---

“I want to be remembered as an actor who put in some good work in the beginning of his career and even better work at the end.”

THE END CAME TOO SOON

On November 11, 2003, former child star and ‘SeaQuest’ regular Jonathan Brandis was found hanged in his Los Angeles apartment.

He died the following day. He was 27 years old. Another member of the 27 Club — creative icons who died at age 27. They include rock musicians Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones and the famous graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Jonathan left no suicide note. Friends said he had been depressed over his fading career and was drinking heavily. They said he was crushed when his appearance in the 2002 drama ‘Hart’s War’ was cut to practically nothing.

“My biggest fear as an actor is being mediocre.”

FANS WANTED TO DIE TOO

His death came as a shock to his young fans. Several said they wanted to kill themselves. Others said his presence on the screen helped them through their own depression.

One fan wrote on social media: “He was my first childhood crush and was a hero to me. I would always watch NeverEnding Story, he got me through really tough times, I will love him forever for that.”

Jonathan Brandis began his career as a child model and made his acting debut in 1982 as Kevin Buchanan on the ABC soap opera ‘One Life to Live.’

He was in Stephen King’s 1990 supernatural horror miniseries ‘It,’ and that same year starred as Bastian Bux in ‘The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter.’

At the age of 17 he landed the role of boy genius Lucas Wolenczak in the 1993-96 TV series ‘SeaQuest DSV.’ He was the only actor to appear in all 57 episodes.

Back to the front page