Robert J. Anderson, 75; child actor was young George Bailey in 'It's a W
Robert J. Anderson, 75; child actor was young George Bailey in 'It's a Wonderful Life'
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-anderson8-2008jun08,0,4152009.story
http://tinyurl.com/5mr88e
June 8, 2008
By Claire Noland, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Robert J. Anderson, a former child actor best known for playing the young George Bailey in the 1946 Christmas film classic "It's a Wonderful Life," has died. He was 75.
Anderson was 12 when director Frank Capra cast him as Jimmy Stewart's youthful counterpart in the heartwarming tale set in Bedford Falls. As the adult George Bailey contemplates suicide, his life is told in flashback so his guardian angel Clarence can get to know him. Young George rescues his brother from drowning, dreams about being an explorer and saves the town pharmacist, Mr. Gower, from accidentally poisoning a customer.
The film, which initially flopped, became a holiday favorite in recent decades after it started airing repeatedly on TV when the copyright lapsed in the 1970s.
Services are pending. Instead of flowers, donations in Anderson's memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.
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