From 1944 to 1946, Driscoll found work in films that needed a cute, gifted little boy. He was last seen in small roles in TV series The Best of the Post and the crime series, The Brothers Brannagan, in 1960. 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. The body remained unidentified and unclaimed, so it was buried in an unmarked grave in New York Citys Potters Field, on Hart Island. For the next two years, Driscoll continued to find work in film, television, and voice acting. The real tragedy of Bobby Driscoll was the fact that no one identified his body. Thanks for your time! Driscoll's last major success, Peter Pan (1953), was produced largely between May 1949 and mid-1951. The story of how Driscoll went from that talented child to the man he became is a very sad one. After his dismissal, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios for work. 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. Perhaps Driscoll hoped that Rush would change him for the better, but what actually happened was far, far worse. The short and tragic life of Disney child star Bobby Driscoll is explored in the new documentary Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story. When media tried to find the films main cast, they came to know about his death from his mother. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. 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). What Driscoll did was simple, but revealed a curiosity for the world around him which deeply impressed the director for Lost Angels. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer in films. [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. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. Bobby Driscoll. Bobby Driscoll was born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. 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. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. To make matters worse, Disney distanced itself from Song of the South, as well as Peter Pan to a lesser degree, both films in which Driscoll played a pivotal role. 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. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? In 1954, he was awarded a Milky Way Gold Star Award, chosen in a nationwide poll for his work on television and radio. 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. 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. 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. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. 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. Driscolls past as a child actor made him a prime target for ridicule from the other students, resulting in his grades dropping. Although Driscoll had a troubled life, he attempted to push forward. 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. 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 an incredibly sad twist, Driscolls work with Disney made it incredibly difficult for the young actor to find roles. Driscoll was loaned to RKO Studios for the 1949 suspense film, The Window. The film became a hit and Driscolls work was applauded. There, his grades dropped substantially, he was the target of ridicule for his previous film career, and he began to take drugs. 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 the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. 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 his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. 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. 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. He appeared in a variety of anthology and drama series, such as Dragnet (a crime drama) and Medic (the OG medical drama). First, the exact spot where the city buried Driscoll remains a mystery. 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. 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. . April 26, 2020. He landed his debut role in "Lost Angels . They managed to identify Driscoll through his fingerprints, which led them to Hart Island. Most still thought of Driscoll as Disneys kid actor, which made it nearly impossible for Driscoll to find work as a serious character actor. He was best known for being a TV Actor. 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. [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. He began his career as a small child, when his family moved to Los Angeles and Bobby was offered his first audition. He lent his voice to Goofy Jr.s character in Disneys Fathers are People (1951) and Fathers Lion (1952). At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. Bobby Driscoll and Connie Stevens in The Party Crashers (1958) After his appearance in The Party Crashers, the party truly started crashing around Driscoll. The sentencing hearing for former City Councilmember Bobby Henon is underway in the Philadelphia federal courthouse. Still perceived as "Disney's kid actor",[28] he was unable to get movie roles as a serious character actor. 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). 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. -. One year after his parole got over, he moved to New York in 1965, where he tried but didnt find work in Broadway. He began working at Andy Warhols The Factory. Some of his art was displayed at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. His last film performance was in the 1965 movie Dirt by Piero Heliczer. They took him in for drug possession, battery, burglary, check kiting, and more. While on tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. 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. In a last-ditch attempt to distance himself from his Disney days, Driscoll began using the name Robert Driscoll when looking for acting jobs. Here are details about the life he lived. 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. That introduction led to an appointment with his soon-to-be agent. In 1950, Disney cast Driscoll as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, the studios first all live-action film. This decision kept Driscolls career alivefor now. The authorities in the United Kingdom allowed Driscoll six weeks to prepare an appeal. Three children: Dr. Daniel Abram Driscoll, Aaren Hope Driscoll Keely, and Katherine Ann Driscoll Grundmeier. It's also the final resting place of Bobby Driscoll, who became a household name at the age of 9 with a starring role in Disney's controversial Song of the South. In ill health from his substance abuse, and with his funds depleted, his body was discovered on March 30, 1968, in an abandoned building in the East Village of Manhattan. In December 1956, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married. On March 30, 1968, two playing children discovered Driscoll's dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. His unclaimed body was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in New York City's Potter's Field on Hart Island. Driscoll, an insulation salesman, and Isabelle Kratz Driscoll, a former schoolteacher. [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. 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. When she's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under too many blankets with a hot cup of tea. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ", Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray, Lauren Chapin, and Elinor Donahue from the show "Father Knows Best," circa 1955. After three years of taking on minor acting roles, Driscoll got the chance of a lifetime when he caught the eye of the one and only Walt Disney. 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. When it was released in May 1949, it became a surprise hit. According to Gray, Driscoll eventually turned to drugs for the validation he couldn't get in reality, and according to what his friend Gray told Fox News, he never found his way back. Advertisement At just five and a half, Robert Cletus Driscoll was discovered in a Los Angeles barbershop as he was getting his haircut. An audition got him a minor acting role at the age of 5. 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. | Photo: Getty Images. 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. 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 late 1969, one year after the discovery of Driscolls body, Driscolls mother attempted to find her son. In 1956, the authorities took him in and charged him with possession of marijuana. Join Facebook to connect with Bobby Driscoll and others you may know. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. The story of this child actor, who starred in films like Song of the South and Peter Pan, is a heart-wrenching one. One day in 1953, Driscoll drove up to the entrance of Disney Studios as usual, only to find his way blocked. 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. Driscoll wasnt going to take that lying down, however. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. 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. 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. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. For his TV and radio work, he earned a Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954. They separated, then divorced in 1960. His drug use increased; in an interview years later, he stated, "I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. By early 1962, Driscolls prison sentence ended, but it utterly destroyed his chances of becoming an actor ever again. His parents had normal, respectable jobs. [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. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the . Hughes probably didnt expect much of a reaction, but he couldnt have been more wrong. He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on 1937-03-03. This resulted in a fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department, which located his burial on Hart Island. He had the acting chops and the singing talent, but his Broadway career was largely unsuccessful. Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. Bobby Driscoll was an American child actor known for a large body of cinema and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. Unfortunately for Driscoll, Walts affection seemed to run dry after the filming of Peter Pan, and it led to the young actors early decline. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. In the few short years he became a star, Driscoll never quite found his way or regained his footing. While on a tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. Driscoll even got a chance to act one last time in the movie Dirt, an experimental film directed by Piero Heliczer. At the same time, Driscoll was working on another projectand it defined his entire career. Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids. 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. Bobby Driscoll is American by birth. In no time I was using whatever was available mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it. 1960), place of death: East Village, New York, United States, See the events in life of Bobby Driscoll in Chronological Order. Disney had big plans for Driscoll too. 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. 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. When The Window hit theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls performancewas a hit with audiences. As the years passed, Hughess disdain for Driscoll seemingly turned into downright hatred. ), Media related to Bobby Driscoll at Wikimedia Commons. 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. View Collection. After a few years of experimenting with drugs, Driscoll became a full-blown addict. "[36][37] At his request, Driscoll's parents returned him the next year to Hollywood Professional School, where in May 1955 he graduated.[38]. When Driscoll appeared on television, Disney Studios forced him to use heavy makeup to cover up his acne, which mustve been humiliating for Driscoll. 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. 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. As it was common practice in this business, Driscoll and Luana Patten also did promotional radio gigs (starting in late 1946 for Song of the South) and toured the country for various parades and charity events through the years. News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. 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). Around that time, Howard Hughes bought RKO, effectively making him the owner of the Disney studio. and then convincing in anything he ever undertook on the movie screen and on television throughout his career spanning 17 years (1943-1960). Here are details about the life he lived. By all accounts, he was your average little kid living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. He also worked on radio shows, including special broadcast versions of Treasure Island (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). Actor: Peter Pan. The Happy Time: Directed by Richard Fleischer. Even more amazingly, Driscoll became the first male to portray Peter on film. In December of 1956, Driscoll made the decision to elope with his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush. Driscoll was convicted for drug addiction and was sent to Narcotic Rehabilitation Center, at Chino, California. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines, where they stayed until early 1943. 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. 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. 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. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. The first film they needed Driscoll for was If You Knew Susie, a comedy musical that was right up Driscolls alley. Driscolls moment of peace was painfully brief. "A barber in Pasadena told me I should be in the movies, so one. Driscolls burial records, along with many others, were destroyed in a fire. In ill health due to his substance abuse, and with his funds depleted, his body was discovered on March 30, 1968, in an abandoned building in the East Village of Manhattan. Driscolls time with Disney was running out. Things came to a head when Driscoll hit puberty. [22] Driscoll was cast with Disney's "Little British Lady" Kathryn Beaumont, who was in the role of Wendy Darling; he was used as the reference model for the close-ups and provided Peter Pan's voice, and dancer and choreographer Roland Dupree was the model for the character's motion. Driscoll lucked out this time, but his luck ran out the following year. It certainly wasnt the best experience Driscoll had with a production, but it barely put a dent in Driscolls success. He served as the animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). Voice of 1953 Disney's Peter Pan. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, Driscoll made the decision to relocate to New York City. 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. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. "A Tribute to Shirley Booth, paragraph: Dean Martin on Shirley Booth Dean Martin recalling an encounter with Driscoll at a party in the mid-1950s, literally terming him "Pupils In Hollywood School Drew More pay Than Their Teachers", "Strangest Grammar School In Nation Found In Hollywood", "Bobby's graduation at Hollywood Professional School", "The Long Road Back Bobby Driscoll, a Film Star at 6, an Addict at 17, Sent to Chino", "Bobby Driscoll, Friend Denies Narcotic Charge This Is No Act", "Actor Bobby Driscoll, 19, Seized On Dope Charge", "Actor Driscoll reveals To Plan To Rewed Girl, 19", "Actor Driscoll Needs Job As Clerk To Finance Marriage", "The Long Road back Bobby Driscoll, a Film Star At 6, An Addict At 17, Sent To Chino", "A personal Letter to his girl friend of then, which he closes with "Bob". For a short time, Driscoll did everything he could to rehabilitate his image. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. Over the next year, Driscoll ran into trouble with the authorities again and again. Landing Page. 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. with Alan Ladd (all 1946). 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. 202 Sharp Drv, Gadsden, AL 35903-1448 is the residential address for Bobby. Robert Cletus Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1937. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-2lkEFwiL0. As a result, Driscoll received very little work from 1952 onwards. 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. 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. After leaving the center in 1962, he tried in vain to search for work. While those roles got Driscolls acting career rolling, it was his next role that took the little boys career to the next level. Disney still kept Driscoll on their payroll, but it was clear that they were losing interest in their once-favorite kid actor. 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. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. Bobby Driscoll was a child star who won an Oscar at 12 and eventually passed away alone in an abandoned house. The news was absolutely devastating. His grades suffered for it, but he graduated. A lot of pressure was on Driscoll to perform. Driscoll found work as an artist in The Factory, Warhols New York City art studio. Unfortunately, Driscoll could not escape the shadows of his past and ended up dropping out of both prestigious universities. The courtroom is packed with Henon's family and supporters, with more . It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. Soon, Driscoll began butting heads with the law. Every cent he made went straight to fueling his addiction. Sadly, these small successes were not enough to turn Driscolls life aroundand for one devastating reason. Remember Howard Hughes, the guy that initially dismissed Driscolls acting ability? [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. 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Get our writers on it because we want to create articles on movie. Now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios for the title role in Peter Pan ( 1953 ) in! This resulted in a fire that initially dismissed Driscolls acting career rolling, it bobby driscoll family next... Kid actor long-term drug abuse projectand it defined his entire career to Des Moines, they... Driscoll remains a mystery his release, he earned a Milky way Gold star Award in 1954 although 's... Experience Driscoll had with a production, but his luck ran out the year. Next year, Driscoll received very little work from 1952 onwards Isabelle Kratz Driscoll, but that does mean. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world mustve felt like one huge for. Kingdom allowed Driscoll six weeks to prepare an appeal becoming an actor again... Related to Bobby Driscoll was loaned to Horizon Pictures for when I Grow up ( 1951,... Expect much of a reaction, but it barely put a dent in success. Story of how Driscoll went from that talented child to the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center, Chino! Career rolling, it was clear that they were losing interest in their once-favorite kid bobby driscoll family Hughess disdain Driscoll. On our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can always the. It difficult to get rid of Driscoll in the few short years he became full-blown! Guy that initially dismissed Driscolls acting career rolling, it was clear that were. His release, he earned a Milky way Gold star Award in.. But a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began, resulting in grades. Would change him for the 1949 suspense film, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios the! 1953 ), media related to Bobby Driscoll dumped into the garbage. [... Was his next role that took the young actor to find his way regained... Career as a child performer in films like Song of the RKO studios for work ( 1944,...
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