American actress (1975?1997)
Bridgette Andersen
|
---|
Born
| Bridget Marriah Andersen
(
1975-07-11
)
July 11, 1975
|
---|
Died
| May 18, 1997
(1997-05-18)
(aged 21)
|
---|
Occupation(s)
| Actress and model
|
---|
Years active
| Late 1970s – 1987
|
---|
Bridgette Andersen
(July 11, 1975 – May 18, 1997) was an American child actress and child model. She starred in 1982's
Savannah Smiles
, for which she received her first of four
Youth in Film Award
nominations.
Personal life
[
edit
]
In
Inglewood, California
, Bridget Marriah Andersen
[1]
was born on July 11, 1975, to Frank and Teresa Andersen.
[2]
By April 1982, she lived in
Malibu, California
,
[3]
with her parents, younger sister Angelica,
[2]
and two brothers. As an infant, Angelica appeared in television advertisements for
Bank of America
and
Mervyn's
.
[4]
A reader since age two-and-a-half, the
Havre Daily News
reported that six-year-old Andersen had "a staggering
IQ
". Her favorite author was
Ernest Hemingway
, and her favorite book was
The Old Man and the Sea
.
[5]
A fan of the TV series
Diff'rent Strokes
and
Silver Spoons
, she decided to pursue acting, and aspired to produce and direct films as well.
[4]
On May 18, 1997,
[1]
Andersen died of a
heroin overdose
,
[6]
in
Los Angeles County, California
,
[7]
at the age of 21.
[8]
Career
[
edit
]
During a February 1983 interview with
Johnny Carson
on
his late-night show
, Andersen related a family anecdote of her trying to climb into the television and play with
Our Gang
("The Little Rascals") at age two. Caught by her father, she was taught about actors and acting, whereafter she secured a
talent agent
and began acting.
[4]
She spent three years fashion modeling and acting in television advertisements. She also appeared in television shows including
King's Crossing
and
Washington Mistress
.
[3]
In 1982, Andersen starred as Savannah Driscoll in the film
Savannah Smiles
. Writer and co-star
Mark Miller
was inspired by
[9]
?and wrote the part for?his daughter, Savannah Miller. However, when the film was ready to shoot, Ms. Miller was too old for the part at age eleven,
[5]
so Mark Miller auditioned almost 150 children before discovering and choosing Andersen for the part.
[9]
In a contemporary interview, Andersen opined that she and the Driscoll character were "like twins! We do the same things."
[5]
According to
The Cumberland Times
, only three months after the release of
Savannah Smiles
, Miller was already writing another script to star Andersen.
[9]
That same year, Andersen portrayed the six-year-old
Mae West
in the biographical television film,
Mae West
.
[3]
In 1983, Andersen explained that she preferred working in films versus television because they gave her more to do.
[4]
During the 1983?84 run of
The Mississippi
, Anderson was nominated for a
Youth in Film Award
("Best Young Actress - Guest in a Television Series") for her work thereon.
[10]
Andersen went on to star in the short-lived
CBS
sitcom
,
Gun Shy
; she portrayed Celia, one of two children won in a card game by
Barry Van Dyke
's Russell Donovan.
[11]
In her teenage years, Andersen had trouble finding acting work.
[7]
[12]
Credits
[
edit
]
Awards nominations
[
edit
]
Legacy
[
edit
]
In 2015, actress
Amber Tamblyn
published her third book of poetry?
Dark Sparkler
?"featuring elegies to late actresses both legendary and unknown, all who suffered untimely deaths." Andersen is the subject of one such poem, as is pornographic film actor
Shannon Michelle Wilsey
(1970?1994), whose
stage name
"Savannah" was derived from Andersen's
Savannah Smiles
.
[7]
Wilsey's poem is written as "a
meta
-poem, where she's writing for Bridgette Andersen, and telling her how they're the same."
[12]
When
MVD Entertainment Group
published
Savannah Smiles
on DVD in 2018 as part of their
MVD Rewind Collection
, among the bonus materials included was "a featurette about the memories of Andersen".
[20]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936–2007
,
Social Security Administration
– via
Ancestry.com
- ^
a
b
Bledsoe, Gloria (August 30, 1984). "Child actress a TV and movie 'veteran' at age 9".
Statesman Journal
. p. 20.
ISSN
0739-5507
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Andersen is precocious actress".
Havre Daily News
. April 23, 1982. p. 18.
- ^
a
b
c
d
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
. Season 22. Episode 26. February 18, 1983.
NBC
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Triplett, Gene (May 16, 1982).
"Interview is almost too much for Gene"
.
The Oklahoman
.
Archived
from the original on August 24, 2018
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
- ^
Smetanka, Andy (September 4, 2003).
"Dead end kids"
.
Colorado Springs Independent
. Archived from
the original
on September 13, 2015
. Retrieved
August 18,
2018
.
Or, how Hollywood eats its child actors
- ^
a
b
c
Turnbow, Tina (April 7, 2015).
"Amber Tamblyn Talks to Us About Her New Poetry Book Inspired By Dead Starlets"
.
Paper
. Paper Communications.
ISSN
1073-9122
. Archived from
the original
on August 20, 2018
. Retrieved
August 20,
2018
.
- ^
Heldenfels, Rich (July 31, 2011). "
'Savannah Smiles' child star dies young".
Jacksonville Daily News
. p. 31.
OCLC
30050468
.
Bridgette Andersen, who played Savannah, worked at times following this movie, including in the TV comedy 'Gun Shy.'
- ^
a
b
c
d
"All-American Country Music Stars Belie Typical Lyrics".
The Cumberland News
. June 26, 1982. p. 22.
- ^
a
b
"6th Annual Awards"
.
Youth in Film Association
. 1983?84. Archived from
the original
on May 6, 2016
. Retrieved
October 17,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Leszczak, Bob (2016). "Gun Shy".
Single Season Sitcoms of the 1980s: A Complete Guide
(illustrated ed.).
Jefferson, North Carolina
:
McFarland & Company
. p. 58.
ISBN
978-0-7864-9958-8
.
- ^
a
b
Smith, Zack (February 23, 2016).
"Interview: Actress and Poet Amber Tamblyn Surveys Hollywood's Toll on Women in Dark Sparkler"
.
Indy Week
.
ISSN
0737-8254
. Archived from
the original
on June 24, 2017
. Retrieved
August 23,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Filmography for Bridgette Andersen"
.
Turner Classic Movies
. Archived from
the original
on January 22, 2019
. Retrieved
January 22,
2019
.
- ^
Brody, Richard
(October 13, 2016).
"Richard Brooks's 'Fever Pitch' Never Got Its Due"
.
The New Yorker
.
Conde Nast
.
ISSN
0028-792X
.
OCLC
320541675
.
Archived
from the original on October 20, 2017
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"Bridgette Andersen List of Movies and TV Shows | TV Guide"
.
TV Guide
.
ISSN
0039-8543
. Archived from
the original
on September 29, 2018
. Retrieved
October 1,
2018
.
- ^
Ferber, Taylor (February 27, 2016).
"Disney Child Stars Who Met With Incredibly Tragic Fates"
.
VH1
.
Archived
from the original on July 9, 2016
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
Unfortunately, no one ever saw any of this coming.
- ^
"4th Annual Awards"
.
Youth in Film Association
. 1981?82. Archived from
the original
on March 10, 2008
. Retrieved
October 17,
2018
.
- ^
"5th Annual Awards"
.
Youth in Film Association
. 1982?83. Archived from
the original
on April 3, 2011
. Retrieved
October 17,
2018
.
- ^
"7th Annual Awards"
.
Youth in Film Association
. 1984?85. Archived from
the original
on November 14, 2010
. Retrieved
October 17,
2018
.
- ^
Barta, Preston (May 18, 2018).
"DVD reviews: 'Die Hard' turns 30 with high-definition explosions"
.
Denton Record-Chronicle
. Bill Patterson.
Archived
from the original on May 22, 2018
. Retrieved
April 2,
2024
.
External links
[
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]