APT PUPIL & former child star Brad Renfro dead at 25.

Sad news today. Actor Brad Renfro has been found dead at his home in Wilshire by his girlfriend, with the official police report commenting that there was “no suspicion of foul play”. Renfro was just 25.

Mainstream audiences will probably cry “who” but those who have seen the kid’s great work in the crime/drama Bully or his extraordinary work in Bryan Singer’s Apt Pupil (where he didn’t look phased opposite Ian McKellen) will forever remember his promising talent.

His personal problems have been well documented (heroin addiction which led him to be fired from several roles including Freddy vs. Jason, arrested for stealing a yacht a few years ago) but he seemed to really love acting and never stopped working. He appeared in 24 movies since his debut performance in Joel Schumacher’s The Client in 1994, where he was hand picked at the age of 10 by the director for the part and he suddenly became a child star… standing out from the rest of his generation with a maturity of talent and timing.

Renfro’s further credits include The Jacket, Ghost World and going opposite Kevin Bacon in Telling Lies in America. His recent career saw him mostly confined to Indie work and smaller movies, but he had just filmed his biggest part in a while with the role in the Bret Easton Ellis adapted novel The Informers due out later this year.

He may not have been as famous as River Phoenix but he was certainly as talented. Today we can just wonder what could have been and mourn over another promising Hollywood career ended way too young.

Renfro’s filmography after the jump….

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