Early Life and Career
Cruz was born in Bakersfield, California, and moved to Silver Strand Beach in Ventura County, California, with his family while still a toddler. At age five he auditioned for, and won, his breakthrough role as Eddie Corbett in the television series The Courtship of Eddie's Father, which aired on ABC from 1969 to 1972. Bixby and Cruz spent considerable time together, especially when the show was on hiatus, prompting Cruz to tell American Profile magazine, "Bill Bixby was like my second father."
Cruz continued as a child actor for several years following the demise of The Courtship of Eddie's Father with a number of guest appearances in television shows like Kung Fu, Gunsmoke, and The Incredible Hulk -- which once again reunited him on-screen with Bixby. Cruz also played the role of Joey Turner, the Yankees pitcher, in the 1976 movie The Bad News Bears.
Cruz turned his attention to music in the 1980s, performing with a hardcore punk band Dr. Know. The group released several records before dissolving in 2010. Cruz also served as lead vocalist with Dead Kennedys from 2001 until 2003. Cruz was interviewed in the documentary film American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock, 1980-1986. Reflecting on life after being a child star, which has brought tragedy to so many others, Cruz told American Profile, "Surfing and punk rock probably saved my life."
In 1991, Cruz was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role as "Eddie" on The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and has subsequently returned to occasional acting roles. He has also worked behind-the-scenes in television as an assistant editor on the animated series South Park, among other shows.
In the 1990s, Cruz was said to have been active in A Minor Consideration, a support group for child actors and former child actors founded by Paul Petersen. As of October 2011, Cruz was working as a case manager at Walking Miracles Malibu, a drug and alcohol recovery program in Southern California.
Read more about this topic: Brandon Cruz
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