Andre Brandon deWilde^[1] (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theatre and film actor.^[2] He was born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. Debuting on Broadway at the age of 7, deWilde became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding^[3][4] and was considered a child prodigy.

Before the age of 12 he had become the first child actor awarded the Donaldson Award, filmed his role in The Member of the Wedding, starred in his most memorable film role as Joey Starrett in the film Shane (1953), been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, starred in his own sitcom television series Jamie on ABC^[3][4][5] and became a household name making numerous radio and TV appearances before being featured on the cover of Life magazine on March 10, 1952, for his second Broadway outing Mrs. McThing.

Into adulthood, additional plays, movies and TV appearances followed before his death at age 30 in a motor vehicle accident in Colorado, on July 6, 1972.^[4]

Early life and career[link]

Brandon deWilde's father, Frederick A. (Fritz) deWilde, was an actor and Broadway production stage manager, and his mother, Eugenia (Wilson) deWilde, was a part-time Broadway actress.^[4] The deWilde family moved from Brooklyn to Baldwin, Long Island after he was born. deWilde made his much-acclaimed Broadway debut at the age of 7 in The Member of the Wedding, was the first child actor to win the Donaldson Award and his talent was praised by John Gielgud in the following year.^[5] He also starred in the 1952 film version directed by Fred Zinnemann.^[6]

In 1952, deWilde acted in the film Shane as Joey Starrett and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance. He had the lead role in his own television series, Jamie (1953–1954), which, although popular, was cancelled due to a contract dispute.^[4][5] In 1956 he was featured with Walter Brennan, Phil Harris, and Sidney Poitier in the coming-of-age Batjac movie production of Good-bye, My Lady, adapted from James Street's book. This movie showcased the then-rare dog breed Basenji, the African barkless dog, to American audiences.

Brooklyn-born, deWilde's soft-spoken manner of speech in his early roles was more akin to a Southern drawl. In 1956, at the age of 14, deWilde narrated classical music works Peter and The Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev and the Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra by Benjamin Britten. He also, with his Good-bye, My Lady co-star Walter Brennan, did a Huckleberry Finn reading in the album The Stories of Mark Twain. All 3 have been released as MP3 downloads.

deWilde shared an on-screen camaraderie with both James Stewart and Audie Murphy in the 1957 western Night Passage. In 1958 deWilde continued his career starring in The Missouri Traveler sharing lead billing with Lee Marvin in another coming-of-age film, this one set in the early 1900s. He made a mark onscreen at age 17 as an adolescent father in the 1959 drama Blue Denim, co-starring Carol Lynley, with the then mature theme of abortion, even though the word is never used in the film.^[5]

In 1961, Brandon deWilde filmed an episode for the Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" had deWilde playing escaped retarded youth Hugo, who cannot separate fact from fantasy, receiving the aid of kindly magician Victor Sadini at a carnival playing in Toledo, Ohio. The episode never aired on the NBC network because the finale, by 1960s standards, was deemed "too gruesome", but it was included in Alfred Hitchcock Presents syndication and thrives in public-domain VHS, DVD and video on demand releases.^[7][8][9]

He appeared in All Fall Down (1962), opposite Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint, and in Martin Ritt's Hud (1963) co-starring with Paul Newman, Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas. Although the only lead actor not to be Oscar-nominated for Hud, deWilde accepted the Best Supporting Actor trophy on behalf of co-star Melvyn Douglas (who was in Israel at the time).^[5] That same year, he appeared on Jack Palance's ABC circus drama, The Greatest Show on Earth.

deWilde did a 2-picture deal with Disney in 1964-1965. He first starred in The Tenderfoot, a 3-part comedy Western for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color TV show with Brian Keith. The following year he and Keith did Those Calloways for theatrical release, reuniting deWilde with his Good-bye, My Lady star Walter Brennan. Also in 1965, deWilde filmed a performance as Jere Torry, the screen son of John Wayne in In Harm's Way (1965).^[5]

After that point, much of his roles were limited to television guest appearances. "Being small for his age and a bit too pretty...in his favour as a child...worked against him as an adult", wrote author Linda Ashcroft after talking with deWilde at a party. "He spoke of giving up movies until he could come back as a forty-year-old character actor".^[5][10]

deWilde's final western role was in Dino De Laurentis' 1971 spaghetti western The Deserter, one year before his death.^[11] He played adjutant Lieutenant Ferguson who meets with an untimely end. In a career spanning the years 1950 to 1972 (including 5 Broadway plays and 13 movies), Brandon deWilde made his last screen appearance in Wild In The Sky (1972).

On July 7, 1972, the day after his death, The New York Times wrote, "The professionals he worked with praised him for an unpretentiousness that many found a surprising quality in one so celebrated from his earliest years".^[3]

Music background[link]

deWilde had hoped to embark on a music career. He asked his friend Gram Parsons (of The Byrds), and his band at the time, International Submarine Band, to back him in a recording session. ISB guitarist John Nuese claimed that deWilde sang harmony with Parsons better than anyone except Emmylou Harris^[5] and bassist Ian Dunlop wrote, "The lure of getting a record out was tugging hard at Brandon".^[12]

Parsons and Harris later co-wrote a song entitled "In My Hour Of Darkness", whose first verse refers to the accident that killed deWilde: "Once I knew a young man / Went driving through the night, / Miles and miles without a word / But just his high-beam lights. / Who'd have ever thought they'd build / Such a deadly Denver bend; / To be so strong, to take so long / As it would till the end."^[5]

Death[link]

Brandon deWilde died from injuries that resulted from a traffic accident in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. The accident occurred at about 3:25 PM on July 6, 1972. deWilde was driving a camper van on W 6th Ave near Kipling St when it went off the street, struck a guardrail and then struck a flatbed truck used to install guardrails. It was raining lightly at the time of the accident. deWilde was alone in his vehicle and not wearing a seatbelt. His camper rolled onto its side, pinning him in the wreckage. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital, where he died at 7:20 PM of multiple injuries including a broken back, neck, and leg.^[1][3][13]

deWilde had been in Denver to co-star in a production of Butterflies Are Free with Maureen O'Sullivan at the Elitch Theatre, which ended July 1. At the time of the accident, deWilde was on his way to Colorado General Hospital to visit his second wife of 3 months. He left a son, Jesse, from his first marriage.^[3][13] He was originally buried in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, but his parents later moved his remains to Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, New York, in Suffolk County, to be closer to their home on Long Island. Frederick deWilde died in 1980 and Eugenia deWilde died in 1987.

Published biography[link]

On Christmas Day, 2011, it was announced that author Patrisha McLean, to coincide with the 2012 70th anniversary of his birth and 40th anniversary of his death, would release her biography of Brandon deWilde that had sat "shelved" for the past 25 years. Updated to include 2012 interviews with deWilde's widow, Janice Gero deWilde, All Fall Down, The Brandon deWilde Story is scheduled for a June 15, 2012, release.^[1]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Biography portal

• List of child prodigies
• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees

References[link]