After his release, he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. Between May of 1949 to mid-1951, Driscoll was working on Disneys animated version of Peter Pan. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines,[1] where they stayed until early 1943. A year after the couple eloped, they re-wed in an official ceremony in Los Angeles in March of 1957. The news was absolutely devastating. He starred in . Driscolls burial records, along with many others, were destroyed in a fire. Catherine of Aragon is now infamous as King Henry VIIIs rejected queenbut few people know her even darker history. Were always looking for your input! This strategy was only mildly successful. Bobby Driscoll was Disney's first fallen child star whose rejection and eventual self-sabotage led him to a bizarre and unfortunate early death. The film and his voice became a big hit. The part was a far cry from Driscolls usual rolesthere was no singing, wise-cracking, or cartoon animals involved. 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. He had no identification, so the body was marked as unknown and went unclaimed until it was buried in an unmarked grave on Hart Island, where he remains. Driscoll and Patten once again worked together in Disneys first all-live-action film, So Dear to My Heart. In RKO Studios (Disneys co-producers) 1948 musical comedy, If You Knew Susie, he played the part of Eddie Cantors son. 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. In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. We want our readers to trust us. AmoMama creates engaging, meaningful content for women. Includes such notable movie screen appearances as The Fighting Sullivans (1944), Song of the . He won an Oscar at 12, and. [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. Still determined to become an actor, Driscoll left his parents home at 16. 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. One day in 1953, Driscoll drove up to the entrance of Disney Studios as usual, only to find his way blocked. We know that Angie D Parrish, Paul Wing, and three other persons also lived at this address, perhaps within a different time frame. He briefly worked as a carpenter and cared for the young children he had with his ex-wife. When The Window hit theaters, itand more importantly, Driscolls performancewas a hit with audiences. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. They charged him, but once again, the charges didnt stick. Ex-husband of Marilyn Verna Driscoll When she's not writing, Rebecca can be found buried under too many blankets with a hot cup of tea. To make matters worse, Disney distanced itself from Song of the South, as well as Peter Pan to a lesser degree, both films in which Driscoll played a pivotal role. It's also the final resting place of Bobby Driscoll, who became a household name at the age of 9 with a starring role in Disney's controversial Song of the South. The Fighting Sullivans (1944), 20th Century Fox. He had been getting a trim in a barber's shop in Pasadena when one barber told him he should be in the movies. This is a business registration address for Paul Wink. News of Driscolls end finally went public, four years after tragedy took the young mans life. He was best known for being a TV Actor. Instead, Driscoll found a place beside an extremely unlikely and eccentric individual: the artist Andy Warhol. Driscoll planned on starting over, but life had other plans for him. From petty paybacks to insane acts of karma, these bitter people somehow found the most ingenious ways. When we do, we depend on our loyal, helpful readers to point out how we can do better. As a result, Driscoll was unable to work on the two major pictures that Disney planned for him. The heartbreaking fate of BOBBY "Peter Pan" DRISCOLL, Disney's FIRST child star, whose road to ruin ended with heroin. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. 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. 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. They were allowed to remain for six weeks to prepare an appeal, and director Byron Haskin hastily shot all of Driscoll's close-ups,[16] using his British stand-in to film missing location scenes after his parents and he had returned to California. Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. [22] Driscoll was cast with Disney's "Little British Lady" Kathryn Beaumont, who was in the role of Wendy Darling; he was used as the reference model for the close-ups and provided Peter Pan's voice, and dancer and choreographer Roland Dupree was the model for the character's motion. Here are details about the life he lived. [66], (This is not necessarily a complete list; it displays all those that could be located and verified. According to him, his personality took a turn for the worse during his marriage, and his dwindling career soon followed suit. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. EXCLUSIVE: Billy Gray still has fond memories of his beloved pal Bobby Driscoll. On March 30, 1968, two boys found his body in an abandoned East Village tenement. Driscolls legacy as an actor is even harder to keep alive. Driscolls moment of peace was painfully brief. Outside of his career, Driscolls private life was going just as poorly. Critics praised Driscolls work, with some of his art even being temporarily displayed in Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Museum of Art. From there, Driscoll quickly became one of Disneys biggest money-makers. Robert Cletus Driscoll. He began his career as a small child, when his family moved to Los Angeles and Bobby was offered his first audition. This decision kept Driscolls career alivefor now. The guards refused to let Driscoll enter, and informed himrather abruptly and rudelythat he was no longer under the employ of Disney Studios. He was awarded Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street, in 1960. [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]). We hope you enjoy it! Later, he worked mainly in TV series and radio shows. The short and tragic life of Disney child star Bobby Driscoll is explored in the new documentary Lost Boy: The Bobby Driscoll Story. The State of California sent Driscoll to the Narcotic Rehabilitation Center of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California. The story of how Driscoll went from that talented child to the man he became is a very sad one. Although the charges were dismissed, this event marked the beginning of Driscolls many future encounters with the law. At a very young age, Bobby Driscoll made huge waves as a part of the early, extended Disney family. [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. Despite the obstacles presented to Driscoll during production, Treasure Island was an international smash hit. Disney slated Driscoll for two more films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood. The two had two daughters and one son. 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. The cause of the death was determined as heart failure due to advanced hardening of arteries, resulted from long-term drug abuse. 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. Driscolls time with Disney was running out. The authorities in the United Kingdom allowed Driscoll six weeks to prepare an appeal. Embittered by this, he said, "I have found that memories are not very useful. Over the next year, Driscoll ran into trouble with the authorities again and again. 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. They separated, then divorced in 1960. [54][55], In 1965, early in his tenure at the Factory, Driscoll gave his last known film performance, in experimental filmmaker Piero Heliczer's underground movie Dirt. Hughes probably didnt expect much of a reaction, but he couldnt have been more wrong. 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. For example, Haskin recalled in his memoirs that Disney, although interested in Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate story as a full-length cartoon, always planned to cast Driscoll as Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. Now nicknamed by the American press as Walt Disney's "Sweetheart Team",[8] Driscoll and Patten starred together in So Dear to My Heart (1948) with Burl Ives and Beulah Bondi. Bobby Driscoll's full name is Robert Cletus Driscoll and his nickname is Bobby Driscoll. Other studios quickly saw Driscolls potential too, and the boy soon had more roles than he knew what to do with. During production, the big wigs of RKO pictures were so impressed by Driscolls talent that they borrowed him for two vastly different films. Driscoll found work as an artist in The Factory, Warhols New York City art studio. In 1965, a year after his parole expired, Driscoll made the decision to relocate to New York City. Born In: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, Spouse/Ex-: Marilyn Jean Rush (m. 1956 - div. (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA). Driscoll was very talented, but he did not know that it all hinged on his facial features. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. His unclaimed body was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave in New York City's Potter's Field on Hart Island. Between 1967 and the beginning of 1968, Driscoll left The Factory in a miserable state. 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 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. During the middle of production, authorities discovered that Driscoll did not have a valid British work permit. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Instead, they sent Driscoll to West Los Angeles University High School. Although Driscoll had a troubled life, he attempted to push forward. First audition that they borrowed him for two more films: Tom Sawyer and Robin Hood Moines! 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