Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. and then convincing in anything he ever undertook on the movie screen and on television throughout his career spanning 17 years 's so-called Factory, he disappeared into the underground, thoroughly dispirited, funds depleted. On March 30, 1968, two playing children found his dead body in an abandoned East Village tenement. Believed to be an unclaimed and homeless person, he was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave on Hart Island, where he remains.
Was the first actor to sign long-term deal with Walt Disney s animation dept. When found dead, his identity was unknown and he was buried as a "John Doe" in paupers grave. A year later, fingerprints finally revealed his identity.
Driscolls body was discovered in an abandoned apartment at 371 East 10th St. in New York Citys East Village by two children playing there on March 30, 1968.
His voice was used for Walt Disney s feature Peter Pan and an actual "acting" performance was filmed, then rotoscoped for the animated character.
One of cinemas most critically acclaimed boy actors, he won a special Academy Award at age 12 as the "outstanding juvenile actor" of 1949 for his excellent work in the films So Dear to My Heart and The Window .
Even though his character was animated he was the first boy ever to play Peter Pan. Before then only women played Peter Pan.
Buried in a mass grave on New Yorks Hart Island, better known as Potters Field.
Even though he was the studios first contract player, Disney terminated Driscolls second long-term contract (covering seven years) three years early, in 1953, weeks after the theatrical release of Peter Pan. It is generally believed that his severe acne was the reason. This prevented him from playing other feature roles for the studio that would seem to be tailor-made for him, like Johnny Tremain and The Light in the Forest .
