Bobby Driscoll | |
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Bobby Driscoll, c. 1949
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Born |
Robert Cletus Driscoll March 3, 1937 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. |
Died | March 30, 1968 East Village, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
(aged 31)
Cause of death | Heart Failure |
Resting place | Potter's Field, Hart Island |
Occupation | Child actor, artist |
Years active | 1943–1965 |
Notable work |
Song of the South (1946) So Dear to My Heart (1949) Treasure Island (1950) Peter Pan (1953) |
Spouse(s) | Marilyn Jean Rush (m. 1956–div. 1957; m. 1957–div. 1960) |
Children | 2 daughters, one son |
Parent(s) | Cletus Driscoll (father) Isabelle Kratz (mother) |
Awards |
Academy Juvenile Award Milky Way Gold Star Award 1954 for his TV and Radio work Hollywood Walk Of Fame 1560 Vine Street |
Robert Cletus "Bobby" Driscoll (March 3, 1937 – March 30, 1968) was an American child actor and artist known for a large body of cinema and TV performances from 1943 to 1960. He starred in some of the Walt Disney Studios' most popular live-action pictures of that period, such as Song of the South (1946), So Dear to My Heart (1948), and Treasure Island (1950). He served as animation model and provided the voice for the title role in Peter Pan (1953). In 1950, he received an Academy Juvenile Award for outstanding performance in feature films of 1949, for his roles in So Dear to My Heart and The Window, both released in 1949.
In the mid-1950s, Driscoll's acting career began to decline, and he turned primarily to guest appearances on anthology TV series. He became addicted to narcotics, and was sentenced to prison for illicit drug use. After his release he focused his attention on the avant-garde art scene. In ill health due to his substance abuse, and with his funds completely depleted, he died in 1968, less than four weeks after his 31st birthday.
He was born Robert Cletus Driscoll in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the only child of Cletus (1901-1969), an insulation salesman, and Isabelle (née Kratz; 1897-1972), a former schoolteacher. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines, where they stayed until early 1943. When a doctor advised the father to relocate to balmy California due to pulmonary ailments he was suffering from his work-related handling of asbestos, the family moved to Los Angeles.