Brad Renfro
Brad Renfro | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brad Barron Renfro |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1994–2008 |
Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor. He made his movie debut in 1994 in the title role of The Client. He acted in 21 movies, several short films, and one television episode during his career. Much of his later career was marred by a pattern of substance abuse. He died January 15, 2008, due to an accidental overdose of heroin.
Early life and career
Brad Renfro was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of Angela and Mark Renfro, who was a factory worker.[1][2] He was raised from the age of five by his paternal grandmother, Joanne Barron Renfro, a church secretary.[3] Renfro fathered one child, a son named Yamato Renfro, born in 2003.[4] The boy lives in Japan with his mother.[5]
Renfro was discovered by Mali Finn, a casting director for Joel Schumacher, when he was 10. His only previous acting experience was as a dealer in an anti-drugs workshop school production. Cast by Finn for Schumacher's The Client, Renfro acted alongside Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. Based on the bestselling John Grisham novel, it became one of the top-grossing films of 1994. In 1995, he won Hollywood Reporter's "Young Star" award, and was nominated as one of People's "Top 30 Under 30". That year, he played Huck Finn in 1995's Tom and Huck with Jonathan Taylor Thomas.[6]
In 1996, he was cast in Sleepers, based on the novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra. The film was directed by Barry Levinson and also starred Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman and Brad Pitt.
In 1998, he starred opposite Ian McKellen in Apt Pupil, directed by Bryan Singer. That same year, he played Leon S. Kennedy in a live-action preview of Resident Evil 2. Renfro went on to act in other films, including 2001's Ghost World, 2002's Confessions of an American Girl (in which he played a gay teenager), Bully, and 2005's The Jacket. He also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and completed filming on the unreleased film The Informers, co-starring Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton.
Arrest and rehabilitation
In December 2005, he was arrested by LAPD officers during an undercover drug sweep of downtown's skid row and was charged with attempted possession of heroin. A photograph showing him in handcuffs made the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Renfro admitted to a detective that he was using heroin and methadone. In court, he pleaded guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to three years' probation.[7] In 2006, he spent 10 days in jail for convictions of driving while under the influence and attempted heroin possession.[8] In June 2007, a judge found him to have violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program. He subsequently went into a drug rehabilitation program. he was arrested for attemping to steal a yacht in 2000 but failed to untie the boat from the dock and was ordered to pay over 4000 dollars in damages.
Death
Renfro was found dead on January 15, 2008 in his Los Angeles apartment.[9] On February 8, 2008, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled that Renfro's death was accidental, attributing it to acute heroin/morphine intoxication.[10]
His body was returned to East Tennessee, where he was buried on January 22, 2008 north of Knoxville, at Red House Cemetery in the small community of Blaine.[11]
Less than two weeks later, his grandmother Joanne – who had raised him and accompanied him regularly during his early acting career – died at her home at the age of 76.[12] Local officials stated that she died of natural causes.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Client | Mark Sway | |
| 1995 | Tom and Huck | Huckleberry Finn | |
| The Cure | Erik | ||
| 1996 | Sleepers | Young Michael Sullivan | |
| 1997 | Telling Lies in America | Karchy Jonas | |
| 1998 | Apt Pupil | Todd Bowden | |
| 1999 | 2 Little, 2 Late | Jimmy Walsh | |
| 2000 | Skipped Parts | Dothan Talbot | |
| 2001 | The Theory of the Leisure Class | Billy | |
| Happy Campers | Wichita | ||
| Bully | Marty Puccio | ||
| Tart | William Sellers | ||
| Ghost World | Josh | ||
| 2002 | American Girl | Jay Grubb | |
| Deuces Wild | Bobby | ||
| 2003 | The Job | Troy Riverside | |
| 2004 | Hollywood Flies | Jamie | |
| Mummy an' the Armadillo | Wyatte | ||
| 2005 | The Jacket | The Stranger | |
| 2006 | 10th and Wolf | Vincent | |
| 2008 | The Informers | Jack |
| Occasion | Year | Award | Movie | Movie year | Honour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedona International Film Festival | 2004 | Director's Choice Award for Most Spirited Rising Performer | N/A | N/A | Won |
| Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films | 1999 | Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Apt Pupil | 1998 | Nominated |
| Tokyo International Film Festival | 1998 | Best Actor Award | Apt Pupil | 1998 | Won |
| Young Artist Award | 1996 | Young Artist Award for Best Young Leading Actor in a Feature Film | The Cure | 1995 | Won- Shared with Joseph Mazzello |
| Young Artist Award | 1995 | Young Artist Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture | The Client | 1994 | Won |
| YoungStar Awards | 1997 | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama Film | Sleepers | 1996 | Nominated |
| YoungStar Awards | 1996 | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy Film | Tom and Huck | 1995 | Nominated |
| YoungStar Awards | 1995 | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Drama Film | The Cure | 1995 | Won |
References
- ^ Brad Renfro Biography. Yahoo! Movies.
- ^ Brad Renfro Film Reference.com.
- ^ Weinraub, Bernard (1994-07-12). "For 'Client,' a Survivor, Age 10". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Obituaries - Brad Barron Renfro," Knoxville News Sentinel, 20 January 2008, webpage: Obit-BBRenfro.
- ^ "Brad Renfro spent several days with secret son before he died", Now Magazine, 24 January 2008, webpage: [1].
- ^ "Young star Brad Renfro dies at 25". Herald Sun. 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
- ^ Winton, Richard. Renfro autopsy planned for Thursday. LA Times. 17 January 2008.
- ^ Actor Brad Renfro found dead in Los Angeles home CNN.com. January 15 2008.
- ^ Breuer, Howard (2008-02-08). "Brad Renfro Dies at 25". Retrieved 2008-02-08.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (2008-02-08). "Coroner: Brad Renfro Died of Heroin Overdose". Retrieved 2008-02-08.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_8053771
- ^ Brad Renfro's grandmother, 76, dies : Local News : Knoxville News Sentinel
- ^ http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=54164
External links
- Brad Renfro at IMDb
- Obituary in The Times, 18 January 2008
- Brad Renfro: The End, January 27, 2008
- Remembering Brad Renfro
- Renfro’s Death Pains Director Who Helped Make Him A Star, January 27, 2008
- Template:Find A Grave
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