Photo: Airwolfberlin / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Writing about Jonathan Brandis is bittersweet for me. He was everywhere in the early nineties: the boy hero of The NeverEnding Story II, young Bill in It, the prodigy aboard SeaQuest DSV, a teen idol whose face papered bedroom walls worldwide. He died in 2003 at just twenty-seven, while trying to grow into screenwriting and directing. What strikes me on revisiting his work is how natural he was; many child actors perform cuteness, but Brandis simply behaved on camera. To me he stands as a reminder of how cruel the gap between teen fame and adult opportunity can be, and his performances still deserve new viewers.
Overview
Jonathan Gregory Brandis (April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor. Beginning his career as a child model, Brandis moved on to acting in commercials and subsequently won television and film roles. Brandis made his acting debut in 1982 as Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jonathan Brandis
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョナサン・ブランディス
- Reading
- じょなさん・ぶらんでぃす
- Born
- April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Dragon
- Origin
- Danbury, Connecticut, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / screenwriter / film director / film producer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1994 Young Artist Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Ride with the Devil | — | |
| Notable work | The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter | — | |
| Notable work | It | — | |
| Notable work | SeaQuest DSV | — |
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.