Robert James Anderson (March 6, 1933 – June 6, 2008) was an American child actor and television producer, whose roles included young George Bailey in '' It's a Wonderful Life''.

Life and career

Bobby Anderson was born in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, to a show business family. He was the son of Eugene Randolph Anderson, an assistant director and production manager, and Marie Augusta Fleischer, and his brothers and cousins were editors and production managers in their own right. He was also the nephew, by marriage, of directors William Beaudine and

James Flood James Joseph Flood (1895-1953) was an American film director. Born in New York City, Flood became an assistant director with Biograph in 1912 and was active through 1952. Career When working on ''The Swellhead'', Flood decided he wanted to ...

, both of whom were married to Anderson's mother's sisters. Anderson's film career as an actor was brief. In addition to his featured role as Young George Bailey in '' It's a Wonderful Life'', Anderson had a cameo in '' The Grapes of Wrath''. He appeared in the TV show '' Spin and Marty'' and he made his last film in 1956. Anderson enlisted in the Navy during the Korean War, serving as a photographer on

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s. After his time in the Navy, he went on to work behind the scenes in assistant directing, then later production with Disney, Warner Bros.,

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, United Artists,

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, and

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on such films and TV shows as '' The Apartment'', '' Hawaii'', ''

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940) is the debut novel by the American author Carson McCullers; she was 23 at the time of publication. It is about a deaf man named John Singer and the people he encounters in a 1930s mill town in the US state ...

'', '' Code Red'', '' Police Story'', and ''

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

''. He also worked as a line producer and production consultant for films such as ''

Passenger 57 ''Passenger 57'' is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Kevin Hooks. The film stars Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne, with Snipes portraying a security consultant who finds himself forced to foil a plot to free a captive terrorist during ...

'', '' Demolition Man'' and '' Heat''.

Death

He died of cancer at age 75 at his home in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. He was survived by his wife, 3 sons, 3 daughters and 11 grandchildren.

Partial filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Bobby 1933 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male child actors United States Navy personnel of the Korean War Deaths from cancer in California Male actors from Los Angeles United States Navy sailors