The heartbreaking fate of BOBBY "Peter Pan" DRISCOLL, Disney's FIRST child star, whose road to ruin ended with heroin. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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). AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. 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. He received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performance in two feature films released in 1949, for his roles in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. 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. Bobby Driscoll was born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937. Hughes probably didnt expect much of a reaction, but he couldnt have been more wrong. Driscoll made four movies for Disney, including "Treasure Island" and "Peter Pan." After Disney turned its back on him, the budding actor was left to fend for himself, and it led to his early and tragic end. While Disney likes to believe it has a squeaky-clean image, one look at Bobby Driscoll will tell you that things are never that simple. 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. View final resting place and family links here. . Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. 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. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. His drug use increased; in an interview years later, he stated, "I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. 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. 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. 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. [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. Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. "[36][37] At his request, Driscoll's parents returned him the next year to Hollywood Professional School, where in May 1955 he graduated.[38]. [63] He also received the Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954 for his work on television and radio. 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. Driscolls time with Disney was running out. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. Instead, Driscoll found a place beside an extremely unlikely and eccentric individual: the artist Andy Warhol. Voice of 1953 Disney's Peter Pan. [6] Driscoll then played the lead character in Song of the South (1946), which introduced live action into the producer's films in conjunction with extensive animated footage. 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. Not only did it give Driscoll another chance at a starring role, but Disney planned on filming in the United Kingdom. [42] They had two daughters and one son, but the relationship did not last. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/bobby-driscoll-43522.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. top of page. [40] On July 24, 1956, Hedda Hopper wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "This could cost this fine lad and good actor his career. Bobby Driscoll starred in Song of the South, Melody Time, Treasure Island, and most notably was the voice and reference model for Peter Pan. The couple had two daughters and a son. | Photo: Getty Images. With Charles Boyer, Louis Jourdan, Marsha Hunt, Bobby Driscoll. Released in early 1962, rehabilitated and eager to make a comeback, Bobby was ignored by the very industry that once had raised and nurtured him, because of his record as a convict and former drug addict. The two had two daughters and one son. 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. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. Join Facebook to connect with Bobby Driscoll and others you may know. In the film, Driscoll portrayed Tommy Woodry, a boy that witnesses a murder, only to have no one believe him due to his reputation as a liar. 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. 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, Driscoll, Driscoll, Driscoll, Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, United States, 371 East 10th Street, East Village, Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States, Hart Island, Bronx County, New York, United States, U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. When they rejected me, I fought back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time. In 1968, his body was found in a desolate building, just after his 31st birthday. The part for Driscoll was a tiny onehe would only be on screen for a grand total of two minutesbut the competition was fierce. When The Window hit theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls performancewas a hit with audiences. On March 30, 1968, two playing children found his dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. [25] During a project meeting following the completion of Peter Pan, though, Disney stated that he now saw Driscoll as best suited for roles as a young bully rather than a likeable protagonist. Currently, Bobby Driscoll is 85 years, 11 months and 10 days old. Browse through Bobby's personal letters, written to friends, family, and people of notoriety. [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. In December 1956, Driscoll and his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush (occasionally misspelled as "Brush"), eloped to Mexico to marry despite their parents' objections. 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 courtroom is packed with Henon's family and supporters, with more . 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. She asked for help from Disney Studio officials and a fingerprint match led to Driscolls grave on Hart Island. The first film they needed Driscoll for was If You Knew Susie, a comedy musical that was right up Driscolls alley. Bobby Driscoll was Disney's first fallen child star whose rejection and eventual self-sabotage led him to a bizarre and unfortunate early death. 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. One day in 1953, Driscoll drove up to the entrance of Disney Studios as usual, only to find his way blocked. The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions,". Driscoll appeared in The Scarlet Coat in 1955, and then The Party Crashers (1958). 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. On March 30, 1968, two boys playing in a deserted East Village apartment stumbled upon a gruesome discovery. When she's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under too many blankets with a hot cup of tea. 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. 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. 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. Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids. A post mortem examination determined that he had died from heart failure caused by advanced atherosclerosis[57] from his drug use. Bobby Driscoll was born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937. In some special star-focusing series, Driscoll appeared with Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, and Jane Wyman. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. Driscoll lucked out this time, but his luck ran out the following year. Occasionally, the director overdoes things a bit in striving for shock effectsBut "The Window" is Bobby Driscoll's picture, make no mistake about that. Disney slated Driscoll for two more films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood. He was discovered in a barbershop when he was 5 years old, and cast in films including Song of the South and So . [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. 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. Soon, Driscoll began butting heads with the law. By Julie Miller May 23, 2022 "This. They took him in for drug possession, battery, burglary, check kiting, and more. Things came to a head when Driscoll hit puberty. In late 1969, one year after the discovery of Driscolls body, Driscolls mother attempted to find her son. After filming wrapped up for The Window, Driscolls career hit a major snag. 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. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer. The guards refused to let Driscoll enter, and informed himrather abruptly and rudelythat he was no longer under the employ of Disney Studios. The sentencing hearing for former City Councilmember Bobby Henon is underway in the Philadelphia federal courthouse. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. Driscoll portrayed Robert "Bibi" Bonnard in Richard Fleischer's comedy The Happy Time (1952), which was based on a Broadway play of the same name by Samuel A. Taylor. 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. In his biography on Disney, Marc Elliot described Driscoll as the producer's favorite "live action" child star: "Walt often referred to Driscoll with great affection as the living embodiment of his own youth". [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). Bobby was the son of a salesman and a school teacher, but his life would take the first twist when his father got sick after many years of handling asbestos in his job. His parents had normal, respectable jobs. . 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. Bobby Driscoll was an American child actor known for a large body of cinema and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. For example, Haskin recalled in his memoirs that Disney, although interested in Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate story as a full-length cartoon, always planned to cast Driscoll as Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. Driscolls burial records, along with many others, were destroyed in a fire. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. "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 . After that, Driscoll started having run-ins with the law. Advertisement He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on 1937-03-03. It was so popular that Driscoll reprised his role the following year for a radio adaption of the movie. Bobby Driscoll was born on the 3rd of March, 1937. 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. Driscoll planned on starting over, but life had other plans for him. 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. 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. The body remained unidentified and unclaimed, so it was buried in an unmarked grave in New York Citys Potters Field, on Hart Island. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1948), and The Window (1949), which was not only the sleeper of 1949 but even earned him his Academy Award in March 1950 as the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949. By all accounts, he was your average little kid living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Unfortunately, Driscoll could not escape the shadows of his past and ended up dropping out of both prestigious universities. Driscoll never forgot about his dream of being an actor, though. 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. Believed to be an unclaimed and homeless person, he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave on Hart Island, where he remains. My mom never told me how her best friend died. 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). There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. In 1956, the authorities took him in and charged him with possession of marijuana. However, despite our best efforts, we sometimes miss the mark. 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