Brad Renfro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brad Renfro
Renfro in Sleepers (1996)
Born	Brad Barron Renfro (1982-07-25)July 25, 1982 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	January 15, 2008(2008-01-15) (aged 25) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Red House Cemetery, Blaine, Tennessee
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–2008
Children	1

Brad Barron Renfro (born July 25, 1982 – died January 15, 2008) was an American actor. He started his acting career at a young age. He was only 11 years old when he got his first main role in the movie The Client (1994).

Brad Renfro appeared in many movies, about 21 in total. He also won several awards for his acting. Before he was chosen for The Client, Brad didn't have any acting experience. He was living with his grandmother at the time. The director, Joel Schumacher, wanted a "tough kid" for the role. He picked Brad because he felt Brad understood the character well. Brad became very popular and starred in films like The Cure, Tom and Huck, Sleepers, Apt Pupil, Bully, and Ghost World. He passed away at the age of 25.

Early Life and Discovery

Brad Renfro was born on July 25, 1982, in Knoxville, Tennessee. His parents were Angela Denise Olsen and Mark Renfro. From the age of five, his grandmother, Joanne Renfro, raised him. She was a church secretary.

When Brad was 10, a casting director named Mali Finn discovered him. She worked for director Joel Schumacher. A police officer who knew Brad recommended him to Finn. The officer was impressed by Brad's charm and smartness. Brad had never acted before. Finn was looking for a "tough" kid. She looked at 5,000 boys across the United States before choosing Brad. At that time, Brad lived with his grandmother in a trailer park near Knoxville. Joel Schumacher later said he wanted a kid who understood what it was like to grow up fast.

Brad's Acting Career

Brad Renfro was chosen for the main role of Mark Sway in Joel Schumacher's movie The Client. His role was announced in May 1993. The movie was filmed that summer. The Client was based on a popular book by John Grisham. It became one of the most successful movies of 1994.

In 1995, Brad won the "Young Star" award from The Hollywood Reporter. He was also named one of People magazine's "Top 30 Under 30."

Starring in Popular Films

Brad played Huckleberry Finn in the 1995 movie Tom and Huck. He also won another "Young Star" award. He received a "Young Artist" award for his acting in The Cure.

In 1996, Brad appeared in Sleepers. This movie was based on a book by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Barry Levinson directed the film. Brad played the younger version of the character played by Brad Pitt. The next year, Brad starred in Telling Lies in America. This movie was directed by Guy Ferland.

In 1998, he starred in Apt Pupil. Bryan Singer directed this film. For his role, Brad won the Best Actor award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. He was also nominated for a Saturn Award.

Later Roles and Music Videos

After Apt Pupil, Brad acted in several other films. Many of these movies were released directly to video. He played Leon S. Kennedy in a live-action advertisement for the video game Resident Evil 2. This ad was directed by George A. Romero and shown in Japan.

Brad continued to act in movies like Ghost World, Bully, Happy Campers, and Tart in 2001. He also appeared in American Girl in 2002 and The Jacket in 2005. In 2006, he was in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent called "Watch." He also finished filming The Informers.

Brad appeared in the first music video for the 10 Years song "Wasteland." His cousin, Jesse Hasek, is the lead singer of that band. He was also in the music video for the N.E.R.D song "Provider."

Family Life

Brad Renfro had a son, who was born in Japan in 2003. His son was raised there by his mother, who is a Japanese citizen.

Brad's Passing

Brad Renfro was found deceased on January 15, 2008, in his Los Angeles apartment. He was 25 years old. His body was brought back to Tennessee. He was buried on January 22, 2008, at Red House Cemetery in Blaine, Tennessee. On February 8, 2008, officials said his passing was accidental.

Seventeen days after Brad's passing, his grandmother Joanne also passed away. She was 76 years old. She had often traveled with him during his early acting career. Officials said she passed away from natural causes.

Remembering Brad Renfro

Brad Renfro was not included in the "In Memoriam" tribute at the 80th Academy Awards the year after his passing. Many people noticed this and it was talked about in the news.

Brad's roommate, Mark Foster from the band Foster the People, wrote a song about his passing called "Downtown." This song was on a special edition of the band's first album, Torches, released in 2011.

In 2012, the actor James Franco got a tattoo of the name "Brad" on his right shoulder. This was to remember Brad Renfro. Franco also made a special series of items with "Brad Renfro" and "Forever" written on them.

Discussions About Young Actors

In 2018 and 2019, the website BuzzFeed wrote articles about Brad Renfro's career. They talked about whether the film industry does enough to protect young actors. BuzzFeed did not find that any laws were broken on Brad's movie sets. However, they suggested that the industry could have done more to make sure he was looked after when he was not filming.

Fernando Altschul, who was an assistant director on Apt Pupil, said he saw Brad at a party on set when Brad was 14. He said that Brad was the only person under 18 at the party where alcohol was available.

When Brad was younger, many adults thought he was older than he really was. This was because he seemed very confident and experienced. Gemma Jackson, a production designer for Tom and Huck, thought Brad was 15 or 16 during filming. He was actually 13. Jackson told BuzzFeed that Brad had a girlfriend who was several years older than him during that movie. Brad's characters in movies often seemed mature for his age too.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids

See also

• List of people from Knoxville, Tennessee
• List of American former child actors