The Sad Story of Jonathan Brandis, a Child Actor from the 1990s Who Died at 27
Brandis was only 27 when he died. He was a teen heartthrob who starred in NeverEnding Story II, Ladybugs, and seaQuest DSV.
In the 1990s, Jonathan Brandis was one of the most famous teen heartthrobs. Brandis died at the age of 27, but she had a long career that included guest spots on many famous TV shows and starring roles in cult classic movies.
Brandis's dad was a firefighter and his mom was a teacher when he was born in Connecticut. He started modeling when he was very young and made his acting debut as Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live in 1982, when he was 6 years old. He got a part in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter in 1990 that made him famous. He played Bastian Bux.
He was cast as Lucas Wolenczak on the NBC show seaQuest DSV when he was 17 in 1993. This role made him a heartthrob and led to him appearing in teen magazines from time to time.
According to a report from 1994, Brandis was getting about 4,000 fan letters a week at the height of his fame. He needed "three studio security guards to steer him through the hordes of female admirers at Orlando's Universal Studios," where the series was filmed.
He said at the time, "I didn't expect any of this." "I didn't think I'd have to work at 14." I thought that was the last big thing I would do after that. So, at this point, I'm saying that I probably won't be an actor in my early 20s. I could be. I don't know.
She also had other roles, such as guest spots on shows like Full House, L.A. Law, Who's the Boss?, and Blossom. She also had a leading role in the 1992 movie Ladybugs, which was directed by Rodney Dangerfield.
Brandis said in an interview in 1994, "I never thought of myself as a teen magazine kid." As an actor, all you want is to keep getting work. Then you get mail! I had no idea it was coming. You don't get ready for it.
Brandis' love life was also covered in the news, like in PEOPLE, which in 1996 published a now-archived story about his relationship with actress and singer Tatyana Ali (who played Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) from 1995 to 2001. Brandis said at the time, "I love her so much."
But just a few years later, Brandis's career hit a rough patch. It got worse when he got the role he thought would bring him back to life (as a prisoner of war in 2002's Hart's War) but it ended up on the cutting-room floor. Soon after, friends told PEOPLE that the actor started drinking a lot and talking openly about wanting to kill himself.
Friends called 911 at 11:40 p.m. on November 11, 2003, after finding Brandis, who was 27 at the time, in the hallway of his L.A. apartment. The next day, he died because of the suicide.
In an interview from 2021, his father, Greg Brandis, said, "Jonathan was very smart, polite, and easygoing." The entertainment industry didn't cause his death. Looking back, I can see that he had signs of manic depression in his 20s. I hope that anyone who is hurting can get help.
Brandis' father said that even though his son is dead, he is always with him.
He said, "Talking to him makes me happy." "I have the impression that he is looking down on me."
Some of Brandis' friends and fellow child actors have talked about his death, like Jaleel White, who wrote about Brandis' suicide in his book Growing Up Urkel.
Brandis and White had just found out that the show they shot a pilot for, called 111 Gramercy Park, was not picked up when Brandis died.
White, who is now 48, began to question her experiences in the acting world after the tragedy.
He wrote in the book, "I stared at my computer screen with tears streaming down my face." "I could only guess what Jonathan was going through at that time." He had worked his whole life to achieve what Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of his friends had done with ease, just like I had. I was the more well-adjusted success story in my own way. I grew up in an industry that always told me I couldn't be as successful as Leo or Tobey Maguire, but I still made a lot of money.
Soleil Moon Frye also talked about Brandis in Speaki1. She said that while she was going through her things to make her documentary Kid90, she found memories of the actor.