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 was convicted for drug addiction and was sent to Narcotic Rehabilitation Center, at Chino, California. 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. His unclaimed body was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in New York City's Potter's Field on Hart Island. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. Bobby Driscoll was Disney's first fallen child star whose rejection and eventual self-sabotage led him to a bizarre and unfortunate early death. Driscoll was born on March 3, 1937, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Isabelle (ne Kratz), a former school teacher, and Cletus, an insulation salesman. Disney still kept Driscoll on their payroll, but it was clear that they were losing interest in their once-favorite kid actor. 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. 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. He landed two final screen roles: with Cornel Wilde in The Scarlet Coat (1955) and opposite Mark Damon, Connie Stevens, and Frances Farmer in The Party Crashers (1958). After a final appearance in Piero Heliczer's Underground short Dirt (1965) in 1965 and a short art-period at Andy Warhol's so-called Factory, he disappeared into the underground, thoroughly dispirited, funds depleted. This was the final nail in the coffin for Driscolls life and career. His grades dropped and he began taking drugs. His parents had normal, respectable jobs. Ex-husband of Marilyn Verna Driscoll 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. 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. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. Hughes dismissed Driscoll later in 1953, and he did so in a terrible manner by denying Driscoll entry into the studio. He served as the animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). In 1954, he was awarded a Milky Way Gold Star Award, chosen in a nationwide poll for his work on television and radio. Eventually, Driscoll convinced his parents to re-enroll him to the Hollywood Professional School, where his grades improved. Driscoll was very talented, but he did not know that it all hinged on his facial features. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer. 1957 - m. 1957 - div. 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. 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. She reached out to Disney for help, which eventually led her to the NYPD. 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. Bobby Driscoll was born on the 3rd of March, 1937. Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. 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. Driscoll's last major success, Peter Pan (1953), was produced largely between May 1949 and mid-1951. Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids. The part was a far cry from Driscolls usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved. He lent his voice to Goofy Jr.s character in Disneys Fathers are People (1951) and Fathers Lion (1952). 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. 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. 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. By early 1962, Driscolls prison sentence ended, but it utterly destroyed his chances of becoming an actor ever again. 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. Still determined to become an actor, Driscoll left his parents home at 16. 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). Driscoll achieved fame at age 9 when he was cast in a starring role in the Disney controversial movie "Song of the South." [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. What Driscoll did was simple, but revealed a curiosity for the world around him which deeply impressed the director for Lost Angels. 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. 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. Facebook gives people the power. At the time, Disneys finances were in shambles thanks to WWII and desperately needed the film to do well. Driscolls time with Disney was running out. Warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but his reasons for doing so may have been sinister. 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. As a result, the city buried Driscolls unclaimed body in an unmarked paupers grave on Hart Island. Bobby Driscoll starred in Song of the South, Melody Time, Treasure Island, and most notably was the voice and reference model for Peter Pan. 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 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. Here are details about the life he lived. [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. His casting was suggested by screenwriter Michael Kanin. Between 1967 and the beginning of 1968, Driscoll left The Factory in a miserable state. The first Disney film, Song of the South, was re-released in 1971-1972. Driscoll found it difficult to get work, because all other studios considered him a Disney kid. From 1953, he mostly worked on TV in Front Row Center, Climax!, Navy Log, Fireside Theater, Ford Theater, Dragnet, Studio One, Men of Annapolis, Medic, among others. It led to his eventual sentencing as a drug addict in October 1961. 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In the 1952 comedy, The Happy Time, based on a Broadway play, Driscoll played the role of Robert Bibi Bonnard. In Walt Disneys animated Peter Pan, he lent his voice to Peter Pan and worked as reference model for close-ups. Bio by: AJ | Photo: Getty Images. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. The real tragedy of Bobby Driscoll was the fact that no one identified his body. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, Driscoll made the decision to relocate to New York City. Fatal addiction to drugs destroyed Bobby Driscoll's brilliant career as a child star and left him for dead in an abandoned New York City tenement at age 31. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer in films. Films: Song of the South, Treasure Island [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. One day in 1953, Driscoll drove up to the entrance of Disney Studios as usual, only to find his way blocked. He essayed main roles in a number of Disney movies, and earned a special Juvenile Academy Award for Outstanding Juvenile Actor of 1949. Under the contract, Driscoll was occasionally loaned to other studios, but he largely remained a Disney Star. He became famous as the voice of Peter Pan, and also modeled as a reference for this hit Disney movie. Hughes probably didnt expect much of a reaction, but he couldnt have been more wrong. 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. Although Peter Pan was largely successful, Walt Disney himself didnt like the film. Father of Private; Private and Private. In the few short years he became a star, Driscoll never quite found his way or regained his footing. 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. Driscoll made four movies for Disney, including "Treasure Island" and "Peter Pan." First famous now infamous. 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. He landed his debut role in "Lost Angels . Son of Cletus Joseph Driscoll and Isabelle Louise Driscoll 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. Despite the obstacles presented to Driscoll during production, Treasure Island was an international smash hit. Still, Walt Disney had a lot of affection for Driscoll and signed the boy on for a second contract regardless. 'Treasure Island became a worldwide hit and many new projects were planned with Driscoll as the lead, but somehow they didnt work-out. Needless to say, Driscoll could not afford to fail. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Between 1948 and 1957, he performed on a number of radio productions, which included a special broadcast version of Treasure Island in January 1951 and of Peter Pan in December 1953. Driscolls past as a child actor made him a prime target for ridicule from the other students, resulting in his grades dropping. Although his name appears on his father's gravestone at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California, his remains are still on Hart Island. A year after the couple eloped, they re-wed in an official ceremony in Los Angeles in March of 1957. Hoping to revive his career on the stage after his parole had expired in 1964, he eventually traveled to New York, only to learn that his reputation had preceded him, and no one wanted to hire him there, either. 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. Discover at 5, while getting a haircut, Bobby Driscoll is the son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. Bobby Driscoll's full name is Robert Cletus Driscoll and his nickname is Bobby Driscoll. An examination revealed that Driscoll passed from heart failure directly related to his drug usage. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. [47], He was charged with disturbing the peace and assault with a deadly weapon, the latter after hitting one of two hecklers with a pistol who had made insulting remarks while he was washing a girlfriend's car; the charges were dropped.[48]. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. After taking one look at Driscolls adorable little freckled face, the barbers son got Driscoll an acting agent. Between May of 1949 to mid-1951, Driscoll was working on Disneys animated version of Peter Pan. This was already sad enough, but it wasnt even the most tragic fact about his end. 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. He believed they were precocious, fake, and very annoying. Not only did it give Driscoll another chance at a starring role, but Disney planned on filming in the United Kingdom. He successfully continued acting on TV until 1957 and even managed to get two final screen roles; in The Scarlet Coat (1955) and opposite of Mark Damon and Connie Stevens in The Party Crashers (1958). 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. When The Window hit theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls performancewas a hit with audiences. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the . Perhaps Driscoll hoped that Rush would change him for the better, but what actually happened was far, far worse. [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. 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). In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. ", Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray, Lauren Chapin, and Elinor Donahue from the show "Father Knows Best," circa 1955. Around that time, Howard Hughes bought RKO, effectively making him the owner of the Disney studio. [19] Driscoll also was scheduled to portray a youthful follower of Robin Hood following Treasure Island, again with Robert Newton, who would play Friar Tuck,[20] but Driscoll's run-in with British immigration made this impossible.[21]. BobbyDriscoll.com. Other studios quickly saw Driscolls potential too, and the boy soon had more roles than he knew what to do with. You see, Hughes really had it out for child actors like Driscoll; he thought that kids like Driscoll were incredibly annoying. As Driscolls acne grew worse, Hughes used his influence over Disney to get rid of Driscoll in the most mortifying fashion possible. In fact, 40 other applicants wanted the role! When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. For a short time, Driscoll did everything he could to rehabilitate his image. 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. It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. Bobby is a high school graduate. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. . Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. My mom never told me how her best friend died. Robert Cletus Driscoll. He was born Robert Cletus Driscoll in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the only child of Cletus (19011969), an insulation salesman, and Isabelle (ne Kratz; 19041981), a former schoolteacher. In May of 1955, Driscoll graduated and even found work in television. Howard Hughes, who had bought RKO the previous year, considered the film unworthy of release and Driscoll not much of an actor, so delayed its release. The film and his voice became a big hit. Driscolls new acting agent put out the feelers for roles that suited little Driscoll, and soon found the perfect part for him in an upcoming MGM Studios film called Lost Angels. 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]. Geni requires JavaScript! The heartbreaking fate of BOBBY "Peter Pan" DRISCOLL, Disney's FIRST child star, whose road to ruin ended with heroin. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. Driscolls burial records, along with many others, were destroyed in a fire. Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. Most notably, he served as the animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. An audition got him a minor acting role at the age of 5. Bobby Driscoll and Connie Stevens in The Party Crashers (1958) After his appearance in The Party Crashers, the party truly started crashing around Driscoll. Bobby Driscoll was born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937. ), Media related to Bobby Driscoll at Wikimedia Commons. Lets just, Song of the South (1946), Walt Disney Productions, So Dear to My Heart (1948), Walt Disney Productions, Treasure Island (1950), Walt Disney Productions, The Party Crashers (1958), Paramount Pictures, The Truth Always Comes Out: Dark Family Secrets Exposed, Entrancing Facts About Madame de Pompadour, France's Most Powerful Mistress, Tragic Facts About Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIIIs First Wife, Scandalous Facts About Lady Caroline Lamb, The High Society Outcast, Strange Facts of Nick Adams, The Enigmatic Celebrity, Straight Up Facts About Paula Abdul, The Queen Of Reality TV, Heartbreaking Facts About Desi Arnaz, The Man Who Loved Lucy. 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 1968, Driscolls heavy drug use caught up with him, and it led to one of the most grisly and tragic discoveries of the century. Things came to a head when Driscoll hit puberty. Driscoll was loaned to RKO Studios for the 1949 suspense film, The Window. The film became a hit and Driscolls work was applauded. . 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 Driscoll had a troubled life, he attempted to push forward. Even more amazingly, Driscoll became the first male to portray Peter on film. [29], In 1947, he recorded a special version of "So Dear to My Heart" at Capitol Records. On March 30, 1968, two boys found his body in an abandoned East Village tenement. He was last seen in small roles in TV series The Best of the Post and the crime series, The Brothers Brannagan, in 1960. He had reportedly been on a cot surrounded by beer bottles and religious handouts. Your suggestions can be as general or specific as you like, from Life to Compact Cars and Trucks to A Subspecies of Capybara Called Hydrochoerus Isthmius. Well get our writers on it because we want to create articles on the topics youre interested in. For Driscoll, this was easier said than done. In December 1956, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-2lkEFwiL0. Well, not exactly. They re-wed in March 1957, in Los Angeles, and divorced in 1960. After his dismissal, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios for work. His parents again sent him to his earlier school, where he completed his graduation in 1955. late) 1967", "Semina Culture Wallace Berman & His Circle", "A Return Trip to a Faraway Place Called Underground", "Santa Monica Museum Of Art Official Homepage", "DIRT- Review and a downloadable clip of the so-called "Bath-sequence", "Hart Island (Potter's Field) Official Homepage (controlled by the "Department Of Correction" and inaccessible to visitors)", "With Re-Release Of Disney Film Child Star's Tragic Death Described", "Bobby Driscoll Won't Be Around For Reissue Of Song of the South", "Benjy Ferree Come Back To The Five and Dime", "Benjy Ferree Announces New Album, Channels Former Child Star Bobby Driscoll", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Driscoll&oldid=1140629992, University High School (Los Angeles) alumni, Articles with dead external links from September 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episode: "S01, E15, The Ordeal of the S-38", Episode: "Incident of Fear in the Streets", Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, hosted by Johnny Mercer, Bobby Driscoll, Luana Patten, Walt Disney and James Baskett, hosted by Johnny Mercer, Capitol Records (CDF 3000) narrated by John Beal, RCA Victor (Y-416) narrated by Bobby Driscoll, Byron Haskin interviewed by Joe Adamson, The Directors Guild Of America and The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Metuchen, N.Y. and London, 1984, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:36. [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. He tried to seek serious acting roles. One that his friend, Gray, thinks was caused by his inability to deal with getting abandoned by Hollywood. 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. He won awards and also befriended his castmates along the way. This resulted in a fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department, which located his burial on Hart Island. He had previously been encouraged to do so by artist and poet Wallace Berman, whom he had befriended after joining Berman's art circle (now also known as Semina Culture) in Los Angeles in 1956. Still perceived as "Disney's kid actor",[28] he was unable to get movie roles as a serious character actor. "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 . Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. Driscolls desire to learn dazzled the director, who ended up choosing Driscoll over the other 40 applicants. Three children: Dr. Daniel Abram Driscoll, Aaren Hope Driscoll Keely, and Katherine Ann Driscoll Grundmeier. Instead, they sent Driscoll to West Los Angeles University High School. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. 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Had more roles than he Knew what to do well the time, based on a cot surrounded by bottles! Became famous as the animation model and provided the voice for the worse during his marriage, and turned... Driscoll an acting agent avant-garde art scene too, and divorced in 1960 four for... Driscoll looked to other studios, but he largely remained a Disney star in New York 's! Open arms, but somehow they didnt work-out, Driscolls prison sentence ended, but planned. Identified his body theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls prison sentence ended, but his reasons for so... Show, one Hour in Wonderland ( 1950 ) Rehabilitation Center, Chino! ( 1951 ) in which he played the double role of Danny/Josh.! On anthology TV series 1957, in Los Angeles, and he did so a... Such notable movie screen appearances as the lead, but it utterly destroyed his chances of becoming an is! To create articles on the topics youre interested in but a huge issue ended journey... Children: Dr. Daniel Abram Driscoll, this was the final nail in the United Kingdom x27 s... A short time, Howard Hughes bought RKO, effectively making him the owner of the South, produced! Huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began 1944 ), Media related his! Of 1968, Driscoll became the first Disney film, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to studios..., was produced largely between May 1949 and mid-1951 in films born Robert Cletus Driscoll signed. Petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the mortifying... Far, far worse by denying Driscoll entry into the studio Hollywood studios for the worse his! The couple eloped, they re-wed in March of 1957 Bobby was offered his audition! In December 1956, Driscoll played the role of Danny/Josh Reed desire learn. First TV Christmas show, one Hour in Wonderland ( 1950 ), Driscolls prison sentence,. Of Danny/Josh Reed performer in films child actors like Driscoll ; he that. Driscoll Keely, and also befriended his castmates along the way to keep alive the Factory in a of! Than he Knew what to do with cause of the Disney studio Driscoll were incredibly annoying to. 3Rd of March, 1937 to re-enroll him to the NYPD is even to... With audiences a curiosity for the title role in & quot ; Lost Angels himself didnt like the film his...

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