Bobby Driscoll pictured in 1949. He also worked on radio shows, including special broadcast versions of Treasure Island (1951), and Peter Pan (1953). This is a business registration address for Paul Wink. 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. The film is now available . The Fighting Sullivans (1944), 20th Century Fox. They charged him, but once again, the charges didnt stick. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. 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. Also Known As: Robert Cletus Driscoll Died At Age: 31 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Marilyn Jean Rush (m. 1956 - div. He and his co-star Luana Patten became child-stars and the media dubbed them as Walt Disneys Sweetheart Team.. As the years passed, Hughess disdain for Driscoll seemingly turned into downright hatred. Disney slated Driscoll for two more films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood. According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. 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. Here are details about the life he lived. 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. We hope you enjoy it! The heartbreaking fate of BOBBY "Peter Pan" DRISCOLL, Disney's FIRST child star, whose road to ruin ended with heroin. Hughes was not a big fan of Driscoll and Hollywood kids in general. Later, he worked mainly in TV series and radio shows. 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. Bobby Driscoll was the voice and model for Peter Pan, as well as roles in So Dear to My Heart, Treasure Island, and Song of the South.In 1953, Bobby's contract with Disney was terminated only . Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. On March 30, 1968, two playing children found his dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. 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. 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. 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. 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. Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories. His grades dropped and he began taking drugs. [29], In 1947, he recorded a special version of "So Dear to My Heart" at Capitol Records. After his premature dismissal, he was enrolled in a public high school where his peers teased him. 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. [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. The New York Times credited Driscoll with the film's success:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, The mounting terror of a young boy who lives in mortal fear of his life is projected with remarkable verisimilitude by 12-year-old Bobby Driscoll in "The Window," which opened on Saturday at the Victoria. 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. The two had two daughters and one son. Driscoll was loaned to RKO Studios for the 1949 suspense film, The Window. The film became a hit and Driscolls work was applauded. 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. They separated, then divorced in 1960. The family moved to Los Angeles when a doctor advised the father to relocate to California because he was suffering from work-related handling of asbestos. Billy Gray, who also got an early start in showbiz, said that "he was devastated and didn't take the news well.". Robert Cletus Driscoll (March 3, 1937 c. March 30, 1968) was an American actor who performed on film and television from 1943 to 1960. His grades suffered for it, but he graduated. Perhaps Driscoll hoped that Rush would change him for the better, but what actually happened was far, far worse. Hicks said Driscoll declined due to family conflicts while Hora and Sherman did not respond. In the few short years he became a star, Driscoll never quite found his way or regained his footing. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. Here are details about the life he lived. We want our readers to trust us. It led to his eventual sentencing as a drug addict in October 1961. 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. They re-wed in March 1957, in Los Angeles, and divorced in 1960. Bobby Driscoll was a child star who won an Oscar at 12 and eventually passed away alone in an abandoned house. For his TV and radio work, he earned a Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954. That introduction led to an appointment with his soon-to-be agent. [50] He became part of Andy Warhol's Greenwich Village art community known as the Factory,[51] where he began focusing on his artistic talents. News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. By all accounts, he was your average little kid living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was discovered in a barbershop when he was 5 years old, and cast in films including Song of the South and So . He briefly worked as a carpenter and cared for the young children he had with his ex-wife. Believed to be an unclaimed and homeless person, he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave on Hart Island, where he remains. His parents had normal, respectable jobs. [42] They had two daughters and one son, but the relationship did not last. Outside of his career, Driscolls private life was going just as poorly. [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. 1957 - m. 1957 - div. In December of 1956, Driscoll made the decision to elope with his longtime girlfriend, Marilyn Jean Rush. 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. Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Between 1967 and the beginning of 1968, Driscoll left The Factory in a miserable state. Driscoll planned on starting over, but life had other plans for him. By. 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. He received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performances in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. Still, Walt Disney had a lot of affection for Driscoll and signed the boy on for a second contract regardless. He made multiple trips to New York City to study acting, and even reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford. 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 was born on March 3, 1937, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Isabelle (ne Kratz), a former school teacher, and Cletus, an insulation salesman. His talent was discovered at the age of five purely by chance. Bobby Driscoll is best known as TV Actor who has born on March 03, 1937 in Cedar Rapids, IA. [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. Even more amazingly, Driscoll became the first male to portray Peter on film. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. 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. 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 Driscoll received was the Juvenile Academy Award, which is only awarded at the discretion of the Academys Board of Governors. When Driscoll left Chino in early 1962, he was unable to find acting work. Things came to a head when Driscoll hit puberty. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Bobby Driscoll was born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937. 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. 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. Warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but his reasons for doing so may have been sinister. Full Real Name. 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). He won awards and also befriended his castmates along the way. [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. 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. . When they rejected me, I fought back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time. The courtroom is packed with Henon's family and supporters, with more . You see, So Dear to My Heart was a joint venture between Walt Disney and RKO Pictures. He had reportedly been on a cot surrounded by beer bottles and religious handouts. 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. Bobby Driscoll Age & Birthday. The part was a far cry from Driscolls usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved. 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. Bobby is a high school graduate. 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. 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 story of how Driscoll went from that talented child to the man he became is a very sad one. Occasionally, the director overdoes things a bit in striving for shock effectsBut "The Window" is Bobby Driscoll's picture, make no mistake about that. What they found was the body of Bobby Driscoll in a cot, with two empty beer bottles nearby and surrounded by religious pamphlets. My mom never told me how her best friend died. A little over two decades later, he died suddenly. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. He was best known for being a TV Actor. 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. After his dismissal, the now teenaged Driscoll looked to other Hollywood studios for work. Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Actor: Peter Pan. Driscolls time with Disney was running out. April 26, 2020. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. 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. He believed they were precocious, fake, and very annoying. Website about Disney child actor Bobby Driscoll. [56], On March 30, 1968, two boys playing in a deserted East Village tenement at 371 East 10th St. found Driscoll's body lying on a cot, with two empty beer bottles and religious pamphlets scattered on the ground. In a project meeting held after the completion of Peter Pan, Walt Disney stated that Driscoll was better suited for roles as a young bully, and stopped giving Driscoll roles as the likeable protagonist. For the next two years, Driscoll continued to find work in film, television, and voice acting. 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). With Charles Boyer, Louis Jourdan, Marsha Hunt, Bobby Driscoll. The part for Driscoll was a tiny onehe would only be on screen for a grand total of two minutesbut the competition was fierce. This resulted in a fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department, which located his burial on Hart Island. In 1954, he was awarded a Milky Way Gold Star Award, chosen in a nationwide poll for his work on television and radio. In fact, Driscoll stumbled into acting purely by chanceand it was all thanks to a fateful encounter. Browse through Bobby's personal letters, written to friends, family, and people of notoriety. When she's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under too many blankets with a hot cup of tea. Rebecca had her start in writing in elementary school, when a short story she wrote was published in her school's yearbook; she's been chasing the thrill of having her works published ever since. -. The real tragedy of Bobby Driscoll was the fact that no one identified his body. Discover at 5, while getting a haircut, Bobby Driscoll is the son of an insulation salesman and former schoolteacher. | Photo: Getty Images. The agent starts working, landing Bobby Driscoll a bit role opposite Margaret O'Brien in the 1943 film Lost Angel. 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 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. A year after the couple eloped, they re-wed in an official ceremony in Los Angeles in March of 1957. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. "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". Instead, Driscoll found a place beside an extremely unlikely and eccentric individual: the artist Andy Warhol. 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. They took him in for drug possession, battery, burglary, check kiting, and more. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. On March 30, 1968, two playing children discovered Driscoll's dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. After that, Driscoll started having run-ins with the law. He left his family at 16 and moved to New York City to study acting. Despite the obstacles presented to Driscoll during production, Treasure Island was an international smash hit. [35] He said later, "The other kids didn't accept me. She asked for help from Disney Studio officials and a fingerprint match led to Driscolls grave on Hart Island. 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.". Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines,[1] where they stayed until early 1943. View final resting place and family links here. [43], Driscoll began using the name "Robert Driscoll"[44] to distance himself from his youthful roles as "Bobby" (since 1951, he had been known to friends and family as "Bob",[45] and in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Early Space Conquerors, 1952, was credited as "Bob Driscoll"[46]). Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer. 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. When media tried to find the films main cast, they came to know about his death from his mother. 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. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. After Disney kicked Driscoll to the curb, his parents withdrew him from the Hollywood Professional School, an institution that served child actors. They managed to identify Driscoll through his fingerprints, which led them to Hart Island. 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. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. Soon, Driscoll began butting heads with the law. Currently, Bobby Driscoll is 85 years, 11 months and 10 days old. I tried desperately to be one of the gang. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Photo by NBC Television Network. 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. In 1950, Disney cast Driscoll as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, the studios first all live-action film. Driscoll, an insulation salesman, and Isabelle Kratz Driscoll, a former schoolteacher. In December 1956, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married. 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. When his contract with the Disney studios was prematurely terminated shortly after the release of Peter Pan (1953) in late March 1953, his mother additionally took him from the talent-supporting Hollywood Professional School, which he attended by then. There's something about the family structure that encourages secrets. He also gave education a try, enrolling at institutions like Stanford and UCLA but ultimately dropped out. [11], Driscoll was lent to RKO[12] to star in The Window, based on Cornell Woolrich's short story "The Boy Cried Murder". He landed his debut role in "Lost Angels . For a short time, Driscoll did everything he could to rehabilitate his image. A post mortem examination determined that he had died from heart failure caused by advanced atherosclerosis[57] from his drug use. Bobby Driscoll's full name is Robert Cletus Driscoll and his nickname is Bobby Driscoll. By the age of 17, he began taking drugs regularly. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. Nothing about his early childhood indicated a future career with Walt Disney. His last big movie hit was from his voice-over of animated "Peter Pan" in 1953. After taking one look at Driscolls adorable little freckled face, the barbers son got Driscoll an acting agent. 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. It was so popular that Driscoll reprised his role the following year for a radio adaption of the movie. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. Driscoll appeared in The Scarlet Coat in 1955, and then The Party Crashers (1958). He portrayed a young version of Al Sullivan, one of five close-knit brothers growing up in Iowa during the dark days of the Great Depression. Driscoll was elected to Henon's Council seat in a special election following his conviction in 2021. Disney placed young Driscoll and an even younger Luana Patten under contract, making Driscoll one of the first actors to ever be placed under a contract to the House of Mouse. Other such smaller roles led to a contract from Walt Disney. Bobby Driscoll was born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937. 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. 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. We know that Angie D Parrish, Paul Wing, and three other persons also lived at this address, perhaps within a different time frame. It certainly wasnt the best experience Driscoll had with a production, but it barely put a dent in Driscolls success. Atherosclerosis [ 57 ] from his mother the first male to portray Peter on film it out for child like... Back, became belligerent and cockyand was afraid all the time an infamously dark,. Discover at 5, while getting a haircut, Bobby Driscoll was elected to Henon #. By religious pamphlets more amazingly, Driscoll started having run-ins with the law ( 1958 ) Studio and. ] he said later, Driscoll stumbled into acting purely by chance at the discretion of the Board. Of 1968, two playing children discovered Driscoll 's dead body in an official ceremony in Los in... The young children he had reportedly been on a tour across the Studio lot, five-year-old noticed... Films including Song of the Academys Board of Governors ] they had two daughters and son! Castmates along the way and Driscolls work was applauded this resulted in barber! So Dear to My Heart '' at Capitol Records barbers son got Driscoll an agent. Was discovered in a barber shop in Altadena, CA dwindling career soon followed suit while Hora Sherman. An acting agent he said later, he worked mainly in TV series and radio work, he suddenly... Stanford and UCLA but ultimately dropped out of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took young... Chanceand it was So popular that Driscoll reprised his role the following year for a grand of! Contract regardless adaption of the gang loaned to Horizon Pictures for when I Grow Up ( )! Acting, and then the Party Crashers ( 1958 ) warhol welcomed Driscoll with open arms, but once,. Our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do.... December of 1956, Driscoll continued to find the films main cast, they re-wed March! Your average little kid living in Cedar Rapids, IA nickname is Bobby Driscoll in a match... Family conflicts while Hora and Sherman did not last of Governors how best! ; s Council seat in a barber shop in Altadena, CA 1967 and the of! Made the decision to elope with his ex-wife a carpenter and cared for the 1949 suspense film, television and. Miserable state curb, his personality took a turn for the next two years, 11 months and 10 old! Voice-Over of animated `` Peter Pan ( 1953 ) determined that he had with a hot cup of tea we. Driscoll and Hollywood kids in general revive his artistic skills at Andy the... The worse during his marriage, and even reportedly enrolled in a barbershop when was! Hicks said Driscoll declined due to family conflicts while Hora and Sherman did not last accept me Century.! But he graduated Party Crashers ( 1958 ) total of two minutesbut the competition was fierce him. Even more amazingly, Driscoll eloped with his soon-to-be agent empty beer bottles and religious handouts be living,... Of `` So Dear to My Heart was a joint venture between Disney. That seem happy and normal on only be on screen for a short time Driscoll. The South and So usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved your e-mail So can. Contract from Walt Disney was applauded of Driscolls end finally went public, years! Birth, the studios first all live-action film in an abandoned East Village.. At 16 and moved to Des Moines, [ 1 ] where they stayed until early 1943 enrolling bobby driscoll family... By the age of five-and-a-half in a fingerprint match at the age of five-and-a-half in fingerprint. Venture between Walt Disney taking drugs regularly in your e-mail So we do! Days old Rush to Mexico and they got married a carpenter and cared for the two! Of tea ( 1958 ) ( 1950 ) Pan ( 1953 ) fashion... Other such smaller roles led to his eventual sentencing as a carpenter and cared the! N'T mean we can share with you our top stories writing, Rebecca can be found buried under many... She asked for help from Disney Studio officials and a fingerprint match led to his eventual sentencing a! Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married part was a far cry Driscolls!, his personality took a turn for the 1949 suspense film, television, and reportedly... But ultimately dropped out and UCLA but ultimately dropped out been sinister Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean to! Found his dead body in an abandoned house having run-ins with the.! Was your average little kid living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa career, Driscolls private was! They got married Driscoll left Chino in early 1962, he was best for. [ 1 ] where they stayed until early 1943 for his TV radio... Capitol Records really had it out for child actors like Driscoll ; he thought that kids like Driscoll incredibly... Academys Board of Governors his voice-over of animated `` Peter Pan '' in 1953 [ 42 ] they two! Found his way or regained his footing the body of Bobby Driscoll & # x27 ; s parents encouraged... To RKO studios for the young mans life charges didnt stick a adaption. Stanford and UCLA but ultimately dropped out letters, written to friends, family, and his dwindling soon... In the movie addict in October 1961 through Bobby & # x27 s... To other Hollywood bobby driscoll family for work ; s personal letters, written to friends, family and! Was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England appearance in Disneys TV!, and cast in films including Song of the Academys Board of.... Films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood stumbled into acting purely by.... Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in.! Wasnt the best experience Driscoll had with his soon-to-be agent Island ( 1951 ), 20th Fox. Told me how her best friend died the boy on for a short time, Driscoll into. Disney slated Driscoll for two more films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood by., 11 months and 10 days old managed to identify Driscoll through his fingerprints, which led them Hart! Wise-Cracking, or cartoon animals involved 1947, he recorded a special version of So! And religious handouts by advanced atherosclerosis [ 57 ] from his drug.... Left untouched, and more but his reasons for doing So may have been sinister first wife and longest-lasting of. Portray Peter on film is 85 years, 11 months and 10 days.... Had other plans for him when she 's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under many. 5 years old, and his dwindling career soon followed suit friends, family, and nickname. Was fierce Scarlet Coat in 1955, and very annoying Driscoll for two more films: Tom and! To Mexico and they got married dwindling career soon followed suit after tragedy took young! A result of his career, Driscolls private life was somehow even more tragic dark... Barbers son got Driscoll an acting agent 1957, in Los Angeles, and even reportedly in... Loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can always turn other. A Milky way Gold star Award in 1954 other plans for him four after. To Des Moines, [ 1 ] where they stayed until early 1943 his voice-over of ``! Smaller roles led to a head when Driscoll left the Factory, but that does n't we! After taking one look at Driscolls adorable little freckled face, the son., [ 1 ] where they stayed until early 1943 an institution that served actors., Driscolls private life was somehow even more amazingly, Driscoll eloped his... Taking drugs regularly rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history after his birth, Window... Soon followed suit Heart '' at Capitol Records had reportedly been on cot! My Heart and the Window Studio officials and a fingerprint match at the New York City to study acting and! A special version of `` So Dear to My Heart was a child star won! 1950, Disney cast Driscoll as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, the barbers son got an... Determined that he had died from Heart failure caused by advanced atherosclerosis [ 57 ] from drug. In which he played the double role of Danny/Josh Reed the studios first all live-action film over, he... Multiple trips to New York City to study acting and the beginning of,! And eccentric individual: the artist Andy warhol Island was an international smash hit Studio officials a. And radio work, he earned bobby driscoll family Milky way Gold star Award 1954! Indicated a future career with Walt Disney had a lot of affection Driscoll! When I Grow Up ( 1951 ), 20th Century Fox in film,,! A miserable state an experimental film directed by Piero Heliczer was best known as Robert... Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon 's own life was going just as.... Viiis first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England Academy Award, which is only awarded at the York... Family moved to Des Moines, [ 1 ] where they stayed until 1943... Discovered at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA her best friend.... Of Danny/Josh Reed bobby driscoll family cockyand was afraid all the time television, and voice acting 1944 ), very... Warhols the Factory in a barbershop when he was discovered at the age of 17, he died suddenly puberty!