Bobby Driscoll Biography Bobby Driscoll Networth Bobby Driscoll American actor was born on 3 March 1937. Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter Pan in the 1953 film. ", The most promising tribute to Driscoll is Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story, a long-gestating documentary in the works by Jordan Allender, a 30-year-old film-school graduate who was raised on Disney lore. 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 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. It was planned as Disney's first all-live-action movie, with production beginning immediately after Song of the South,[9] but its release was delayed until late 1948 to meet the demands of Disney's co-producer and longtime distributor RKO Radio Pictures for animated content in the film. First he headed east to New York City to study acting. 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. "When we got home, we watched old movies, and I became a big fan of So Dear to My Heart. 1,509, This story has been shared 1,400 times. He was just 31 years of age. He was devastated. If it weren't for the fact that the Walk of Fame isn't known for honoring athletic achievement, it would be a good enough guess. Triangle of Sadness Ending Explained: Does Abigail Kill Yaya? But that hasn't stopped her from encouraging Driscoll's children to visit the island, which for now is open only to next of kin. 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. In those days, a prison sentence was as good as a death sentence when it came to a Hollywood career. That same year, Driscoll moved out of his parents house to New York City to study acting. And I never listened to any other music after that. "When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he, in effect, became the owner of the Disney studio," explains Eliot. When it was released in May 1949, it became a surprise hit. He spent most of his time hanging out on Los Angeles beaches, where he befriended a group of young Hollywood actors like Robert Blake (Baretta), Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap), and Russ Tamblyn (West Side Story). The public didn't learn about Driscoll's death for a few years, as word of his passing only came to light during the 1972 re-release of Song of the South. The show followed widowed aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas and his three sons. He also reportedly enrolled in UCLA and Stanford but dropped out. Actress. The . Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines,[1] where they stayed until early 1943. 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. Bobby took Hollywood by storm when his parents moved there from Cedars Rapids, Iowa. I felt he was changing but his father said no, it was just a phase he was going through like most boys. In his biography on Disney, Marc Elliot described Driscoll as the producer's favorite "live action" child star: "Walt often referred to Driscoll with great affection as the living embodiment of his own youth". "What Disney saw in Driscoll was the perfect, wholesome, all-American kid who dreams of being with pirates and all that," explains Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot, author of Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince. 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. Although his name appears on his father's gravestone at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California, his remains are still on Hart Island. Cause of Death. On the night of April 30, 1972, 38-year-old Scala was found dead in her Hollywood Hills home. "He said later that Bobby just didn't want to be a 'good little boy' anymore. Driscolls mother Isabelle wouldnt learn of her sons death until nearly two years later after placing advertisements about his disappearance in New York newspapers, the outlet shared. He died alone on a cot in NYC with no one to claim his body.. 4,151, This story has been shared 3,489 times. By the time Driscoll voiced Peter Pan at 16, however, he no longer had the impish face that kept him gainfully employed as a youth. He starred in some of the Walt Disney Studios' best-known live-action pictures of that period: Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1949), and Treasure Island (1950), as well as RKO's The Window (1949). 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. [17], Treasure Island was an international hit, and several other film projects involving Driscoll were under discussion, but none materialized. This resulted in a fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department, which located his burial on Hart Island. The reason for Bobby Driscoll death was stated that Bobby Driscoll died due to Heart failure. "He went to his own public school when he was not working. Gray, who also got his start in Hollywood at a young age, told Fox News puberty hit Driscoll especially hard, forever impacting his career. Whatever the reason, Driscoll was suddenly and rudely dropped from Disney when he was 16 years old, and, reportedly, was even banned from re-entering the studio. Since its release, Song of the South has been a lightning rod for controversy none of it is Driscolls fault. And that was the end of it. "I don't have very many memories of my dad or my mom," says Don, now in his 60s, in Allender's raw video. The famed Disney animator Mary Blair, for instance, reportedly died from complications related to alcoholism, but that did not stop her from being inducted in 1991. There were no signs of foul play. January 27, 2023, 7:28 pm, by It's the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and a family is busy setting up chairs on the 1500 block of Vine Street in Hollywood. 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. Pam Grier reflects on her most iconic roles, from Coffy to Jackie Brown. In 1972, the matriarch described to Movie Digest how drugs changed her son. ), For his part, Allender just wants to see Driscoll remembered for his achievements, not his shortcomings. [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]). "I thought it would be incredible," says Tamblyn, who is believed to have some of Driscoll's creations from his bohemian days. View cenotaph here. | Photo: Getty Images A child actors childhood is not a normal one. 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. ", Eliot has a far more sobering rationale. People continually saying 'What a cute little boy!' Family, friends, and fans were left to ponder how a boy who seemingly had it all could fall so far. While on a tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. 30S STAR ELISSA LANDI LEFT HOLLYWOOD FOR THIS REASON, BOOK REVEALS: I WASTED 7 GOOD YEARS OF MY LIFE THERE, Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter Pan in the 1953 film. Flippo asked Parton about what the most outrageous thing shed [] More, Robert Urich was known throughout the world as a tough guy. "We were buddies," said Gray. 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. "It wasn't a secret," says Gray. Then he didnt care about his appearance or cleanliness, he didnt bathe, his teeth got loose. Unfortunately, he started putting that money into his veins. When his mother attempted to contact Bobby Driscoll before his father died, she learned of his death. Still perceived as "Disney's kid actor",[28] he was unable to get movie roles as a serious character actor. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "Carol Anne" from Poltergeist died in 1988 from complications during surgery to remove an acute bowel obstruction. And like any Disney villain, he gets his comeuppance in the end. Viewers of the movie pointed out the reference on Twitter, calling out the film for making a joke in poor taste, with one user calling the joke disgusting., So the fact that in Disneys reference heavy we dont give care if this is self promo youll watch it anyways film they make a grown Peter Pan the villain with his motivation being that he was fired from Disney due to acne, is fucking disgusting (this pic is from the credits) pic.twitter.com/gfugvAvd7O, Bobby Driscoll was the voice of Peter pan and one of Disney poster child before they basically threw him to the street when he reached puberty. But the adulation is only one part of it. Other kids prove themselves once, but I had to prove myself twice with everyone. In that same article, Driscoll described his marriage dissolving and becoming virtually homeless. "I was carried on a silver platter and then dumped into the garbage can. He thought they were precocious, werent real, and were incredibly annoying. That was his notification that he was no longer needed there. It should be noted that all four of these men were all former child actors. He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. Theres even a bird sanctuary there. I think the best thing about the Chip and Dale movie is that more people are being exposed to the injustices done to Bobby Driscoll and realizing how poorly Disney treats its talent, even if it may be unintentional. "Bobby was Disney's live-action Mickey Mouse. Prison sentences were the kiss of death for Hollywood actors in those days, so after briefly working as a carpenter, Driscoll left his young children behind and moved to New York City in 1965,. "Bobby is probably the most famous person buried there, along with novelist Dawn Powell," says president Melinda Hunt. (Even the Oscarthe ultimate sign of professional success in the industrythat Driscoll won was lost at some point in a house fire, while Song of the South has been practically disowned by the studio, having never been released in the U.S. on home video due to its racial content.) He was still earning $50,000 a year good money in those days, working steadily with good parts. In New York City apartment discovers a young man lying dead, with empty bottles. Bobby Driscoll American actor (1937-1968) . (Wallace Berman died in 1976). Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. That said, other Twitter users felt the movie was doing a good thing for Driscolls legacygiving Driscolls story the exposure it deserves. Offers may be subject to change without notice. In 2011, the Hart Island Project was created to make it easier for people to find out whose remains ended up on the one-mile stretch of land. Some theorists even [] More, Are you a fan of sitcom My Three Sons? 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. 4,741, This story has been shared 4,151 times. It is a common side effect of habitual heroin abuse. From expensive cars to enormous mansions to copious quantities [] More, While Peter Lawford might the least well-known member of the Rat Pack, he is sometimes referred to as the Man Who Kept The Secrets due to his secretive efforts to connect Marilyn Monroe and his brother-in-law JFK. "He's somewhere on the northern part of the island," says Hunt. "I have this Forrest Gump-ian way of touching something and it becomes a hit!" When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? Bobby Driscoll: Date of birth: 3 March 1937 Cedar Rapids Robert Cletus Driscoll: Date of death: 30 March 1968 East Village: Manner of death: natural causes; Cause of death: heart failure; Place of burial: Hart Island; Work period (start) 1943; Work period (end) 1965; Country of citizenship: 'Next In Fashion' Season 2 on Netflix: Follow the Designers on Instagram, Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? He was just 17 when he first experimented with heroin, and soon after was using whatever he could get his hands onmostly heroin, because he had the money to pay for it. ", KIM NOVAK EXPLAINS WHY SHE LEFT HOLLYWOOD: 'I FELT LIKE I WAS LOSING MYSELF', Bobby Driscoll (left) with Hedda Hopper (right) and Luana Patten (center), circa 1947. And while Williams sadly is no longer with us, Pam Dawber is still alive and well. Facts Verse He was 17 when he went on drugs; 31 when he died. [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. Then I started putting all my spare time in my arm. 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. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. All rights reserved. Facts Verse "There are a number of interesting characters from New York Citythe cool people. He was found dead in a squat in East 10th Street. Today I visit the famous gravesites of Disney actor Bobby Driscoll, NFL football player Junior Seau, Glenn Miller Band musician Paul Tanner and Sergeant Pres. Driscoll made nine films in a three-year span before his breakout role as Johnny, a 7-year-old boy who visits his grandfather's plantation in Song of the South. Its a question that still troubles his oldest friends, some fifty years after his death. And if you know Driscolls story, it makes the jokes about Peter Pan in the new Chip n Dale movie a lot less funny. This led to a rapid succession of movies that highlighted Driscolls adorable freckled face and All-American looks. For those years, Driscoll was Disneys sweetheart. For Bobby Driscoll, an actor that never got a chance to grow old, that seems like a resting place right out of a Hollywood movie. In this case, that boy's twisted road to manhood ultimately detoured into (and out of) jail, through multiple marriages (and divorces) to the same woman, and finally winding through Andy Warhol's Factory to a tragic end. It didnt go well. At the time, he was a John Doe and buried in the Potter's Field on Hart Island. 1,686, This story has been shared 1,509 times. So how to explain a former child star who worked alongside Tinseltown greats like Charles Boyer, Alan Ladd, Roy Rogers, and Joan Fontaine falling so far from a life of klieg lights and Academy awards to become just another indigent in an unmarked grave on Hart Island, where his body remains today? Chosen by a committee of Disney employees whose names are not disclosed, the program was launched in 1987 to "honor people who have made significant contributions to the Disney legacy," says Disney spokesman Jeff Epstein. Facts Verse And Disney dropped him like yesterdays trash. And he didnt take the news well.". It would take the re-release of Song of the South four years later in 1972, for the general public to discover the former Disney stars demise. No one seems to know how the then 31-year-old Driscoll spent his final days in New York City and why he ended up in an abandoned apartment where those kids found his body. His agent took me out to a part.". In 1965, a year after his parole expired, he relocated to New York, hoping to revive his career on the Broadway stage, but was unsuccessful. In some ways, its a lot like Peter Pans Never Never Land. 12,187, This story has been shared 6,086 times. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In the new millennium, Jan has turned her interests [] More, Each year over 1.5 million patients become victims of medical malpractice in the US alone. His mother didnt find out about bobby driscoll death for almost two years, and that was only after placing notices about his disappearance in New York newspapers. Bobby Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 3, 1937. So in 1965, after briefly working as a carpenter, Driscoll left his children with his now ex-wife and moved to New York City permanently. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. 6,086, This story has been shared 5,366 times. "They told him he was no longer able to come to the studio. "Our minister had a theory," Driscoll's mother told Movie Digest in 1972 about what happened to her son. 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Bobby Driscoll was boy who reached success in the movie industry at a very early age. Warhols New York studio, The Factory, became an internationally known gathering place that mixed intellectuals, playwrights, Hollywood celebrities, wealthy patrons, drag queens and random street people in a late night, drug and alcohol filled stew. Only beer bottles and religious handouts were by his side. "The way I understand it, it was a rather rude dismissal," says Gray. [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 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. Moves from Des Monies, Iowa to Los Angeles. Hot Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. The couple eloped to Mexico just five months after they met, and would eventually have one son and two daughters. Alcohol abuse, drug overdose, violent fits, and severe depression. Bobby Driscoll is presented by Donald O'Connor with special Academy Award at age 12 as the outstandi. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Episode Guide: How Many Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Will There Be on Disney+? The ascending star made four movies for Disney, including Treasure Island, Peter Pan, and So Dear to My Heart which, along with his role in The Window for RKO Pictures, earned Driscoll the Juvenile Academy Award in 1950. Now I get to decide whos a star, and who gets thrown in the trash.. "I was lonely most of the time. After several arrests for stealing, forging checks, and assault . From a money pit 100 feet deep to Shakespearean manuscripts, the legendary finds on Oak Island have kept it in the news for centuries. According to Entertainment Weekly, he left home at age 16 and headed to New York City to study acting. February 19, 2023, 6:22 am, by He was just another sullen teen with pimples. July 2, 2021, 6:38 am, by 'Mandalorian' Funko Pops up to 77% Off Baby Yoda and More for Season 3, Who Plays the Armorer in 'The Mandalorian'? The boy on a silver platter thrown out like trash indeed https://t.co/EeBap3xbOQ, Bad Opinions Red Ranger in Another World (@SirBadOpinions) May 21, 2022. It's a very sad story, but, you know, take a look at A Star Is Born. After an audition with MGM he won a role in "Lost Angel" with Margaret O'Brien. Apparently, they arent subscribers to the old adage that too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. He had no identification. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. ", If there's one thing Allender hopes to achieve with his documentary (besides clearance from Disney to include old movie clips), it's a place for Driscoll in Disney Legendsthe studio's version of a Hall of Fame. "A barber in Pasadena told me I should be in the movies, so one Sunday he invited us out to his home and his son was there," recalled Driscoll during a 1946 radio interview. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 2023 Oscars predictions: See who will win at the 95th Academy Awards. And somewherealthough nobody is sure exactly whereon that island that once housed a woman's psychiatric asylum, a men's prison, and patients quarantined during an outbreak of yellow fever in the 1870s, is the final resting place of Peter Pan. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "Was earning $50,000 a year working steadily with good parts. He didn't want Bobby Driscoll to be with Disney anymore. His voice had also suddenly deepened. Today, Gray remembers Driscoll not as the fallen child star, but simply as his friend. [63] He also received the Milky Way Gold Star Award in 1954 for his work on television and radio. 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].