Whatever Happened to Bobby Driscoll? The Forgotten Tragedy of Disney’s First Child Star

For a time in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Bobby Driscoll was the golden boy of Walt Disney Studios and became one of the most beloved child stars of his generation. Born Robert Cletus Driscoll on March 3, 1937 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he was the only child of Cletus and Isabelle Driscoll. His family moved to Los Angeles and by chance, a barber’s connection to the film industry landed him his first audition. At just five years old, Driscoll was cast in MGM’s Lost Angel, starting a career that would quickly make him a household name.

Driscoll’s early years in Hollywood were a whirlwind. He played the youngest Sullivan brother in The Fighting Sullivans and landed roles alongside stars like Don Ameche and Myrna Loy. In 1946, Disney signed him to a contract, pairing him with Luana Patten in Song of the South. The duo reunited for So Dear to My Heart in 1949, and Driscoll also starred in the suspenseful thriller The Window, which earned him a special Juvenile Academy Award. Disney then cast him as Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island and, most famously, as the voice and animation model for Peter Pan. At his peak, Driscoll was earning $1,750 a week (the equivalent of more than $22,000 a week today).