McCarthy grew higher inside Westfield, New Jersey and began acting at 15. He attended New York University as a theater major. His number one film role wwhen as a lead in the 1983 film Class.

His better known films include a Brat Pack films ''St. Elmo's Fire and Pretty in Pink. More memorable roles include Weekend at Bernie's, a comedy where he parades around the corpse of his boss, and Mannequin, where he falls in love with a mannequin who comes to life only when he is alone.

Although he experienced pack roles in the 1990s, he returned to prominence in 2004 playing Dr. Hook inside Kingdom Hospital''.

Selected filmography
Class (1983) St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Heaven Help Us (1985) Pretty in Pink (1986) Mannequin (1987) Less Than Zero (1987) Waiting for the Moon (1987) Fresh Horses (1988) Kansas (1988) Weekend at Bernie's (1989) Quiet Days in Clichy (1990) Year of the Gun (1991) Only You (1992) The Joy Luck Club (1993) Weekend at Bernie's II (1993)