Brandon De Wilde

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Brandon De Wilde
Born	Andre Brandon De Wilde April 9, 1942(1942-04-09) Brooklyn, New York
Died	July 6, 1972 (aged 30) Denver, Colorado
Other name(s)	Brandon de Wilde
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1952-1972
Spouse(s)	Susan M. Maw (1963-1969) Janice Gero (1972-1972)

Andre Brandon De Wilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an Academy Award-nominated American actor born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. His father, Frederick A. De Wilde, was a Broadway production stage manager, and his mother, Eugenia De Wilde, was a part-time Broadway actress. The De Wilde family moved from Brooklyn to Baldwin, Long Island after he was born.

Early life and career

^[1]Brandon De Wilde made his much-acclaimed Broadway debut at the age of 7 in The Member of the Wedding, and was the first child actor to win the Donaldson Award. He also starred in the 1952 film version (directed by Fred Zinnemann).

As the tow-headed Joey who worshiped the mysterious gunman in Shane, he stole the movie and was nominated for an Oscar. He also starred in his own television series, Jamie (1953-1954), which, although popular, was cancelled due to a contract dispute. In 1956 he starred opposite Walter Brennan, Phil Harris, and Sidney Poitier in the coming of age movie Good-bye, My Lady, adapted from James Street's book. This movie showcased the then-rare dog breed Basenji, the African bark-less dog, to American audiences.

De Wilde shared an on-screen camaraderie with both James Stewart and Audie Murphy in the 1957 western Night Passage. He made his mark onscreen as an adolescent in the 1959 drama Blue Denim, co-starring Carol Lynley. He also appeared in All Fall Down (1962), opposite Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint, and in Martin Ritt's Hud (1963) costarring with Paul Newman, Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas. Although the only lead actor not to be Oscar-nominated for Hud, De Wilde went on stage to accept the Best Supporting Actor trophy for co-star Melvyn Douglas (who was in Israel at the time). That same year, he appeared on Jack Palance's ABC circus drama, The Greatest Show on Earth.

De Wilde delivered another widely acclaimed performance at the age of twenty-two as Jere Torry, the screen son of John Wayne in In Harm's Way (1965). In a career spanning the years 1951 to 1972 (including six Broadway plays and 16 movies), he made his last screen appearance in Wild In The Sky.

Death

Brandon De Wilde was critically injured in a traffic accident in the Denver suburb of Lakewood on the evening of July 6, 1972, while en route to perform in the play Butterflies Are Free. Swerving to avoid another vehicle, he struck a construction trailer parked on the side of the road, and was pinned under the wreckage of his motorcycle for some time before being taken to Denver General Hospital. He died four hours later. He was 30 years old. De Wilde was married to his second wife when he died. He left a son, Jesse.

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 De Wilde died in 1980 and Eugenia De Wilde died in 1987.

Legacy

De Wilde -- who watched as Paul McCartney wrote the song Wait during the filming of the Beatles movie Help! -- 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. Guitarist John Nuese claimed that De Wilde sang harmony with Parsons better than anyone except Emmylou Harris.

Parsons and Harris later co-wrote a song entitled "In My Hour Of Darkness", whose first verse refers to the accident that killed De Wilde: "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."

Filmography

External links

• Brandon De Wilde at the Internet Broadway Database
• Brandon De Wilde at the Internet Movie Database
• Brandon De Wilde at Classic Movie Kids
• Brandon De Wilde at Find A Grave

1. ^ Lillian and Helen Ross, 'The Player: A Profile of an Art,' c. 1961, New York, NY. "Brandon De Wilde," p. 43 First Limelight Edition, 1984