Brandon deWilde

Who was Brandon deWilde?

Andre Brandon deWilde was an American theatre, film and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway at the age of 7 and became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding.

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, been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, starred in his own sitcom Jamie on ABC 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.

He continued acting in stage, film and television role into adulthood before his death at age 30 in a motor vehicle accident in Colorado on July 6, 1972.