He had not been wearing a seatbelt.īrandon De Wilde was just 30 years old. Anthony Hospital where he died of multiple injuries that evening. On July 6, 1972, De Wilde had been driving to visit his new wife in a Denver hospital when he lost control of his camper van, hit a guardrail in Denver suburb Lakewood and crashed into a parked construction truck on the other side of the road, causing the camper to roll onto its side, pinning him in the wreckage of his vehicle for a while before being taken to St. The production ended in Denver on July 1, 1972. He married second wife Janice Gero in early 1972 when he was appearing in a touring production of Butterflies Are Free opposite Maureen O’Sullivan. Married in 1963 to Susan Maw with whom he had a son, Jesse, the couple was divorced in 1969. He played his first mature role as a teenage father-to-be in 1959’s Blue Denim opposite Carol Lynley, turning 17 during the film’s production.Īmidst much TV work, De Wilde distinguished himself in three 1960s films, 1962’s All Fall Down as the younger brother of Warren Beatty, 1963’s Hud as Paul Newman’s nephew, and 1965’s In Harm’s Way as John Wayne’s son. Alternating TV and stage appearances with an occasional film, he starred in 1956’s Good-bye, My Lady opposite Walter Brennan and co-starred in 1957’s Night Passage with James Stewart and Audie Murphy. He followed that with an even more legendary performance as the young boy in George Stevens’ 1953 film, Shane for which he was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor at the age of 11, the youngest performer nominated since Jackie Cooper who was 9 when nominated for Skippy.ĭe Wilde starred in the popular TV series, Jamie from 1953-1954 which was not renewed due to a contract dispute. McThing before repeating his legendary stage performance in Fred Zinnemann’s 1952 film of The Member of the Wedding with Harris and Waters to equal acclaim. The young actor next starred opposite Helen Hayes 1952’s Mrs. The Donaldson Awards were the preeminent Broadway theatrical award begun in 1944 but ending in 1955 due to competition from the Tonys which began handing out awards in 1947. Catapulted to a national phenomenon as a child prodigy at the age of seven, he won the prestigious Donaldson Award for his performance. A friend of his suggested young Brandon for the part which his father reluctantly allowed him to audition for. His father was actor and Broadway stage manager Frederic de Wilde (1914-1980) and his mother Eugenia (1915-1987) was a part-time actress.įrederic De Wilde was the stage manager for 1950’s The Member of the Wedding which was having trouble finding a child actor for the third starring role alongside Julie Harris and Ethel Waters. Born Apin Brooklyn, New York, Brandon De Wilde was the only son of Dutch immigrants.
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