Skye McCole Bartusiak (September 28, 1992 – July 19, 2014) was an American
child actress
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated ...
and
child model {{unsourced, date=August 2020
A child model refers to a child who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art, such as photography, painting and sculpture.
Practice
Artists have used ...
. She appeared in ''
The Patriot'' (2000), ''
Don't Say a Word
''Don't Say a Word'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel ''Don't Say a Word'' by Andrew Klavan. It was directed by Gary Fleder and written by Anthony Peckh ...
'' (2001), as
Rose Wilder in ''
Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder'' (2002), as Megan Matheson on season 2 of ''
24'' (2002–03), ''
Boogeyman
The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...
'' (2005), and ''
Kill Your Darlings'' (2006).
Bartusiak died at the age of 21 in her apartment behind her parents' home. While her mother, shortly after Bartusiak's death, stated she believed that her daughter's history of
epileptic seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
s may have had a role in her death,
the coroner ruled the death resulted from an accidental
drug overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. .
Early life
Skye McCole Bartusiak was born in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, where she lived with her parents, Helen (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
McCole) and Donald Bartusiak, until her death.
She attended St. Thomas Episcopal Academy and Lutheran South High School in Houston, and graduated from Laurel Springs High School in
Ojai, California in 2010.
Career
Bartusiak first starred in Stephen King's ''
Storm of the Century'' as young Pippa Hatcher. In 2000, she appeared in ''
The Patriot'' as the youngest child of a militia leader portrayed by
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
.
[ She played the young ]Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
in the TV miniseries ''Blonde
Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...
'', and the psychiatrist's daughter in ''Don't Say a Word
''Don't Say a Word'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel ''Don't Say a Word'' by Andrew Klavan. It was directed by Gary Fleder and written by Anthony Peckh ...
'' alongside Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
and Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack (; November 10, 1977 – December 20, 2009) was an American actress and singer. Born in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and pursued a career in acting. Her breakthrough role was as Tai Fras ...
, both in 2001.[ She also played young Charlie McGee in '' Firestarter: Rekindled'' and Megan Matheson during season two of the television series '' 24'' (2002–2003).]
Bartusiak made an appearance in the short film ''The Vest'' in 2003 and played the part of The Girl in ''Once Not Far from Home'' in 2005. She also tried her hand at theatre, playing in ''The Miracle Worker
''The Miracle Worker'' refers to a broadcast, a play and various other adaptations of Helen Keller's 1903 autobiography '' The Story of My Life''. The first of these works was a 1957 ''Playhouse 90'' broadcast written by William Gibson and st ...
'' alongside Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1992 ...
at the Charlotte Repertory Theatre in North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
.
In 2003, Bartusiak returned to period drama with ''Love Comes Softly
''Love Comes Softly'' is a 2003 made-for-television Christian drama film set in the 19th century, based on a series of books by Janette Oke. It originally aired on Hallmark Channel on April 13, 2003. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr., and st ...
'', and a year later she played young Jackie in ''Against the Ropes
''Against the Ropes'' is a 2004 American sports drama film directed by Charles S. Dutton (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Meg Ryan and Omar Epps. The story is a fictionalized account of boxing manager Jackie Kallen, the first ...
'' alongside Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan (born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra; November 19, 1961) is an American actress. She began her acting career in 1981 when she made her acting debut in the drama film ''Rich and Famous''. She later joined the cast of the CBS soap opera ...
.[ In 2005, she received main billing for her role as Franny Roberts in the hit horror film '']Boogeyman
The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...
''.[ She starred in the "Kids" episode of hospital drama series '']House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
'', and took a lead role as Sunshine in the 2006 film '' Kill Your Darlings'', playing a troubled teen willing to do anything to get the attention of her busy father.
Death
On July 19, 2014, Bartusiak died in her apartment behind her parents' Houston home. Her mother told CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and the Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
that Skye's boyfriend found the actress sitting up in her bed; Helen began CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore sponta ...
on her daughter before the arrival of paramedics, who then worked "for 45 minutes" to resuscitate her. Her mother said Skye "had been healthy and did not drink or do drugs", but had recently been experiencing epileptic seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
s; she believed that this fact had likely played a role in her daughter's death. A memorial service was held in Houston six days later; her brother Stephen told mourners: "If you want to know what makes Skye happy, go out and plant a tree."
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences ruled in October 2014 that Bartusiak's death was an accident. The "combined toxic effects of hydrocodone
Hydrocodone, also known as dihydrocodeinone, is an opioid used to treat pain and as a cough suppressant. It is taken by mouth. Typically it is dispensed as the combination acetaminophen/hydrocodone or ibuprofen/hydrocodone for pain severe en ...
and difluoroethane Difluoroethane may refer to:
* 1,1-Difluoroethane
* 1,2-Difluoroethane
See also
* Difluoroethene
* Dichloroethane Dichloroethane can refer to either of two isomeric organochlorides with the molecular formula C2H4Cl2:
* 1,1-Dichloroethane (ethyl ...
with carisoprodol" were listed as the main cause of death.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartusiak, Skye Mccole
1992 births
2014 deaths
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Accidental deaths in Texas
Actresses from Houston
American child actresses
American film actresses
American television actresses
Deaths from epilepsy
Drug-related deaths in Texas
People with epilepsy