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2 articles from 2008

16 January 2008 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Troubled movie star Brad Renfro has died, according to U.S. reports. The 25-year-old actor was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, according to Tmz.com. The cause of death has not been determined, however, Renfro has a history of drug abuse. The Client star had been working to stay clean and sober after a string of drug offenses, including attempted heroin possession. Renfro was accused of violating his probation after failing to enroll in a drug treatment program, following his conviction for attempted possession of heroin last summer. A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and LA Deputy District Attorney warned the actor that if he failed to enroll in a 18-month to three-year outpatient program he would be jailed. This was the second time Renfro had violated his probation. Renfro pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted possession in February 2006 after he was caught in a police sting in December 2005. At one point, Renfro was considered among the hottest celebrities in Hollywood; he was named The Hollywood Reporter's Young Star and one of People magazine's Top 30 Under 30 in the mid 1990s. Ironically, he was inspired to become an actor after starring in a school production sponsored by drug organization DARE, aimed at teaching kids about the dangers of drugs, according to imdb.com. He first found himself in trouble with the law for his drug habit in 1998 after he was arrested in his native Tennessee, when police pulled him over and allegedly found cocaine and marijuana in his pants and socks. Despite his troubled personal life, Renfro starred in a number of cult films; as well as The Client, he also appeared in Ghost World, Apt Pupil and The Jacket. He was reportedly still filming an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Informers with Winona Ryder when he died.

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15 January 2008 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Actor Brad Renfro, who became a child star at 14 in The Client but in recent years was plagued by numerous drug problems and arrests, was found dead at his Los Angeles home Tuesday morning; he was 25. While the Los Angeles County coroner confirmed to Access Hollywood that Renfro had died, a cause of death was not named. The Tennessee-born actor snagged an amazingly high-profile part for his first role, that of a young boy sought by the mafia in the 1994 adaptation of the John Grisham novel The Client, opposite established stars Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. His impressive performance in the box office hit made him a high-profile young actor, and roles in such films as Tom and Huck, Sleepers and Telling Lies in America followed; he also appeared opposite Ian McKellen in Bryan Singer's controversial Apt Pupil, about a young student who blackmails his elderly neighbor, whom he believes is a Nazi war criminal. Despite a string of successful roles, including solid performances in Bully and Ghost World, Renfro reportedly found adapting to Hollywood difficult, and was arrested on a number of drug and theft charges. In 2000, he was arrested in Florida on grand theft charges for allegedly trying to steal a 45-foot yacht, and while on probation for the crime was jailed for underage drinking. Other arrests followed, and last year he was found in violation of his probation for failing to enroll in a drug treatment program. Most recently, Renfro had appeared in The Jacket as well as an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He had just wrapped filming on The Informers opposite Winona Ryder, Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton and Kim Basinger.

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2 articles from 2008