | Men Without Jobs | E-Man | Film | |
| 2010 | On Edge | FBI Agent | Short film | |
| 2024 | I Saw the TV Glow | Neighbor #1 |