Brad Renfro, who became a Hollywood sensation at age 11 with his debut in the 1994 legal thriller The Client, was found dead by his girlfriend at his Los Angeles flat on January 15, 2008. He was 25. The autopsy ruled his death an accidental case of acute heroin/morphine intoxication.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Brad was brought up by his paternal grandmother, Joanne Renfro, from age five. His parents had divorced, he had no relationship with his father, and his mother struggled with heroin addiction. By age 10, Brad was drinking and smoking and admitted he had experimented with drugs.
In an interview with veteran journalist Bobbie Wygant, he said it was "nothing serious, you know. It's stupid. You know, drugs are really stupid." He was expelled from school for disruptive behaviour on the same day a retired police officer had visited to give a talk about drug dangers.
Shortly afterwards, Mali Finn, casting director for The Client, went to the Knoxville police station seeking a tough, rebellious youngster to audition. Dennis Bowman, the retired officer who had visited Brad's school, recommended him. Mali met Brad at her hotel, contacted the production team and said "I found him."
Meteoric Rise to Stardom
Director Joel Schumacher selected Brad from a pool of 6,000 young actors. He told People: "I think Brad had lived a great deal by the time he was 10 and had experienced many, many emotions. When any actor brings that emotional experience to their gifts, there is an honesty coming from understanding."
Susan Sarandon, his co-star, told People in 1996: "I learned a lot working with him. Brad is full of surprises." Brad claimed The Hollywood Reporter's 'Young Star' award and received a nomination for People Magazine's 'Top 30 Under 30' list. He told the publication: "I'm really lucky - to love what I do and get paid for it. I'd do it for free if it's good."
Between 1994 and 1998, Brad featured in films such as The Cure, Telling Lies in America, and Apt Pupil. The Cure director Peter Horton told the Chicago Tribune the 13-year-old had 'enormous sex appeal'. Telling Lies in America screenwriter Joe Eszterhas wrote in his memoir that at 14 Brad was already a chain smoker, and he often spotted him 'sneaking sips of beer that he thought no one noticed'. Eszterhas wrote: "Brad was the oldest fourteen-year-old I had ever met." Brad's final major film was the 2008 crime thriller The Informers, alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Winona Ryder.
Brushes With the Law
In 1998, after production of Apt Pupil concluded, the then 15-year-old was detained for possession of marijuana and cocaine. He told People: "I'm glad I got arrested, because it taught me a lot. I've had several months of being sober - I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm glad it happened when I was 16, not 36." He added: "If you've never done it, don't. If you have done it, pray. Then get some good sober time. Once you have that, you'll have a natural high."
In August 2000, Brad was arrested and given a two-year probation sentence after allegedly being intoxicated and attempting to steal a 45-foot luxury yacht in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 2005, he was arrested in Los Angeles for attempting to buy heroin from an undercover officer. He faced charges of driving under the influence and a felony count of attempting to possess heroin. He pled guilty, served a 10-day jail sentence and went to rehab.
Untimely Death
On the morning of January 15, 2008, following a night out with friends, Brad was found unresponsive and not breathing by his girlfriend. In the 911 call, she said: "I'm not sure. I mean, I think he might have taken a couple of pills last night. He had an audition at 1 o'clock this afternoon. I've been trying to wake him up to get ready and he just won't move."
It later emerged Brad had allegedly confided in friends that he had been born addicted to heroin and had reportedly been using the drug since age 12. Assistant director Fernando Altschul, who worked with Brad on Apt Pupil, told BuzzFeed: "I feel like we've failed children like Brad in some ways. Maybe there should be someone who says a person in his situation isn't psychologically ready to be on such a volatile place as a film set."
Brad had a son, Yamato, born in Japan in 2003 and raised by his mother there. His son's name was omitted from Brad's obituary but included in the obituary of Brad's mother, Angela, who died in 2012.
