Driscolls dad was nearing the end of his life, and Driscolls mom wanted to reunite father and son one last time. Driscoll needed to stand out to get the part, so he ended up doing something that completely won the director over. With puberty came a severe case of acne, whichthrough no fault of his ownmarred the boys flawless face. Driscolls burial records, along with many others, were destroyed in a fire. 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. David Derks. 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. News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. Sadly, these small successes were not enough to turn Driscolls life aroundand for one devastating reason. Bobby Driscoll starred in Song of the South, Melody Time, Treasure Island, and most notably was the voice and reference model for Peter Pan. As the most commanding mistress in the French court, she bettered the lives of many and became a beloved figure. He began his career as a small child, when his family moved to Los Angeles and Bobby was offered his first audition. 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. That same year, Driscoll got in trouble with the authorities once again when he hit a heckler that insulted him while he washed his girlfriends car. The real tragedy of Bobby Driscoll was the fact that no one identified his body. Bobby Driscoll posed in costume during filming of the film "Treasure Island" in England in December 1949. Bobby Driscoll is best known as TV Actor who has born on March 03, 1937 in Cedar Rapids, IA. His drug use increased; in an interview years later, he stated, "I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. It mustve felt like one huge adventure for Driscoll, but a huge issue ended Driscolls journey almost as soon as it began. Additional screen portrayals included the boy who could blow his whistle while standing on his head in Sunday Dinner for a Soldier, the "child brother" of Richard Arlen in The Big Bonanza (both 1944), and young Percy Maxim in So Goes My Love (1946),[5] with Don Ameche and Myrna Loy. Robert Cletus Driscoll (March 3, 1937 c. March 30, 1968) was an American actor who performed on film and television from 1943 to 1960. 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). In May of 1955, Driscoll graduated and even found work in television. The director was impressed by the boy's curiosity and intelligence and chose him over 40 applicants.[2][3]. 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. In 1956, Driscoll eloped with his long-time girlfriend, Marilyn Jeanne Rush, to Mexico, in the hopes of avoiding their parents' objection, but this marriage was later annulled. In 1950, Disney cast Driscoll as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, the studios first all live-action film. Driscoll's parents were encouraged to help their son become a child performer in films. [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]). Please reach out to us to let us know what youre interested in reading. Driscolls moment of peace was painfully brief. 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). The guards refused to let Driscoll enter, and informed himrather abruptly and rudelythat he was no longer under the employ of Disney Studios. For Driscoll, this was easier said than done. 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. He wanted Driscoll gone, and sadly the boy's morphing features were enough grounds. After years of working for the studio, Disney dropped Driscoll like a hot coal, forcing the young man to find work elsewhere. The New York Times credited the films success wholly to Driscolls performance, stating that The Window is Bobby Driscolls picture, make no mistake about it. At just ten years old, Driscoll proved to the world that he had what it took to be an exceptional actor, and it led to one of the biggest highlights of his career. 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. 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. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. Instead, they sent Driscoll to West Los Angeles University High School. When it was released in May 1949, it became a surprise hit. After that, Driscoll started having run-ins with the law. Born In: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Marilyn Jean Rush (m. 1956 - div. While on a tour on the studio lot, Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and curiously asked where the water was. The couple was later rewed in a ceremony that took place in Los Angeles in March 1957. In 1969, Driscolls mother tried to search for him, as his father was nearing death. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. [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. No identification was on the body, and photos shown around the neighborhood yielded no positive identification. 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. 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. Needless to say, Driscoll could not afford to fail. 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. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. The authorities showed photos of his body to people living in the neighborhood, but no one had any idea who he was. On March 23, 1950, Driscoll won a Special Juvenile Academy Award as the Outstanding Juvenile Actor of 1949 for his performances in So Dear to My Heart, and The Window., In Walt Disneys all-live-action picture Treasure Island (based on Robert Louis Stevensons 1883 novel), Driscoll played Jim Hawkins.. He believed they were precocious, fake, and very annoying. In fact, 40 other applicants wanted the role! Current occupation is listed as Retired. 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. Bobby Driscoll pictured in 1949. Reporters looking into Driscoll discovered the ghastly tale of Driscolls career and his end. At one point, Bobby became part of The Factory, Andy Warhol's art collective in Greenwich Village, New York. 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. late) 1967", "Semina Culture Wallace Berman & His Circle", "A Return Trip to a Faraway Place Called Underground", "Santa Monica Museum Of Art Official Homepage", "DIRT- Review and a downloadable clip of the so-called "Bath-sequence", "Hart Island (Potter's Field) Official Homepage (controlled by the "Department Of Correction" and inaccessible to visitors)", "With Re-Release Of Disney Film Child Star's Tragic Death Described", "Bobby Driscoll Won't Be Around For Reissue Of Song of the South", "Benjy Ferree Come Back To The Five and Dime", "Benjy Ferree Announces New Album, Channels Former Child Star Bobby Driscoll", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Driscoll&oldid=1140629992, University High School (Los Angeles) alumni, Articles with dead external links from September 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Episode: "S01, E15, The Ordeal of the S-38", Episode: "Incident of Fear in the Streets", Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, hosted by Johnny Mercer, Bobby Driscoll, Luana Patten, Walt Disney and James Baskett, hosted by Johnny Mercer, Capitol Records (CDF 3000) narrated by John Beal, RCA Victor (Y-416) narrated by Bobby Driscoll, Byron Haskin interviewed by Joe Adamson, The Directors Guild Of America and The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Metuchen, N.Y. and London, 1984, This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 00:36. The body remained unidentified and unclaimed, so it was buried in an unmarked grave in New York Citys Potters Field, on Hart Island. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. One that his friend, Gray, thinks was caused by his inability to deal with getting abandoned by Hollywood. 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. In December 1956, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and they got married. In 1950, Driscollat just 13 years oldreceived a very special Academy Award that recognized his work in So Dear to My Heart and The Window. Join Facebook to connect with Bobby Driscoll and others you may know. 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. He had previously been encouraged to do so by artist and poet Wallace Berman, whom he had befriended after joining Berman's art circle (now also known as Semina Culture) in Los Angeles in 1956. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. Thanks for your time! He was last seen in small roles in TV series The Best of the Post and the crime series, The Brothers Brannagan, in 1960. In a last-ditch attempt to distance himself from his Disney days, Driscoll began using the name Robert Driscoll when looking for acting jobs. Was from his Disney days, Driscoll eloped with his girlfriend Marilyn Jean Rush to Mexico and got! He made a brief appearance in Disneys first TV Christmas show, one in! 40 applicants. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] a ceremony that took place in Los in... 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