Ferris Bueller Star Allegedly Victim Of Elder Abuse
In very sad news, one of the stars of the 1980s classic comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is allegedly the victim of elder abuse in her own home. According to NBC, a legal team acting on behalf of actress Edie McClurg has filed a restraining order against Michael Ramos, an unemployed man who has been living in McClurg’s home for some time. Edie McClurg’s lawyers are claiming that Michael Ramos “finagled” his way into her home and finances as she began suffering from dementia and needs to be removed. For his part, Michael Ramos has denied any abuse toward Edie McClurg.
Per multiple sources, Edie McClurg was diagnosed with cognitive dysfunction in 2017 and is suffering from dementia, likely due to Alzheimer’s Disease. She was placed under a conservatorship in the state of California and deemed not able to live independently without supervision and care, as well as being especially vulnerable to things like elder abuse due to the dementia. Edie McClurg reportedly has a caretaker that has alleged that Michael Ramos has assaulted her on more than one occasion; the caretaker is also concerned that Ramos may have assaulted Edie McClurg, but due to her condition, she may not be able to understand or remember what is happening. Michael Ramos has also denied these assaults.
The complaint by Edie McClurg’s legal team also alleges that Michael Ramos tried to transport the actress out of California in order to marry her, presumably in order to gain more legal leverage over her finances and affairs. Apparently, a court order in 2019 barred Michael Ramos from attempting to marry Edie McClurg, while still allowing him to remain in her home. According to the complaint, Michael Ramos has not been in a romantic relationship with Edie McClurg at any time. In a statement via his legal representation, Ramos refers to himself as McClurg’s “long-term companion/fiancé.”
Los Angeles County Superior Court is set to review the restraining order later this month. Sadly, Edie McClurg’s case is not an uncommon one. According to the National Council on Aging, there may be up to five million elder adults in abusive situations every year, with the collective financial losses being in the double-digit billions. While the Council estimates one in ten elder Americans have experienced elder abuse, only a small fraction are reported due to cognitive or physical inability and fear.
Edie McClurg is most famous for her role in the 1986 John Hughes classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. She played Grace, the cheerful secretary to Dean of Students Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), the long-suffering Wile E. Coyote to Matthew Broderick’s Roadrunner-like Ferris Bueller. She also featured in a number of other well-known films, including Oliver Stone’s NaturalBorn Killers, Brian de Palma’s Carrie, and A River Runs Through It. She was also a regular on The David Letterman Show, a member of the famed Groundlings comedy troupe, and performed in the original stage version of The Pee-Wee Herman Show. We wish the best for Ms. McClurg.
