Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Husbands hiding things from wives, mothers from children, and generation from generation. From 1944 to 1946, Driscoll found work in films that needed a cute, gifted little boy. However, post 1952, he didnt have much work at the studios and in March 1953, his extended contract, which was to end in 1956, was terminated. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. 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). It was so popular that Driscoll reprised his role the following year for a radio adaption of the movie. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. Thanks for your time! 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. First famous now infamous. Most still thought of Driscoll as Disneys kid actor, which made it nearly impossible for Driscoll to find work as a serious character actor. ", Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Billy Gray, Lauren Chapin, and Elinor Donahue from the show "Father Knows Best," circa 1955. "[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. Reporters looking into Driscoll discovered the ghastly tale of Driscolls career and his end. He had the acting chops and the singing talent, but his Broadway career was largely unsuccessful. 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. Picture of child star Bobby Driscoll | Photo: Getty Images. Want to tell us to write facts on a topic? Unfortunate circumstances made it difficult to keep Driscolls memory alive, however. Driscolls past as a child actor made him a prime target for ridicule from the other students, resulting in his grades dropping. Bobby was born March 3rd, 1937 in Iowa. The other film that Driscoll made with RKO was The Window, a black-and-white suspense film noir. Bobby Driscoll and Connie Stevens in The Party Crashers (1958) After his appearance in The Party Crashers, the party truly started crashing around Driscoll. Over the next year, Driscoll ran into trouble with the authorities again and again. In December 1956, Driscoll and his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush (occasionally misspelled as "Brush"), eloped to Mexico to marry despite their parents' objections. 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. On top of that, the head honchos at Disney planned more film projects involving Driscoll. 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. In 1956, the authorities took him in and charged him with possession of marijuana. The song soon became a popular and much-recorded jazz standard, described as "without doubt one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote I tried to get my ex-wife served with divorce papers. Driscoll lucked out this time, but his luck ran out the following year. 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. 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. In some special star-focusing series, Driscoll appeared with Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, and Jane Wyman. Academy Award-winning actor of Disney films in the 40s and early 50s who died from a drug overdose. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. 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. But Bobby Driscollwho was the voice and the animation model for the studio's 1953 animated classic Peter Pan had an experience with the company that was particularly bleak. All Rights Reserved. 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. Age (2022) Update Soon. In 1944, 20th Century Fox offered Driscoll a role in their WWII drama, The Fighting Sullivans. At Factinate, were dedicated to getting things right. With puberty came a severe case of acne, whichthrough no fault of his ownmarred the boys flawless face. "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 . 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. After his dismissal, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios for work. BobbyDriscoll.com. 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 awarded Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street, in 1960. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. They separated, then divorced in 1960. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. April 26, 2020. The former Disney child star who rose to fame at age 9 as "the first human being signed for Disney Productions,". Driscoll needed to stand out to get the part, so he ended up doing something that completely won the director over. Bobby Driscoll pictured in 1949. In connection with the re-release of Song of the South in 1971, reporters researching the whereabouts of the film's star first reported his death. 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. By. They treated me as one apart. Driscoll was elected to Henon's Council seat in a special election following his conviction in 2021. Hughes was not a big fan of Driscoll and Hollywood kids in general. [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. For his TV and radio work, he earned a Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954. Ex-husband of Marilyn Verna Driscoll )", "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. They managed to identify Driscoll through his fingerprints, which led them to Hart Island. He won an Oscar at 12, and. A year after the couple eloped, they re-wed in an official ceremony in Los Angeles in March of 1957. 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. Driscoll and Luana Patten were the first two actors Walt Disney placed under contract. Also Known As: Robert Cletus Driscoll Died At Age: 31 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Marilyn Jean Rush (m. 1956 - div. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer in films. Between 1967 and the beginning of 1968, Driscoll left The Factory in a miserable state. The award Driscoll received was the Juvenile Academy Award, which is only awarded at the discretion of the Academys Board of Governors. 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. Driscoll was convicted for drug addiction and was sent to Narcotic Rehabilitation Center, at Chino, California. Critics praised Driscolls work, with some of his art even being temporarily displayed in Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Museum of Art. 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. In 1960, Driscolls life fell apart all at once. Robert Cletus Driscoll. Bobby Driscoll Age & Birthday. 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. 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. In the few short years he became a star, Driscoll never quite found his way or regained his footing. 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. 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. At a very young age, Bobby Driscoll made huge waves as a part of the early, extended Disney family. He wanted Driscoll gone, and sadly the boy's morphing features were enough grounds. [11], Driscoll was lent to RKO[12] to star in The Window, based on Cornell Woolrich's short story "The Boy Cried Murder". 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". Nationality. Around that time, Howard Hughes bought RKO, effectively making him the owner of the Disney studio. [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). [35] He said later, "The other kids didn't accept me. When his face was no longer as charming, and his voice had become unsuitable to be used for voice-over jobs, things began to go awry. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. Driscolls dad was nearing the end of his life, and Driscolls mom wanted to reunite father and son one last time. After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. ), Media related to Bobby Driscoll at Wikimedia Commons. 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