Driscoll was very talented, but he did not know that it all hinged on his facial features. When they rejected me, I fought back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time. He made multiple trips to New York City to study acting, and even reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford. Driscoll played Eddie Cantor's screen son in the RKO Studios musical comedy If You Knew Susie (also 1948), in which he teamed with former Our Gang member Margaret Kerry. The body remained unidentified and unclaimed, so it was buried in an unmarked grave in New York Citys Potters Field, on Hart Island. Actor Bobby Driscoll at age12 in a studio portrait taken in 1950 | Source: Wikimedia Commons/ NBC Television Network, Bobby Driscoll 1950, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons, It turned out the barber's son was in showbiz, which made it easy to get an appointment with his agent, who helped Driscoll land a small role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the 1943 film "Lost Angel.". Bobby was born March 3rd, 1937 in Iowa. | Photo: Getty Images. When his contract with the Disney studios was prematurely terminated shortly after the release of Peter Pan (1953) in late March 1953, his mother additionally took him from the talent-supporting Hollywood Professional School, which he attended by then. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. At the time, Disneys finances were in shambles thanks to WWII and desperately needed the film to do well. The short and tragic life of Disney child star Bobby Driscoll is explored in the new documentary Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story. They separated, then divorced in 1960. The award was presented as a special miniature Oscar statuette for "the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949" for his roles in So Dear to My Heart and The Window, both released that year. In May of 1955, Driscoll graduated and even found work in television. On his new School, the public Westwood University High School, on which he graduated in 1955, all of a sudden his former stardom became more burden than advantage. Their barber's son, an actor, got Bobby an audition at MGM for a role in the family drama Lost Angel (1943), which starred Margaret O'Brien. Ironically, critics of the film thought that Driscolls portrayal was a huge step up, as the original Peter Pan book portrayed the character as a complete sociopath. Driscoll was loaned to RKO Studios for the 1949 suspense film, The Window. The film became a hit and Driscolls work was applauded. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. However, post 1952, he didnt have much work at the studios and in March 1953, his extended contract, which was to end in 1956, was terminated. In 1969, Driscolls mother tried to search for him, as his father was nearing death. The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions,". They re-wed in March 1957, in Los Angeles, and divorced in 1960. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. In 1944, 20th Century Fox offered Driscoll a role in their WWII drama, The Fighting Sullivans. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. He and his co-star Luana Patten became child-stars and the media dubbed them as Walt Disneys Sweetheart Team.. For Driscoll, this was easier said than done. Both Driscoll and his co-star Patten received critical acclaim for their roles in the film, turning them both into child stars nearly overnight. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. The first Disney film that Driscoll ever acted in was Song of the South in 1946, in which Driscoll took on the starring role as Johnny. Browse through Bobby's personal letters, written to friends, family, and people of notoriety. Currently, Bobby Driscoll is 85 years, 11 months and 10 days old. In a last-ditch attempt to distance himself from his Disney days, Driscoll began using the name Robert Driscoll when looking for acting jobs. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer in films. They were allowed to remain for six weeks to prepare an appeal, and director Byron Haskin hastily shot all of Driscoll's close-ups,[16] using his British stand-in to film missing location scenes after his parents and he had returned to California. Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. When The Window hit theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls performancewas a hit with audiences. Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. After the termination of Disney contract, Driscoll was taken out of Hollywood Professional School, and was sent to the University High School, where he was not accepted by other students. In March 1953, the additional two-year option Driscoll had been extended (which would have kept him at Disney into 1956) was cancelled, just weeks after Peter Pan was released theatrically. It was clear that Driscolls drug addiction was destroying his life, and in 1961, everything came to a head when the authorities finally sentenced him as a drug addict. Ex-husband of Marilyn Verna Driscoll On another series, Men of Annapolis, he appeared with John Smith, future second husband of Driscoll's Song of the South co-star, Luana Patten. In 1950, Driscollat just 13 years oldreceived a very special Academy Award that recognized his work in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. [10] Patten and he appeared with Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers in the live-action teaser for the Pecos Bill segment of Disney's cartoon compilation Melody Time (also 1948). His grades suffered for it, but he graduated. The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. He starred in some of the Walt Disney Studios' best-known live-action pictures of that period, such as Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1949), The Window (1949), and Treasure Island (1950). It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. )", "Bobby Driscoll Hopes To Rebuild Film Life", "Bobby Driscoll Freed On Bail After Fracas", "Bobby Driscoll Won't Be Around For Reissue Of "Song Of The South" (last column)", "Bobby Driscoll sitting on a couch (on portfolio, page 38, third row it's the last known photograph of him, ca. On March 30, 1968, two boys found his body in an abandoned East Village tenement. An audition got him a minor acting role at the age of 5. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. A year after the couple eloped, they re-wed in an official ceremony in Los Angeles in March of 1957. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. Things came to a head when Driscoll hit puberty. He served as the animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/bobby-driscoll-43522.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. As a result of his narcotics addiction, he was sent to Narcotics Rehabilitation Center. Later, Driscoll tried to revive his artistic skills at Andy Warhols The Factory, but went underground in a pauper state. Disney still kept Driscoll on their payroll, but it was clear that they were losing interest in their once-favorite kid actor. On March 23, 1950, Driscoll won a Special Juvenile Academy Award as the Outstanding Juvenile Actor of 1949 for his performances in So Dear to My Heart, and The Window., In Walt Disneys all-live-action picture Treasure Island (based on Robert Louis Stevensons 1883 novel), Driscoll played Jim Hawkins.. Their barber's son, an actor, got Bobby an audition at MGM for a role in the family drama Lost Angel (1943), which starred Margaret O'Brien. The young actors days of taking on small movie roles were officially overbut this new life would eventually lead him down a dark and dangerous path. He took on the double role of Danny/Josh Reed in When I Grow Upand made a brief guest appearance in Disneys first televised Christmas show, One Hour in Wonderland. Driscoll and Rush eloped in Mexico, although both sets of parents objected to their union. The reason for terminating the contract 3 years earlier, was given as Driscolls severe acne, which required too much efforts and make-up to cover-up. . After making his screen debut, he got a role in a 20th Century Fox war film, The Fighting Sullivans (1944), wherein he essayed the youngest of 5 brothers, Al Sullivan. In Sunday Dinner for a Soldier (1944), he played the boy who could blow his whistle while standing on head, and in the same year he played young brother of Richard Arlen in The Big Bonanza., In 1946, Driscoll portrayed Percy Maxim in So Goes My Love. The other movies in which he played small parts, included Identify Unknown, From This Day Forward, O.S.S., and Miss Susie Slagles., Driscoll was one of the first two actors to sign contract with Walt Disney. The first live-action/animated film of Disney, Song of the South (1946), had Driscoll as its lead actor. Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. Driscolls time with Disney was running out. Unfortunately, Driscoll could not escape the shadows of his past and ended up dropping out of both prestigious universities. The young boy appeared in nine different films in three years before he finally secured his role as Johnny, a 7-year-old boy who visits his grandfather's plantation in Disney's "Song of the South. Driscoll appeared in The Scarlet Coat in 1955, and then The Party Crashers (1958). BobbyDriscoll.com. Driscoll and Patten once again worked together in Disneys first all-live-action film, So Dear to My Heart. In RKO Studios (Disneys co-producers) 1948 musical comedy, If You Knew Susie, he played the part of Eddie Cantors son. On March 30, 1968, two playing children found his dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. It was so popular that Driscoll reprised his role the following year for a radio adaption of the movie. He had been getting a trim in a barber's shop in Pasadena when one barber told him he should be in the movies. Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. [35] He said later, "The other kids didn't accept me. Hughes was not a big fan of Driscoll and Hollywood kids in general. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. Needless to say, Driscoll could not afford to fail. Not only did it give Driscoll another chance at a starring role, but Disney planned on filming in the United Kingdom. Driscoll tried to remain relevant in Hollywood by appearing in several TV shows for years; however, he had already passed his peak and was on the decline. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Unfortunately for Driscoll, Walts affection seemed to run dry after the filming of Peter Pan, and it led to the young actors early decline. Bobby Driscoll. In fact, Driscoll stumbled into acting purely by chanceand it was all thanks to a fateful encounter. [60][61][62], Driscoll received an Academy Juvenile Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the 22nd Academy Awards presentation in 1950. Cast with Charles Boyer, Marsha Hunt, Louis Jourdan, and Kurt Kasznar, he played the juvenile offspring of a patriarch in Quebec of the 1920s, the character upon whom the plot centered. In the few short years he became a star, Driscoll never quite found his way or regained his footing. His contract was terminated three years earlier in 1953, and he found it difficult to get work in other studios. He thought that Peterand Driscoll, by extensioncame off as cold and unlikeable in the movie. Late in 1961, he was sentenced as a drug addict and imprisoned at the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California. Thanks for your help! [13], So Dear to My Heart and The Window earned Driscoll a special Juvenile Academy Award in March 1950 as the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949. Hicks said Driscoll declined due to family conflicts while Hora and Sherman did not respond. Although his name appears on his father's gravestone at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California, his remains are still on Hart Island. The two had two daughters and one son. Reporters looking into Driscoll discovered the ghastly tale of Driscolls career and his end. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. [18] He was at the perfect age for the role, but because of a story rights ownership dispute with Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, who had previously produced the property in 1938, Disney ultimately had to cancel the entire project. Driscoll was born on March 3, 1937, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Isabelle (ne Kratz), a former school teacher, and Cletus, an insulation salesman. Geni requires JavaScript! [65], In September 2011, American singer-songwriter Tom Russell released the song "Farewell Never Neverland" on the album Mesabi, an elegy for Bobby Driscoll as Peter Pan. The part was a far cry from Driscolls usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. In some special star-focusing series, Driscoll appeared with Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, and Jane Wyman. The film is now available . 22nd Academy Award Ceremony of March 23, 1950 excerpt, Donald O'Connor presenting Bobby Driscoll his Oscar, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "Hot-Rod Stage Shares Affections of Bobby Driscoll", "Lost Angel Bobby's very first filmrole", "That Little Girl in 'Song of the South' a Big Girl Now", "So Dear to My Heart actual production dates", "The Window, "Depicting Terror of Boy in Fear of His Life", "British Court Upholds Bobby Driscoll Fine", "Walt Disney Will Follow Up 'Treasure Island', "Disney Again to Wed Cartoons, Live Action", "Memorablia & Collectibles (signed production photographs with detailed captions", "$300-A-Week Smile There Is a Film Santa", "New Contract For Boy Film Actor Approved". After filming wrapped up for The Window, Driscolls career hit a major snag. Driscoll's salary at Disney had been raised to $1,750 per week[26] and compared to his salary, Driscoll had little work from 1952 on. The story of how Driscoll went from that talented child to the man he became is a very sad one. They charged him, but once again, the charges didnt stick. Driscoll's brief, two-minute debut[4] helped him win the role of young Al Sullivan, the youngest of the five Sullivan brothers, in the 20th Century Fox's World War II drama The Fighting Sullivans (1944) with Thomas Mitchell and Anne Baxter. The Life of Bobby Driscoll Robert Cletus "Bobby" Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 3rd, 1937, to parents Cletus (1901-1969), an insulation salesman, and Isabelle (Kratz) (1897-1972), a former schoolteacher. Most notably, he served as the animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). Outside of his career, Driscolls private life was going just as poorly. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. Unfortunate circumstances made it difficult to keep Driscolls memory alive, however. At the end of his six weeks, the authorities booted Driscoll and his family out of the country, and Disney filmed the rest of Driscolls scenes with a stand-in. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. The new Disney+ film evokes the devastating story of Bobby Driscoll, who earned an Oscar and played Peter Pan as a child before being discarded as a teenager. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. Join Facebook to connect with Bobby Driscoll and others you may know. Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. He wanted Driscoll gone, and sadly the boy's morphing features were enough grounds. In a project meeting held after the completion of Peter Pan, Walt Disney stated that Driscoll was better suited for roles as a young bully, and stopped giving Driscoll roles as the likeable protagonist. and then convincing in anything he ever undertook on the movie screen and on television throughout his career spanning 17 years (1943-1960). His role for the production was enormously important: not only did he voice the titular Peter, but he also served as the reference model for the films close-ups. Perhaps Driscoll hoped that Rush would change him for the better, but what actually happened was far, far worse. He landed his debut role in "Lost Angels . Unfortunately, Driscoll's fans had no idea about his sad fate until 1972 when the Disney film "Song of the South," featured in, was re-released. The film was incredibly receivedbut in an ironic twist, its success ended up being Driscolls downfall. An acquaintance helped the 5 year-old Driscoll with an audition at MGM for a minor role in 1943s Lost Angel. He overcame 40 aspirants to bag the role. Driscoll never forgot about his dream of being an actor, though. First famous now infamous. Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. Bobby Driscoll was an American child actor and artist, known for his film and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. His performance won him an Oscar at 12, and by 16, he was given a chance to voice "Peter Pan," an animated film about a boy who never wants to grow up. The other film that Driscoll made with RKO was The Window, a black-and-white suspense film noir. It led to his eventual sentencing as a drug addict in October 1961. The film turned Driscoll and his co-star Luana Patten into child stars, and they were discussed for a special Academy Award as the best child actors of the year, but for the year of its release, no juvenile awards were presented at all.[7]. One that his friend, Gray, thinks was caused by his inability to deal with getting abandoned by Hollywood. What they found was the body of Bobby Driscoll in a cot, with two empty beer bottles nearby and surrounded by religious pamphlets. Driscoll was loaned to Horizon Pictures for When I Grow Up (1951) in which he played the double role of Danny/Josh Reed. He made a brief appearance in Disneys first TV Christmas show, One Hour in Wonderland (1950). Howard Hughes, an American investor that bought out RKO, thought the film was unworthy of release. To make things worse, he completely dismissed Driscoll, and thought of the young boy as not much of an actor. As a result, Driscolls film wasnt released until the following year, in May of 1949. The only child of his parents, he initially grew up in Des Moines, and in 1943, because of his fathers work-related ailment, the family moved to Altadena, California. Embittered by this, he said, "I have found that memories are not very useful. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Later, he worked mainly in TV series and radio shows. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids. All that is known is that Driscolls body is somewhere in the Northern part of the island, surrounded by deer, red raccoons, and a bird sanctuary. In addition to his brief guest appearance in Walt Disney's first television Christmas show in 1950, One Hour in Wonderland, Driscoll lent his voice to Goofy, Jr. in the Disney cartoon shorts "Fathers are People" and "Father's Lion", which were released in 1951 and 1952, respectively. [43], Driscoll began using the name "Robert Driscoll"[44] to distance himself from his youthful roles as "Bobby" (since 1951, he had been known to friends and family as "Bob",[45] and in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Early Space Conquerors, 1952, was credited as "Bob Driscoll"[46]). They took him in for drug possession, battery, burglary, check kiting, and more. The heartbreaking fate of BOBBY "Peter Pan" DRISCOLL, Disney's FIRST child star, whose road to ruin ended with heroin. While on a tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. In 1954, he was awarded a Milky Way Gold Star Award, chosen in a nationwide poll for his work on television and radio. Now nicknamed by the American press as Walt Disney's "Sweetheart Team",[8] Driscoll and Patten starred together in So Dear to My Heart (1948) with Burl Ives and Beulah Bondi. Other such smaller roles led to a contract from Walt Disney. Bobby Driscoll starred in Song of the South, Melody Time, Treasure Island, and most notably was the voice and reference model for Peter Pan. This put Driscoll and the entire production in a sticky situation. With little choice, Driscoll tried to fit in with the other kids at the West Los Angeles University High School, and the results were utterly heartbreaking. The other film RKO had in mind for Driscoll, however, presented a whole new challenge for the child actor. This is a business registration address for Paul Wink. While those roles got Driscolls acting career rolling, it was his next role that took the little boys career to the next level. Bobby Driscoll: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. The only son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher, Driscoll was discovered at the age of 5 while getting a trim. Via Wikimedia Commons at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bobby_Driscoll_1950.jpg, Cause of death: Heart failure, Myocardial infarction - Mar 30 1968 - East Village, Mar 3 1937 - Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, United States, Cletus Joseph Driscoll, Isabella Isabelle Louise Driscoll, Mar 3 1937 - Cedar Rapids, Linn, Iowa, United States, Mar 30 1968 - New York City, New York, United States, Mar 30 1968 - East Village, United States, Apr 1 1950 - Tley, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, Mar 3 1937 - Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, United States of America, Mar 30 1968 - New York, New York County (Manhattan), New York, United States of America,
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