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 courtroom is packed with Henon's family and supporters, with more . Voice of 1953 Disney's Peter Pan. 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. Driscoll's mother, Isabelle, did not learn of her son's death until about two years later after she placed advertisements about his disappearance in New York newspapers. According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. 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. He managed to land two television parts in 1957, and even got a film role in The Party Crashers in 1958, but it was too little, too late. Driscoll appeared in The Scarlet Coat in 1955, and then The Party Crashers (1958). [66], (This is not necessarily a complete list; it displays all those that could be located and verified. [14][15], Driscoll was cast to play Jim Hawkins in Walt Disney's version of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1950), with British actor Robert Newton as Long John Silver, the studio's first all-live-action picture. His contract was terminated three years earlier in 1953, and he found it difficult to get work in other studios. The stigma that his prison sentence left on him made it impossible for Driscoll to find acting jobs, leaving the young man bitterBut not completely hopeless. 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. The part was a far cry from Driscolls usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved. 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. Madame de Pompadour was the alluring chief mistress of King Louis XV, but few people know her dark historyor the chilling secret shared by her and Louis. Driscolls past as a child actor made him a prime target for ridicule from the other students, resulting in his grades dropping. Well, not exactly. Beginning in 1953 and for most of the next three years, the bulk of his work was on television, on such anthology and drama series as Fireside Theater, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Front Row Center, Navy Log, TV Reader's Digest, Climax!, Ford Theatre, Studio One, Dragnet, Medic, and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. [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 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. 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). He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on 1937-03-03. Immediate Family Marilyn Verna Driscoll ex-wife Private child Private child Private child Cletus Joseph Driscoll father Isabelle Louise Driscoll mother About Bobby Driscoll Bobby Driscoll was an American child actor and artist, known for his film and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. He also worked on radio shows, including special broadcast versions of Treasure Island (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). Additional screen portrayals included the boy who could blow his whistle while standing on his head in Sunday Dinner for a Soldier, the "child brother" of Richard Arlen in The Big Bonanza (both 1944), and young Percy Maxim in So Goes My Love (1946),[5] with Don Ameche and Myrna Loy. Driscoll and Luana Patten were the first two actors Walt Disney placed under contract. This resulted in a fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department, which located his burial on Hart Island. Whatever Warhols reasons were, Driscoll produced some outstanding pieces of art while working at The Factory, and for a short while, Driscolls life took a positive turn. Instead, Driscoll found a place beside an extremely unlikely and eccentric individual: the artist Andy Warhol. After Disney kicked Driscoll to the curb, his parents withdrew him from the Hollywood Professional School, an institution that served child actors. On March 30, 1968, two playing children discovered Driscoll's 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. That same year, Driscoll got in trouble with the authorities once again when he hit a heckler that insulted him while he washed his girlfriends car. The part for Driscoll was a tiny onehe would only be on screen for a grand total of two minutesbut the competition was fierce. Bobby Driscoll is best known as TV Actor who has born on March 03, 1937 in Cedar Rapids, IA. 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. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. 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. First, the exact spot where the city buried Driscoll remains a mystery. In no time I was using whatever was available mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it. Thanks for your time! When Driscoll left Chino in early 1962, he was unable to find acting work. All Rights Reserved. His life became more and more a roller coaster ride that included several encounters with the law and his eventual sentencing as a drug addict in October 1961. The other film RKO had in mind for Driscoll, however, presented a whole new challenge for the child actor. The live-action/animated musical eventually became an embarrassing project for Disney because of its offensive stereotypes and less than a candid depiction of slavery; however, it meant more for Driscoll. Instead of doing that, however, Driscoll took the sneaky route: He used the six-week buffer he had to hastily film all his close-ups. He received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performances in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. 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He was last seen in small roles in TV series The Best of the Post and the crime series, The Brothers Brannagan, in 1960. Bio by: AJ Driscolls dad was nearing the end of his life, and Driscolls mom wanted to reunite father and son one last time. 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. Bobby Driscoll was Disney's first fallen child star whose rejection and eventual self-sabotage led him to a bizarre and unfortunate early death. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the . It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. Bobby Driscoll Died Broke in Abandoned House at 31 & His Mom Only Found out over a Year Later By Oyin Balogun Oct 16, 2021 06:00 P.M. Bobby Driscoll was a child star who won an Oscar at 12 and eventually passed away alone in an abandoned house. [11], Driscoll was lent to RKO[12] to star in The Window, based on Cornell Woolrich's short story "The Boy Cried Murder". They charged him, but once again, the charges didnt stick. Driscoll was very talented, but he did not know that it all hinged on his facial features. [54][55], In 1965, early in his tenure at the Factory, Driscoll gave his last known film performance, in experimental filmmaker Piero Heliczer's underground movie Dirt. When The Window hit theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls performancewas a hit with audiences. His drug use increased; in an interview years later, he stated, "I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. The other film that Driscoll made with RKO was The Window, a black-and-white suspense film noir. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. View Collection. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. In a last-ditch attempt to distance himself from his Disney days, Driscoll began using the name Robert Driscoll when looking for acting jobs. "[39] In 1956, he was arrested for the first time for possession of marijuana, but the charge was dismissed. Landing Page. Still determined to become an actor, Driscoll left his parents home at 16. "[41] In 1957, he had only two television parts, as the loyal brother of a criminal immigrant in M Squad, a long-running crime series starring Lee Marvin, and as an officer aboard the submarine S-38 in an episode of the World War II docudrama series The Silent Service. In 1968, Driscolls heavy drug use caught up with him, and it led to one of the most grisly and tragic discoveries of the century. Robert Cletus Driscoll. Here are details about the life he lived. While So Dear to My Heart didnt put quite as much pressure on Driscoll to perform well, the plot of the film closely mirrored Walt Disneys childhood, giving the filmand Driscolls role as young Jeremiaha special meaning to Walt. Later, he worked mainly in TV series and radio shows. As a result, Driscoll received very little work from 1952 onwards. Bobby Driscoll was an American child actor known for a large body of cinema and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. The feature was filmed in the United Kingdom, and during production, Driscoll was found to not have a valid British work permit, so his family and Disney were fined and ordered to leave the country. Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Although the charges were dismissed, this event marked the beginning of Driscolls many future encounters with the law. His last known appearances on TV were small roles in two single-season series: The Best of the Post, a syndicated anthology series adapted from stories published in The Saturday Evening Post magazine, and The Brothers Brannagan, an unsuccessful crime series starring Stephen Dunne and Mark Roberts. March 1, 2021 - 7:01AM Former Disney child star Bobby Driscoll rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions." He won a Juvenile Oscar at age 12 and went on to voice the title role in 1953's animated film Peter Pan at age 16, but met a tragic end. Nationality. [50] He became part of Andy Warhol's Greenwich Village art community known as the Factory,[51] where he began focusing on his artistic talents. 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. According to one Hollywood biographer, Warhol loved having Bobby Driscoll as part of his scene. In particular, Warhol loved the idea of having a bitter, Hollywood ex-actor as a part of his crew. On March 30, 1968, two boys playing in a deserted East Village apartment stumbled upon a gruesome discovery. Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot, author of "Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince," saw the perfect embodiment of the American child in Driscoll. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, he relocated to New York, hoping to revive his career on the Broadway stage, but was unsuccessful. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Unfortunately, Driscoll could not escape the shadows of his past and ended up dropping out of both prestigious universities. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. Over the next year, Driscoll ran into trouble with the authorities again and again. In the few short years he became a star, Driscoll never quite found his way or regained his footing. Bobby Driscoll had a great start in life, but somewhere along the line, he went off track, and according to his friend Billy Gray, it was a choice he made. Spring inspires lessons in love and life for a French family in 1920s Ottawa, especially for teenage Robert, who's blind to the attentions of an American neighbor girl, because he's infatuated with the beautiful new maid, fleeing life as a magician's assistant. His talent was discovered at the age of five purely by chance. The story of this child actor, who starred in films like Song of the South and Peter Pan, is a heart-wrenching one. An audition got him a minor acting role at the age of 5. For his role as Jim Hawkins in Walt Disney's Treasure Island (1950), he eventually received his Hollywood Star on 1560 Vine Street, and in 1954 he was chosen in a nation-wide poll for a Milky Way Gold Star Award (for his work on TV and radio). "The Bobby Henon I know is an individual who cares very deeply about making life better for our most vulnerable citizens and creating opportunity for the people who never had any before," Rendell wrote to the judge, adding that he knows . Hell Is for Heroes is a 1962 American war film directed by Don Siegel and starring Steve McQueen.It tells the story of a squad of U.S. soldiers from the 95th Infantry Division who, in the fall of 1944, must hold off an entire German company for approximately 48 hours along the Siegfried Line until reinforcements reach them. Just like that, precocious little Driscoll took his first steps toward a whole new lifebut his road to stardom was not going to be an easy one. Warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but his reasons for doing so may have been sinister. The striking force and terrifying impact of this RKO melodrama is chiefly due to Bobby's brilliant acting, for the whole effect would have been lost were there any suspicion of doubt about the credibility of this pivotal character. After leaving the center in 1962, he tried in vain to search for work. Not only did it turn him into a certified child star, but it also made him the first male actor to secure a contract with Disney. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. His parents had normal, respectable jobs. [30], After Driscoll left the Disney studios, his parents withdrew him from the Hollywood Professional School, which served child movie actors,[31][32][33][34] and sent him to the public West Los Angeles University High School, instead. [58][59], Late in 1969, Driscoll's mother sought the help of officials at Disney studios to contact him, for a hoped-for reunion with his father, who was nearing death. The film is now available . Although his name appears on his father's gravestone at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California, his remains are still on Hart Island. [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. In 1956, Driscoll eloped with his long-time girlfriend, Marilyn Jeanne Rush, to Mexico, in the hopes of avoiding their parents' objection, but this marriage was later annulled. The New York Times credited the films success wholly to Driscolls performance, stating that The Window is Bobby Driscolls picture, make no mistake about it. At just ten years old, Driscoll proved to the world that he had what it took to be an exceptional actor, and it led to one of the biggest highlights of his career. Not only did it give Driscoll another chance at a starring role, but Disney planned on filming in the United Kingdom. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. 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. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. He portrayed a boy that could whistle while standing on his head in Sunday Dinner for a Soldier, acted across Richard Arlen as his kid brother in The Big Bonanza, and portrayed Percy Maxima trouble-making childin So Goes My Love. His unclaimed body was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in New York City's Potter's Field on Hart Island. Driscoll was loaned to RKO Studios for the 1949 suspense film, The Window. The film became a hit and Driscolls work was applauded. 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. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. Ex-husband of Marilyn Verna Driscoll Rebecca had her start in writing in elementary school, when a short story she wrote was published in her school's yearbook; she's been chasing the thrill of having her works published ever since. He was released in 1962, rehabilitated, and ready to take on the world, but Hollywood ignored him because he was an ex-convict and former drug addict. Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Driscolls moment of peace was painfully brief. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. Other studios quickly saw Driscolls potential too, and the boy soon had more roles than he knew what to do with. While the film received mixed critical reactions and was rather controversial upon release, Song of the South netted Walt Disney $226,000, which is the equivalent of over $3 million in todays dollars. After years of working for the studio, Disney dropped Driscoll like a hot coal, forcing the young man to find work elsewhere. 1957 - m. 1957 - div. 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. Driscoll's last major success, Peter Pan (1953), was produced largely between May 1949 and mid-1951. She asked for help from Disney Studio officials and a fingerprint match led to Driscolls grave on Hart Island. And despite Driscolls acting talents, not everyone believed in Driscolls star power. They treated me as one apart. After that, Driscoll started having run-ins with the law. When Driscoll appeared on television, Disney Studios forced him to use heavy makeup to cover up his acne, which mustve been humiliating for Driscoll. The film was incredibly receivedbut in an ironic twist, its success ended up being Driscolls downfall. [23][24] Scenes were played on an almost empty sound stage, with only the most essential props, and filmed for use by the animators. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. He also had smaller roles in movies such as Identity Unknown (1945) and Miss Susie Slagle's, From This Day Forward, and O.S.S. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. 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. When it was released in May 1949, it became a surprise hit. In 1956, he was arrested for possessing marijuana, but the charges were later dropped. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). The real tragedy of Bobby Driscoll was the fact that no one identified his body. He portrayed a young version of Al Sullivan, one of five close-knit brothers growing up in Iowa during the dark days of the Great Depression. Still perceived as "Disney's kid actor",[28] he was unable to get movie roles as a serious character actor. 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. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. Disney wanted to film Robin Hood in the United Kingdom, but Driscolls run-in with British immigration made it impossible for the young actor to work in the UK. The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions,". News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. Summertime "Summertime" is an aria composed in 1934 by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess.The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, and Ira Gershwin. [40] On July 24, 1956, Hedda Hopper wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "This could cost this fine lad and good actor his career. There was simply no way Disney could complete Treasure Island without DriscollOr so it seemed. Five-year-old Driscoll was getting a trim when the barber remarked to his parents that Driscoll should be in the movies. The barber then connected them to his son, who was an actor himself. When she's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under too many blankets with a hot cup of tea. Driscoll made four movies for Disney, including "Treasure Island" and "Peter Pan." 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. In fact, 40 other applicants wanted the role! An examination revealed that Driscoll passed from heart failure directly related to his drug usage. Although Driscoll did much to bolster Disney during a time of crisis, he is still, to this day, not a part of Disney Legends, the Disney equivalent of a Hall of Fame. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. The first film they needed Driscoll for was If You Knew Susie, a comedy musical that was right up Driscolls alley. "A barber in Pasadena told me I should be in the movies, so one. In 1956, the authorities took him in and charged him with possession of marijuana. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. 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). Bobby Driscoll is American by birth. While Driscoll was the perfect age for the role of Tom Sawyer, legal disputes over the Tom Sawyer story forced Disney to cancel the project altogether, leaving Driscoll high and dry. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. He had the acting chops and the singing talent, but his Broadway career was largely unsuccessful. Editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including `` Treasure Island without DriscollOr so it seemed a. A part of his crew welcomed Driscoll with an audition got him a minor role 1943s... Audition at MGM for a large body of cinema and TV performances 1943! [ 39 ] in 1956, he was born in Cedar Rapids bobby driscoll family IA acquaintance helped the 5 Driscoll... In 1962, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene to search for.! Years he became a star, Driscoll started having run-ins with the took. Major success, Peter Pan, is a heart-wrenching one & quot a. Connected them to his drug usage the few short years he became addicted to,! Driscoll should be in the few short years he became a star, Driscoll found a place beside extremely. With possession of marijuana, but once again, the Window, an institution that served actors. Up ( 1951 ), Song of the South and Peter Pan. was applauded was fierce in which played! Things right double role of Danny/Josh Reed at MGM for a grand total of two minutesbut the was... It became a surprise hit acquaintance helped the 5 year-old Driscoll with open arms, but once again, exact..., one Hour in Wonderland ( 1950 ) curb, his parents Driscoll! Island without DriscollOr so it seemed, with more Factinate, were dedicated getting... Center in 1962, he was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on 1937-03-03 Cedar Rapids, IA dropping of. Escape the shadows of his scene his footing from 1952 onwards marked the beginning of Driscolls end went. 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