| Jonathan Brandis | |
|---|---|
Jonathan Brandis (1993) |
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| Born | Jonathan Gregory Brandis April 13, 1976 Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 2003 (aged 27) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1982–2003 |
Jonathan Gregory Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor, director, and screenwriter.
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Brandis was born in Danbury, Connecticut, the only child of Mary, a teacher and personal manager, and Gregory Brandis, a food distributor and firefighter.[1] He began his career as a child model and began acting in television commercials.[2][3] Brandis landed a recurring role on One Life to Live when he was six years old. He moved to Los Angeles with his family at age nine, and made guest appearances on shows such as L.A. Law, Who's the Boss?, Murder, She Wrote, The Wonder Years, Full House and Kate & Allie.[4]
At the age of fourteen, he received his first starring role in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter as Bastian Bux, a young boy who returns to a world of wonder on the wings of his imagination. That same year, Brandis played the young "Stuttering Bill" Denbrough, the main character in the 1990 film Stephen King's It, based on the epic horror novel by Stephen King. Following this, Brandis appeared in Sidekicks co-starring Chuck Norris and Ladybugs with actor/comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Around the age of seventeen, Brandis landed one of his best known roles as scientific prodigy Lucas Wolenczak in Steven Spielberg's futuristic science fiction series seaQuest DSV. The role propelled him into teen idol status.[5] During the run of seaQuest DSV, he also voiced Mozenrath, a young evil sorcerer and necromancer in Disney's animated series Aladdin.[6]
In addition to acting, Brandis also directed several independent films and authored screenplays.[3] During his stint on seaQuest DSV, he co-wrote an episode of the series entitled "The Siamese Dream".[7] He also produced and directed the short film The Slainville Boys, shortly before his death.[8]
Brandis dated actress/singer Tatyana Ali from 1995[9] until 1998.[10]
On November 12, 2003, Brandis died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from injuries he suffered after he hanged himself.[11] He was 27 years old. The Los Angeles Police Department released a statement regarding his death:
On November 11, 2003, at about 11:40 p.m., a friend of Jonathan Brandis called police to report that the actor had attempted suicide at his apartment, located in the 600 block of Detroit Avenue. Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire department responded and transported Brandis to Cedars Sinai Medical Center where he eventually died from his injuries. Brandis's death was pronounced by hospital staff on November 12, 2003, at about 2:45 p.m.[12]
Brandis did not leave a suicide note, although friends were quoted as saying he was depressed about his career, which had slowly declined in recent years. One friend admitted that Brandis drank heavily, and had even mentioned that he might commit suicide. He was also said to be upset when his appearance in Hart's War, a role he hoped would be his comeback, was cut from the film.[13]
Following Brandis's death, Paul Petersen, president of A Minor Consideration, an organization that deals with issues affecting child actors stated, "Speculations as to the underlying cause of this tragedy are exactly that: speculations. It serves no purpose to leap to conclusions for none of us will really know what led Jonathan to his decision to take his life."[14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | One Life to Live | Young Kevin Riley Buchanan | Unknown episodes |
| 1984 | Kate & Allie | Chip's Friend | Episode: "Odd Boy Out" |
| 1987 | Good Morning, Miss Bliss | Michael Thompson | Pilot |
| 1987 | Fatal Attraction | Party guest | |
| 1987 | Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story | Lance Reventlow (Age 11) | Television movie |
| 1988 | Webster | Bobby | Episode: "Take My Cousin, Please" |
| 1989 | Stepfather II | Todd Grayland | |
| 1990 | The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter | Bastian Bux | |
| 1990 | Alien Nation | Andron | Episode: "The Touch" |
| 1990 | It | Bill Denbrough (Age 12) | Miniseries |
| 1990 | Murder, She Wrote | Kevin Bryce | Episode: "If the Shoe Fits" |
| 1991 | Gabriel's Fire | Matthew Fixx | Episode: "Truth and Consequences" |
| 1992 | Ladybugs | Matthew/Martha | |
| 1992 | Sidekicks | Barry Gabrewski | |
| 1993 to 1996 | seaQuest DSV | Lucas Wolenczak | 57 episodes |
| 1994 to 1995 | Aladdin | Mozenrath (Voice) | 8 episodes |
| 1996 | Fall Into Darkness | Chad | Television movie |
| 1997 | Two Came Back | Jason | Television movie |
| 1999 | Outside Providence | Mousy | |
| 1999 | Ride with the Devil | Cave Wyatt | |
| 2002 | Hart's War | Pvt. Lewis P. Wakely | Scenes deleted |
| 2003 | Puerto Vallarta Squeeze | Neil Weatherford | |
| 2005 | Bad Girls From Valley High | Drew | Released posthumously |
| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series | The Flash | Nominated |
| 1996 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture | The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter | Nominated |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | Lady Bugs (Shared with cast) | Nominated |
| 1993 | Young Artist Award | Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture | Lady Bugs | Nominated |
| 1994 | Young Artist Award | Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Television Series | seaQuest DSV | Won |
| 1995 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance by a Youth Actor in a TV Mini-Series or Special | Good King Wenceslas | Nominated |
| 1992 | Saturn Award | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter | Nominated |