He began his stage career at the age of four and made the first of several small film appearances in "Rocket Gibraltar" (1988), Macaulay was quite effective in juvenile supporting roles in "Uncle Buck" (1989) and "Jacob's Ladder" (1990) as the possibly angelic son of Tim Robbins. He unexpectedly shot to superstardom with his lead role in the John Hughes-produced "Home Alone" (1990) playing a resourceful child who is accidently left behind when his family goes on a European vacation. His engaging performance helped power the film to a box-office gross of nearly $300 million, and his trademark look of alarm--hands slapped around his face, mouth dropped open--became a favorite American icon.