bobby driscoll family

At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. He appeared in a variety of anthology and drama series, such as Dragnet (a crime drama) and Medic (the OG medical drama). His contract was terminated three years earlier in 1953, and he found it difficult to get work in other studios. Robert Cletus Driscoll. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. 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. There was simply no way Disney could complete Treasure Island without DriscollOr so it seemed. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. Despite the obstacles presented to Driscoll during production, Treasure Island was an international smash hit. Films: Song of the South, Treasure Island 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. 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. 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. Bobby Driscoll starred in Song of the South, Melody Time, Treasure Island, and most notably was the voice and reference model for Peter Pan. Other studios quickly saw Driscolls potential too, and the boy soon had more roles than he knew what to do with. During production, the big wigs of RKO pictures were so impressed by Driscolls talent that they borrowed him for two vastly different films. A severe case of acne accompanying the onset of puberty,[27] explaining why it was necessary for Driscoll to use heavy makeup for his performances on dozens of TV shows, was officially provided as the final reason for the termination of his connection with the Disney Studios. 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. Disney had big plans for Driscoll too. Sadly, these small successes were not enough to turn Driscolls life aroundand for one devastating reason. While on a tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. They re-wed in March 1957, in Los Angeles, and divorced in 1960. 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. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. Driscoll was elected to Henon's Council seat in a special election following his conviction in 2021. We hope you enjoy it! ), Media related to Bobby Driscoll at Wikimedia Commons. This revelation comes from a friend of the late voice actor, Billy Gray. By early 1962, Driscolls prison sentence ended, but it utterly destroyed his chances of becoming an actor ever again. He had been getting a trim in a barber's shop in Pasadena when one barber told him he should be in the movies. After leaving the center in 1962, he tried in vain to search for work. 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. The young boy had it all, but unfortunately, his snafu with the British authorities had a bigger impact on his career than Driscoll couldve imagined. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. Critics praised Driscolls work, with some of his art even being temporarily displayed in Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Bobby is a high school graduate. On March 30, 1968, two playing children found his dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. 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. View cenotaph here. [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. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. 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. Driscoll and his wife separated, then officially divorced in 1960. 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. 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. By. In 1944, 20th Century Fox offered Driscoll a role in their WWII drama, The Fighting Sullivans. 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. I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. After filming wrapped up for The Window, Driscolls career hit a major snag. Nationality. Discover at 5, while getting a haircut, Bobby Driscoll is the son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher. 'Treasure Island became a worldwide hit and many new projects were planned with Driscoll as the lead, but somehow they didnt work-out. In December 1956, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married. After a few years of experimenting with drugs, Driscoll became a full-blown addict. Still, Walt Disney had a lot of affection for Driscoll and signed the boy on for a second contract regardless. 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. Facebook gives people the power. The song soon became a popular and much-recorded jazz standard, described as "without doubt one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote Occasionally, the director overdoes things a bit in striving for shock effectsBut "The Window" is Bobby Driscoll's picture, make no mistake about that. Warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but his reasons for doing so may have been sinister. Soon, Driscoll began butting heads with the law. After Disney kicked Driscoll to the curb, his parents withdrew him from the Hollywood Professional School, an institution that served child actors. Disney slated Driscoll for two more films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood. What they found was the body of Bobby Driscoll in a cot, with two empty beer bottles nearby and surrounded by religious pamphlets. . https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/bobby-driscoll-43522.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. The State of California sent Driscoll to the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California. According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. [35] He said later, "The other kids didn't accept me. But this was only the beginning. By all accounts, he was your average little kid living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. )", "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. Here are details about the life he lived. Robert Cletus Bobby Driscoll was an American child artist, known for his work in popular Walt Disney pictures, including So Dear to My Heart, Treasure Island, and Song of the South. Born in Iowa, his family later moved to California. 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. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. 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. But all the more tragic, then, was his fruitless struggle to find a place in a pitiless adolescent world after severe acne had stalled his acting career at 16. He also worked on radio shows, including special broadcast versions of Treasure Island (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). On top of that, the head honchos at Disney planned more film projects involving Driscoll. They charged him, but once again, the charges didnt stick. [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. While those roles got Driscolls acting career rolling, it was his next role that took the little boys career to the next level. In 1956, he was arrested for possessing marijuana, but the charges were later dropped. -. Driscoll was born on March 3, 1937, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Isabelle (ne Kratz), a former school teacher, and Cletus, an insulation salesman. 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). All Rights Reserved. Join Facebook to connect with Bobby Driscoll and others you may know. In December 1956, Driscoll and his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush (occasionally misspelled as "Brush"), eloped to Mexico to marry despite their parents' objections. 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. 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. 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. Three children: Dr. Daniel Abram Driscoll, Aaren Hope Driscoll Keely, and Katherine Ann Driscoll Grundmeier. It wasnt until one year later that Driscolls family learned of his passing, and the results were agonizingly tragic. In an incredibly sad twist, Driscolls work with Disney made it incredibly difficult for the young actor to find roles. When his face was no longer charming and his voice not smooth enough to be used for voice-over jobs, his last big movie hit was the voice of animated Peter Pan (1953), for which he was also the live-action model. 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). | Photo: Getty Images. 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. 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. 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]. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Bobby died penniless and alone in an abandoned East Village, New York City tenement and is buried in Potter's Field on nearby Hart Island. 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". Thanks for your help! Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. [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. In New York City, Driscoll attempted to revive his career through Broadway. with Alan Ladd (all 1946). 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. 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. In no time I was using whatever was available mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it. The authorities showed photos of his body to people living in the neighborhood, but no one had any idea who he was. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. 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). 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. Driscoll never forgot about his dream of being an actor, though. His casting was suggested by screenwriter Michael Kanin. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. 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. In 1956, the authorities took him in and charged him with possession of marijuana. Born In: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Marilyn Jean Rush (m. 1956 - div. . His grades suffered for it, but he graduated. Bobby Driscoll is American by birth. 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. With Charles Boyer, Louis Jourdan, Marsha Hunt, Bobby Driscoll. Bobby was born March 3rd, 1937 in Iowa. Still determined to become an actor, Driscoll left his parents home at 16. Difficult for the worse during his marriage, and his wife separated, then officially divorced in 1960 through.! His family later moved to California pictures for when I Grow up ( 1951 ), related... His dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement to Driscoll during production Treasure... In 1953, and the results were agonizingly tragic results were agonizingly.! 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Became addicted to narcotics, and earned a special election following his conviction in 2021 career hit a snag... Public high school where his peers teased him in 1944, 20th American...
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