Robert Willard "Bobby" Buntrock (August 4, 1952 – April 7, 1974)
was an American
child actor. Buntrock is best known for playing the character of Harold "Sport" Baxter on the 1960s
sitcom ''
Hazel
The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
''.
Career
Buntrock was born in
Denver, Colorado, to Robert E. and Maxine Buntrock.
He had two sisters, Stella and Deanne. When he was three, the family moved to
Whittier, California, where neighbors urged Buntrock's parents to get their son into acting. After submitting Buntrock's picture to various agents, he was signed by Marcella Belle Rinehart. When he was seven years old, Buntrock landed his first role, on an episode of ''
Wagon Train''. He also appeared in guest spots on ''
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'', ''
Mister Ed'', and ''
The Donna Reed Show''.
In 1961, Buntrock won the role of Harold "Sport" Baxter on the sitcom ''Hazel'', starring
Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth (born Marjory Ford; August 30, 1898October 16, 1992) was an American actress. One of only 24 performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, Booth was the recipient of an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Tony Awa ...
. The series aired for five seasons, first on
NBC with
Don DeFore and
Whitney Blake in the role of Harold's parents, George and Dorothy Baxter. In the fifth and final season (1965-1966) shown on
CBS, the series was retooled after DeFore and Blake were dismissed and Harold lived with his Uncle Steve Baxter (
Ray Fulmer), Aunt Barbara (
Lynn Borden
Lynn Marie Freyse (March 24, 1937 – March 3, 2015) was an American film and television actress. She was known for playing Barbara Baxter in the final season of the American sitcom television series ''Hazel''.
Life and career
Borden was born ...
), and cousin Susie (
Julia Benjamin
Julia Benjamin (born February 21, 1957) is a retired American film and television actress of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. She is best remembered for her character role as Susie Baxter, the daughter of Steve and Barbara Baxter on the 1960s sitcom ...
). During the run of ''Hazel'', Buntrock was tutored on the set and attended Lake Marie Public School in Whittier when the show was on hiatus.
After ''Hazel'' ended its run in 1966, Buntrock appeared in two guest spots on ''
The Virginian'' in 1967 after which he retired from acting.
Personal life and death
Buntrock moved with his family to
Keystone, South Dakota
Keystone is a town in the Black Hills region of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 240 at the 2020 census. It had its origins in 1883 as a mining town, and has since transformed itself into a resort town, serving ...
, where he graduated from Sturgis High School in 1970, and lived for the last five years of his life.
On April 7, 1974, Buntrock died at age 21 in an automobile accident when his car veered off a bridge under construction into
Battle Creek, drowning him in the submerged car.
He is buried in Keystone Cemetery in Keystone.
Filmography
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buntrock, Bobby
1952 births
1974 deaths
20th-century American male actors
Accidental deaths in South Dakota
Actors from Whittier, California
American male child actors
American male television actors
Burials in South Dakota
Male actors from Denver
Male actors from South Dakota
Road incident deaths in South Dakota