March 3rd, 1937 | 1937Robert Cletus “Bobby” Driscoll was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 3rd, 1937, to parents Cletus (1901-1969), an insulation salesman, and Isabelle (Kratz) (1897-1972), a former schoolteacher. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Des Moines, where they stayed until early 1943.
1943 (5 1/2 – 6 years old) | 1943In 1943 Bobby was discovered by chance when he was 5 ½ years old, sometime after him and his parents moved to Altadena, California. His parents were encouraged to try to get Bobby into films by their barber’s son Bill Kadel, who got Bobby an audition at MGM for a bit role in the 1943 family drama Lost Angel. While on tour across the studio lot, five-year-old Driscoll noticed a mock-up ship and asked where the water was. The boy’s curiosity and intelligence impressed the director, and he chose him over forty applicants. In November of 1943, Bobby debuted on the silver screen in Lost Angel.