In a century of history, one would expect some tragic stories related to the Historic Elitch Theatre, and Brandon deWilde is certainly one of those stories. He was an acting prodigy — debuted on Broadway at the age of 7 in The Member of the Wedding and by time he was 12 he had starred in the blockbuster film, Shane, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He starred in his own sitcom, Jamie, on ABC and was featured on the cover of Life magazine on March 10, 1952.
In 1963, deWilde had two hits, appeared in All Fall Down, opposite Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint, and in Hud, co-starring with Paul Newman and Elitch Theatre alumna, Patricia Neal.
In June/July of 1972 deWilde appeared at the Historic Elitch Theatre in Butterflies are Free with Maureen O’Sullivan (Jane in the Tarzan series, and mother of Mia Farrow) and Karen Grassle (who would later play Caroline Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie.)
On July 6th, days after his final July 1st performance at Elitch Theatre, deWilde’s life was cut short when he was killed in an accident on 6th Avenue at Kipling in Lakewood. He was on the way to the hospital to visit his wife when he lost control of his van in the rain and he crashed.
His good friend Gram Parsons was so affected by his death that he and Emmylou Harris wrote the song In My Hour of Darkness that included a line about his death.
Seasons at the Theatre
- 1972
Productions/Roles:
- Butterflies are Free – Don Baker
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- Tony Award Nomination (1952): At age nine, deWilde became the youngest performer nominated for a Tony Award at that time, for playing John Henry in The Member of the Wedding.
- Golden Globe: In 1953 DeWilde received the Golden Globe for The Member of the Wedding.
- Shane (1953): His most iconic role, playing Joey Starrett, the young boy who idolizes the mysterious gunslinger Shane. His performance earned him critical acclaim, including an Academy Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actor at age 11, becoming the youngest nominee at the time in a competitive category.
- Hud (1963): Starred opposite Paul Newman, playing the sensitive nephew caught between his moral grandfather and selfish uncle.
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- deWilde co-starred with alumna Julie Harris in The Member of the Wedding.
- Chris Kirkland, the son of Haila Stoddard and Jack Kirkland, was offered to share the role in The Member of the Wedding, but Haila turned it down on Chris’ behalf — Haila stated that it was because her own father had insisted that she complete college first. [McLean, Patrisha. All Fall Down. 30 Apr. 2013. p. 8.]
- In 1953 deWiled starred in his own TV show, Jamie, with Elitch’s Theatre alum, Ernest Truex.
- In 1963, deWilde appeared in Hud with Elitch Theatre alumna, Patricia Neal.
- deWilde also appeared with Neal in the film, In Harm’s Way.
- Emmylou Harris, who performed a concert at Elitch’s Theatre, co-wrote the song In My Hour of Darkness with Brandon’s friend, Gram Parsons. The song included a reference to deWilde’s car accident.
Wikipedia Link:
