Pat Close

Patrick Tilden "Pat" Close (June 1, 1948 – February 15, 1988) was a former American child actor who later appeared in the 1967 Andy Warhol film Imitation of Christ.

Pat Close
Publicity Photo of Pat Close
Born
Patrick Tilden Close

(1948-06-01)June 1, 1948
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 15, 1988(1988-02-15) (aged 39)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesPatrick Tilden Bauvellis
OccupationActor
Years active1960–1983

Career

Close began his career at the age of 11, when he was discovered while appearing in a stage production of Auntie Mame in Hollywood. He made his film debut as a young Elliot Roosevelt in 1960, in the biographical film Sunrise at Campobello.[1] For the remainder of the decade, he guest starred on various television series. Close continued his acting career in his late teenage years from 1967 to 1970 as one of Andy Warhol's film stars. He played the lead role of "The Son" in the 1967 Warhol film Imitation of Christ. There was speculation at the time that Close would have become a new James Dean if Warhol had released the film into general distribution, instead of allowing only a single premiere presentation.[2] Other reviews, however, disagreed, saying he was "awkward" and "unprofessional."[3]

Close continued to work with Warhol after 1970, not so much as an actor in Warhol's films, but more as a contributor to such projects as Andy Warhol's Interview magazine.[4]

After 1980, he continued acting in movies, credited as Patrick Close, in minor roles for such low-budget productions as Roger Corman's Space Raiders (1983).[5][6]

Death

On February 15, 1988, Close died of "fatty metamorphosis of the liver" at the age of 39. The coroner's report indicated that Close's death was due to alcoholism.[3]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1960 Sunrise at Campobello Elliott Roosevelt
1960 The Tab Hunter Show Chris Morgan 2 episodes
1961 The Donna Reed Show Butch Episode: "Character Building"
1961 The Danny Thomas Show Episode: "Rusty, the Millionaire"
1961 General Electric Theater Joey McQueen Episode: "Open House"
1961 The Tom Ewell Show Andy Bishop Episode: "Big Brother"
1961 The Rifleman Noah Fergus Episode: "The Queue"
1962 The Twilight Zone Hudson Episode: "The Changing of the Guard
1963 Dennis the Menace Freddy Thorpe Episode: "Dennis Goes to Washington"
1967 Imitation of Christ The Son Credited as Patrick
1983 Space Raiders 2nd Guard Credited as Patrick Close

References
  1. "Pat Close Debuts In 'Campobello'". The Miami News. May 23, 1960. p. 4B. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  2. Bockris, Victor Warhol: the Biography Da Capo Press (2003) ISBN 0-306-81272-X, page 284
  3. Jones, William, E., Roehr/Warhol/Rocco/Lynde, Footnote 4 to the sub-section on Andy Warhol (Published as program notes for Elective Affinities, a film series co-curated with Larry Johnson at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, August 2009), and posted online May 6, 2010 at the Amber Waves of Brain blog
  4. Frasier, David K. (1997) Russ Meyer--The Life and Films: A Biography and a Comprehensive, Illustrated and Annotated Filmography and Bibliography McFarland, ISBN 0-7864-0472-8, page 53 (Note 181, where Close is given credit as one of the interviewers with subject Edy Williams in 1973)
  5. Young, R. G. (2000) The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to Zombies Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 1-55783-269-2, page 585
  6. Full Cast of "Space Raiders" webpage of the Internet Movie Database website


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