The agent starts working, landing Bobby Driscoll a bit role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the 1943 film Lost Angel. She asked for help from Disney Studio officials and a fingerprint match led to Driscolls grave on Hart Island. Bobby was born March 3rd, 1937 in Iowa. Thanks for your time! Every cent he made went straight to fueling his addiction. His weekly payment at Disney Studios was raised to $1,750. This revelation comes from a friend of the late voice actor, Billy Gray. He also worked on radio shows, including special broadcast versions of Treasure Island (1951), and 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. [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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Copyright 2023 by Factinate.com. 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 1944, 20th Century Fox offered Driscoll a role in their WWII drama, The Fighting Sullivans. Other such smaller roles led to a contract from Walt Disney. Driscoll appeared in The Scarlet Coat in 1955, and then The Party Crashers (1958). For Driscoll, this was easier said than done. 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. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Disney had big plans for Driscoll too. He was awarded Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street, in 1960. "[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. His talent was discovered at the age of five purely by chance. 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. Advertisement At just five and a half, Robert Cletus Driscoll was discovered in a Los Angeles barbershop as he was getting his haircut. The courtroom is packed with Henon's family and supporters, with more . 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. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. 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. Currently, Bobby Driscoll is 85 years, 11 months and 10 days old. Hicks said Driscoll declined due to family conflicts while Hora and Sherman did not respond. state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton was the sole Republican representing a part of Johnson County. "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". [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 was born in Cedar Rapids. 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. Driscoll and Luana Patten were the first two actors Walt Disney placed under contract. His grades dropped and he began taking drugs. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. It didn't end there; the man also invited Driscoll and his family to his home. I was carried on a silver platterand then dumped into the garbage."[49]. During production, the big wigs of RKO pictures were so impressed by Driscolls talent that they borrowed him for two vastly different films. While on a tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. After leaving the center in 1962, he tried in vain to search for work. 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. Between 1967 and the beginning of 1968, Driscoll left The Factory in a miserable state. They re-wed in March 1957, in Los Angeles, and divorced in 1960. 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. 'Treasure Island became a worldwide hit and many new projects were planned with Driscoll as the lead, but somehow they didnt work-out. April 26, 2020. Films: Song of the South, Treasure Island After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. In December 1956, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married. He made multiple trips to New York City to study acting, and even reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford. The Fighting Sullivans (1944), 20th Century Fox. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. 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. On March 30, 1968, two playing children discovered Driscoll's dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. Warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but his reasons for doing so may have been sinister. Join thousands of others and start your morning with our Fact Of The Day newsletter. 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. 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. 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. 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 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. Eventually, Driscoll convinced his parents to re-enroll him to the Hollywood Professional School, where his grades improved. 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. 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. A post mortem examination determined that he had died from heart failure caused by advanced atherosclerosis[57] from his drug use. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. The film and his voice became a big hit. A little over two decades later, he died suddenly. 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. They treated me as one apart. It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. 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 only son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher, Driscoll was discovered at the age of 5 while getting a trim. The film is now available . This put Driscoll and the entire production in a sticky situation. In December of 1956, Driscoll made the decision to elope with his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush. In some special star-focusing series, Driscoll appeared with Loretta Young, Gloria Swanson, and Jane Wyman. After his dismissal, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios for work. Actor Bobby Driscoll at age12 in a studio portrait taken in 1950 | Source: Wikimedia Commons/ NBC Television Network, Bobby Driscoll 1950, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons, It turned out the barber's son was in showbiz, which made it easy to get an appointment with his agent, who helped Driscoll land a small role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the 1943 film "Lost Angel.". 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. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Howard Hughes, an American investor that bought out RKO, thought the film was unworthy of release. To make things worse, he completely dismissed Driscoll, and thought of the young boy as not much of an actor. As a result, Driscolls film wasnt released until the following year, in May of 1949. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, Driscoll made the decision to relocate to New York City. For his TV and radio work, he earned a Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Photo by NBC Television Network. 1960) father: Cletus Driscoll mother: Isabelle Kratz Driscoll Actors Child Actors Height: 5'10" (178 cm ), 5'10" Males Died on: March 30, 1968 place of death: East Village, New York, United States Following Driscolls runaway success in Song of the South, Disney immediately ordered for production on So Dear to My Heart to begin. He had the acting chops and the singing talent, but his Broadway career was largely unsuccessful. Actor: Peter Pan. | Photo: Getty Images. 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. He appeared in a variety of anthology and drama series, such as Dragnet (a crime drama) and Medic (the OG medical drama). 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. Ironically, critics of the film thought that Driscolls portrayal was a huge step up, as the original Peter Pan book portrayed the character as a complete sociopath. 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. We hope you enjoy it! After taking one look at Driscolls adorable little freckled face, the barbers son got Driscoll an acting agent. 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. His unclaimed body was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in New York City's Potter's Field on Hart Island. He was discovered in a barbershop when he was 5 years old, and cast in films including Song of the South and So . Hughes dismissed Driscoll later in 1953, and he did so in a terrible manner by denying Driscoll entry into the studio. Driscoll played Eddie Cantor's screen son in the RKO Studios musical comedy If You Knew Susie (also 1948), in which he teamed with former Our Gang member Margaret Kerry. In 1956, he was arrested for possessing marijuana, but the charges were later dropped. 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. He portrayed a boy that could whistle while standing on his head in Sunday Dinner for a Soldier, acted across Richard Arlen as his kid brother in The Big Bonanza, and portrayed Percy Maxima trouble-making childin So Goes My Love. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. As Driscolls personality deteriorated, his marriage suffered. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. In fact, Driscoll stumbled into acting purely by chanceand it was all thanks to a fateful encounter. Although Driscoll had a troubled life, he attempted to push forward. [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). His casting was suggested by screenwriter Michael Kanin. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. 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 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. Unfortunately for Driscoll, Walts affection seemed to run dry after the filming of Peter Pan, and it led to the young actors early decline. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer in films. Bobby Driscoll was Disney's first fallen child star whose rejection and eventual self-sabotage led him to a bizarre and unfortunate early death. [66], (This is not necessarily a complete list; it displays all those that could be located and verified. Driscolls burial records, along with many others, were destroyed in a fire. While on a tour on the studio lot, Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and curiously asked where the water was. Driscoll and Rush eloped in Mexico, although both sets of parents objected to their union. Sadly, the story of Bobby Driscoll does not end with happily ever after., Adorable Facts About Shirley Temple, Hollywoods Biggest Child Star, Wild Facts About Howard Hughes, The Most Eccentric Man In Hollywood, Bloody Facts About Ivan the Terrible, The Mad Tsar Of Russia, More People Need To Know About Nell Gwyn, Englands X-Rated Cinderella, These Eerie Supernatural Experiences Sent A Chill Down Our Spines, Plot Twist: These Surprise Endings Made Our Jaws Hit The Floor. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Both Driscoll and his co-star Patten received critical acclaim for their roles in the film, turning them both into child stars nearly overnight. 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. 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. And despite Driscolls acting talents, not everyone believed in Driscolls star power. Still determined to become an actor, Driscoll left his parents home at 16. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Despite being one of Disney's first and most successful child stars, Driscoll has never been enshrined as a Disney Legend. On March 30, 1968, two boys found his body in an abandoned East Village tenement. 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,