This Scottish character actor enjoyed his greatest success in the 1965 film The Flight of the Phoenix, in which he played ‘Crow’ and was Oscar-nominated. He was just 30 years old. An autopsy revealed no trace of alcohol or drugs in her system. Here is part one. Brandon Dewilde is best known as a Movie Actor. It is always a great pleasure chatting with you. Poor Dorothy had the world at her feet when a car accident claimed her at 19. He was on his way to visit his wife in hospital when his camper van collided with a construction truck. His mother, Eugenia, was a stage actress, and his father, Frederic, was a stage manager who hap pened to be a personal friend of the casting director of “Member of the Wedding.”, After a shaky tryout, the youngster got his part and, later, almost stole the show from Julie Harris and Ethel Waters. Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theatre, film, and television actor. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Ernie was a very funny comedian, popular on both TV and in the movies. He was the first child actor to win the Donaldson Award, and went on to repeat his role in the film version (directed by Fred Zinnemann in 1952). Brandon de Wilde, 30, Is Killed In Traffic Accident in Colorado, https://www.nytimes.com/1972/07/07/archives/brandon-de-wilde-30-is-killed-in-traffic-accident-in-colorado.html. She had won the Miss New Orleans beauty title at 15, appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931 in New York City, played opposite the world’s number one star Shirley Temple in Little Miss Marker (1934), and had just signed a long-term contract with Paramount. He became trapped in the wreckage for some time and died of his injuries later in hospital. By far the biggest group, however, relates to motor vehicle accidents, so I shall deal with them first, alphabetically and in two parts. (es) He died four hours later at a Denver hos pital. Certainly, anyone's heart goes out to a nice guy who gets killed in a car accident at thirty. This was true, for instance, in “Hud,” in which he played a teen‐ager growing up in the shadow of hi strong willed uncle, Hud, played by Paul Newman. On July 6, 1972, while traveling in Colorado for a stage production of Butterflies are Free, deWilde was killed in a car crash. He always said cigarette lighters spoiled the taste of a cigar, so he refused to use them. My research has found over sixty actors and actresses who have been killed in accidents involving automobiles, airliners, drownings, genuine accidental overdoses, fires, skiing, even earthquakes. Not a problem, Sheila. He even scored an Oscar nomination for his performance. O'Sullivan was born in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1911, the daughter of Mary Eva Lovatt (née Frazer) and Charles Joseph O'Sullivan, an officer in the Connaught Rangers who served in World War I. Maureen returned to Boyle in 1988 to be honoured by the town. While en route to visit his wife at a hospital where she had recently undergone surgery, he was killed in an accident as the camper van he was driving struck a parked truck. According to his IMDb biography, he was on his way to see Janice at a hospital where she had recently undergone surgery. Although he went on to play many motion picture roles, his portrayal of the im pressionable youngster learning the meaning of violence on the American frontier remains a favorite of many. They married just 4 months (March 25 1972) before Brandon died at age 30 in a car accident. Her film career never amounted to much, but there was no doubting Claudia Jennings’ beauty and appeal to the opposite sex. All Fall Down, The Brandon deWilde Story covers mostly chronologically the life of Brooklyn-born Andre Brandon deWilde, growing up in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York, then moving to Manhattan with his parents after a series of events catapulted him from a typical seven-year-old American school boy to a national phenomenon as a child prodigy theatre and film actor that eventually earned him the tag of "one of America's most heartrending cultural icons". Brandon passed away on July 6, 1972 at the age of 30 in Denver, Colorado, USA. Mr. de Wilde's later motion pictures included “Blue Denim,” “All Fall down,” “Hud” in 1963 and “The Deserter.”. It caught fire and she burned to death. Police said his aversion to them probably cost him his life Twenty years later his daughter, Mia, died in an auto accident as well. He always said cigarette lighters spoiled the taste of a cigar, so he refused to use them. At the end of the film, the stranger leaves, as the boy shouts: “Shane? LAKEWOOD, Colo. July 6 (AP)—Brandon de Wilde, the former child actor, died this evening as a result of injuries suffered earlier in a traffic acci dent in this Denver suburb. This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. What Happened to the ‘Wagon Train’ (1957-65) Stars. Brandon's cause of death was road accident. Report abuse ghyontonda s. mota. The final batch of short films featuring the highly popular Our Gang were made between 1940 and 1944, and among its many fabulous child actors was one Billy Laughlin, better known by his ‘Our Gang’ persona ‘Froggy’. Tragic Hollywood – Accidental Deaths ( Pt 2 ). The scene remains for many one of the most famous and moving in Westerns. The late Brandon de Wilde (who died in 1972 in an auto accident) is the younger of two brothers through whose perspective the story is told. Dec 2, 2015 - ALL-AMERICAN ACTOR. Andre Brandon deWilde: Also Known As: "Andre Brandon De Wilde", "Brandon de Wilde", "Andre Brandon deWilde" Birthdate: April 09, 1942: Birthplace: Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, United States: Death: July 06, 1972 (30) Denver, County of Denver, Colorado, United States (Motor vehicle crash… Rumours that the accident took place on the spot where she and Cary Grant stopped for lunch in To Catch a Thief (1955) are simply untrue. Well, nothing has been disrupted; just puzzled upon seeing this. On July 6, 1972, he traveled in Colorado for a stage production of “Butterflies are Free” but got involved in a tragic car crash at the age of 30. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Between 1950 and 1955 Percy and Marjorie Main starred in seven Ma & Pa Kettle comedies, inspired by their supporting roles in a 1947 comedy titled The Egg and I. WORLD WAR TWO – The stars & their stories – PT20. Early life []. I just saw comment May 24,’15. In 1953 and 1954, he starred in his own television series, “Jaimie,” and was earning a star's salary, placed in trust by his parents. In fact, the accident that killed him probably happened because he tried to light up by striking a match on his shoe while he was driving. Although he did a lot of television work, plus a few movies, Brandon will be forever remembered as the little boy Joey who idolized gunfighter Alan Ladd in George Stevens’ brilliant western Shane (1953). He was only 30 years old. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The friend was killed instantly. He naturally possessed an extraordinary, guttural voice, although many fans thought he had to be miming. They might possibly have gone on making the studio a packet, but Percy had the misfortune to be struck by a car while walking through his neighbourhood with a friend one evening. Book Review by Michael Ladenson. LAKEWOOD, Colo. July 6 (AP)—Brandon de Wilde, the former child actor, died this evening as a result of injuries suffered earlier in a traffic acci dent in this Denver suburb. However, he got his start in theater quite by accident. He memorably played the villain in John Wayne’s 1960 western North to Alaska, in which he has a very funny scene involving his trademark cigar. Shane, come back!”. Perhaps best remembered for his award-winning childhood performances in both the Broadway and film adaptations of the Carson McCullers novel Member of the Wedding, this 20th-century stage and screen actor went on to earn an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in the 1953 film Shane. A year after making Waking Ned Devine (1998) he was killed in a car crash in Scotland at the age of 71, a passenger in a vehicle driven by his wife of 23 years. Jamie very much wants a bike, so he decides to go into the knife-sharpening business to earn enough money to buy one. 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. Brandon was brought to Hollywood in 1952 for the film version of Wedding. The movie actor Brandon Dewilde died at the age of 30. The sister of French superstar Catherine Deneuve, Francoise had already established herself as a cinema actor well before her sister gained prominence, having already starred opposite Omar Sharif in the 1965 blockbuster Genghis Khan. It was not even the same road in fact. The vehicle plunged down a steep incline and landed upside down. I am hoping they will restore the plugin (that is what my IT son thinks has happened), so that I can insert images for the latest articles. Without doubt, the most famous Hollywood car crash victim would be James Dean. She starred in the best forgotten Gator Bait (1974), appeared uncredited in David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976), then narrowly missed out on becoming Kate Jackson’s replacement in the hit TV series Charley’s Angels that same year. He was reportedly driving alone in a heavy rainstorm when his van truck slammed into a flatbed truck parked be side the road. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He is an aspiring writer who spies and eavesdrops on his parents' conversations and records what he hears in a journal. If A New Comment Is Posted:Do Not Send Email Notifications.Send Email Notification ONLY If Someone Replies To My Comment(s).Send Email Notification Whenever A New Comment Is Posted. Thank you. Mr. de Wilde was born April 9, 1942, in Brooklyn, to parents who were in show business. Brandon managed to keep his career building, into early adulthood, when his career was tragically ended. In his later years, he lived for a time on Manhatt an's Wset Side and took courses at the New School for Social Research, and once said that he was interested in other pursuits besides acting. He was in the area to ap pear in “Butterflies Are Free” at an amusement park theater.”. Brandon De Wilde, né André Brandon deWilde le 9 avril 1942 à Brooklyn, New York, et mort le 6 juillet 1972 à Denver (Colorado) dans un accident de la route, est un acteur américain d'origine hollandaise. Only recently had she become engaged, and was busy planning her wedding in the days leading up to her death. Brandon deWilde died from injuries that resulted from a traffic accident in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. with Omar Sharif on the set of Genghis Khan. Disappointing. Helpful. Biography. (fr) Andre Brandon De Wilde (9 de abril de 1942 – 6 de julio de 1972) fue un actor estadounidense. Learn how your comment data is processed. At around 1.00am, 8 June 1934, her date slammed his car into a tree and Dorothy died instantly. Often because he continued to look younger than his age, he played the role of the in genuous youth learning the bit terness of life. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Hollywood movie stars are prone to luck, good and bad, just like the rest of us. Hand color tinted photo of Brandon DeWilde from the 1953 movie, Shane Andre Brandon DeWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theatre, film and television actor. If James Dean was the most famous male actor to die in an automobile accident, then Grace Kelly was certainly the most famous female. I can’t imagine why I would have said this! He was fatally injured in the accident and passed away soon after arriving at the hospital. Meanwhile, I shall just keep posting without them and will (hopefully) catch up when (and if) they become available again. Please omit latest updates to me. According to his mechanic, Rolf Weutheric, (he survived the crash), Dean’s last words were: ‘That guy’s got to stop…he’ll see us.’ Incidentally, Rolf would die in a similar crash 20 years later. Your email address will not be published. The Brandon deWilde Story by Patrisha McLean. For some reason Google images have been unavailable for several days now. DeWilde was driving to Colorado General Hospital to visit his wife, who had recently undergone surgery, when he crashed his camper van on West 6th Avenue inLakewood, Colorado. Shirley Temple had gotten very close to her during the making of Little Miss Marker and was distraught when told of her death. Sixteen year-old Billy was delivering newspapers on his motor scooter in August 1948 when a speeding truck hit him and killed him. Brandon De Wilde, Actor: Shane. 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