Brad Renfro

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Brad Renfro
Brad Renfro
Birth name	Brad Barron Renfro
Born	July 25 1982 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	January 15 2008 (aged 25) Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Brad Barron Renfro (July 25 1982 – January 15 2008) was an American actor. A native of the state of Tennessee, he made his movie debut in 1994 in the title role of The Client at the age of 11 years old. He acted in 24 movies and several television episodes during his career; however, much of his career was marred by a pattern of substance abuse and occasional petty crime. In 2006, he spent 10 days in jail for convictions of driving while under the influence and attempted heroin possession.^[1]

Early life & career

Brad Renfro was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of Angela and Mark Renfro, a factory worker.^[2][3] He was raised by his paternal grandmother, Joanne, a church secretary.^[4]

Renfro was discovered by Mali Finn, a casting director for Joel Schumacher, when he was ten. His only previous acting experience was as a dealer in an anti-drugs workshop school production. Cast by Finn for Schumacher's The Client, Renfro acted alongside Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. The movie was based on the bestselling John Grisham novel and became one of the top-grossing films of 1994. In 1995, he won Hollywood Reporter's "Young Star" award, and was nominated as one of People magazine's "Top 30 Under 30".^{[citation needed]} That year, he played Huck Finn in 1995's Tom and Huck with Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

In 1996, he was cast as the young Michael Sullivan for the movie Sleepers based on the novel by Lorenzo Carcaterra. The book Sleepers reportedly tells the story of Carcaterra's own childhood in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and the highly traumatic time he spent in a juvenile detention centre. Michael Sullivan as a grown-up was portrayed by Brad Pitt. The film Sleepers was directed by Barry Levinson and also starred Robert de Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffman and Jason Patric.

Renfro went on to act in other films, including 2001's Ghost World and Bully and 2005's The Jacket with Keira Knightley and Adrien Brody. He also appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and completed filming on the yet unreleased movie The Informers, co-starring Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton.^[5]

Personal problems

Off-screen, Renfro was known for his legal troubles. He was arrested with a relative on a drug possession in Georgia. While filming Bully in Florida in the late 1990s, he and a companion were arrested after they were caught apparently trying to steal a yacht.

In December 2005, he was picked up by LAPD officers during an undercover drug sweep of downtown's skid row and was charged with attempted possession of heroin. A photograph showing him in handcuffs being arrested made the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Renfro admitted to a detective that he was using heroin and methadone. In court, he pleaded guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to three years' probation.^[6] In June 2007, a judge found him to have violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program. He subsequently went into a drug rehabilitation program.^[5]

Death

Renfro was found dead on January 15, 2008 in his Los Angeles apartment, after he had reportedly spent the previous night drinking with friends.^[7] On February 8, 2008, the Los Angeles County Coroner's office ruled that Renfro's death was accidental and was attributed to acute heroin/morphine intoxication.^[8]

He was returned to East Tennessee for his funeral and burial. He was laid to rest on January 22, 2008, on a quiet hill in a rural cemetery north of Knoxville in the small community of Blaine, Tennessee. ^[9]

Less than two weeks later, his grandmother, Joanne Barron Renfro, who had raised him from the age of five and accompanied him regularly during his early acting career, died at her home at the age of 76. ^[10] Local officials stated that she died of natural causes. ^[11]

Filmography

References

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