# Jonathan Brandis
**Jonathan Brandis** (Jonathan Gregory Brandis; April 13, 1976 – November 12, 2003) was an American actor who became a teen idol in the mid-1990s playing the boy genius Lucas Wolenczak on the NBC underwater science fiction series *seaQuest DSV*. He began performing as a toddler, worked steadily in commercials and television through childhood, and died by suicide at 27 after his career had slowed.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Danbury, Connecticut[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) |
| Died | November 12, 2003, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, age 27; ruled a suicide by hanging[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) |
| Breakout role | Lucas Wolenczak on *seaQuest DSV* (NBC, 1993–95), an Amblin Television/Universal series executive produced by Steven Spielberg[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) • [3](https://amblin.com/tv/seaquest-dsv/) |
| Teen-idol peak | Over 4,000 fan letters a week; voted No. 1 dreamboat by *Tiger Beat* readers[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) |
| Notable films | *[The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-neverending-story-ii-the-next-chapter)* (1990), *Ladybugs* (1992), *Sidekicks* (1992), *Ride with the Devil* (1999), *Outside Providence* (1999)[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) |
| Early work | Recurring role on the soap *One Life to Live* at age 6; guest spots on *L.A. Law*, *Who's the Boss?*, and *Murder, She Wrote*[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) |
| Award | Young Artists Award in 1993 for *seaQuest DSV*[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) |
## Early life and start in acting
Brandis was born in [Danbury, Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/danbury-connecticut), to Greg and Mary Brandis. His entry into entertainment came through modeling: at age two he appeared in a sales poster for [Buster Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/buster-brown) clothing, and a photographer's comment that the boy was animated enough for television led his parents to take him to New York for commercial work. By age 9 he had appeared in more than 80 commercials. After a week of auditions in California, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he landed guest spots on shows such as *Full House* and *Who's the Boss?*[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jonathan-brandis/) • [5](https://www.partingwishes.com/memorials/view?id=24090)
His television work in these years included a recurring role on the soap opera *One Life to Live* at age 6 and guest appearances on *L.A. Law*, *Who's the Boss?*, and *Murder, She Wrote*.[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) In 1990, at 14, he played the young Bill Denbrough in the television miniseries *It*, adapted from [Stephen King](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-king)'s novel, and took his first starring film role as Bastian in *The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter*.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jonathan-brandis/) • [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/)
## seaQuest DSV and teen-idol fame
In 1993, at 17, Brandis was cast as Lucas Wolenczak, a teenage computer prodigy aboard the high-tech submarine of *seaQuest DSV*, a futuristic underwater adventure series from [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg)'s Amblin Entertainment, set in 2018 and commanded on screen by [Roy Scheider](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-scheider).[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) • [3](https://amblin.com/tv/seaquest-dsv/) The Amblin Television/Universal production ran on NBC for three seasons; the third was rechristened *seaQuest 2032*.[3](https://amblin.com/tv/seaquest-dsv/) Brandis received a Young Artists Award for the role in 1993.[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/)
The role made him a favorite of young female viewers. *TV Guide* hailed him in the summer of 1994 as the "new hot-hot-hot teen mag cover boy," he received more than 4,000 fan letters a week, readers of *Tiger Beat* voted him the No. 1 dreamboat, and he topped a *Seventeen* magazine readers' poll of the ten sexiest guys.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) "The way I look at it is, I didn't expect any of this," he told *People* in 1994.[7](https://entertainmentnow.com/news/2026/01/jonathan-brandis-90s-star-died-photos/) During the series he also co-wrote an episode, "The Siamese Dream," and was credited as a writer on the show.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jonathan-brandis/)
One of his best-remembered film roles came just before the series: in *Ladybugs* (1992), a [Rodney Dangerfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/rodney-dangerfield) comedy, he played a boy who joined a girl's soccer team in drag as a ringer.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) He also starred in the martial arts comedy *Sidekicks* (1992) opposite [Chuck Norris](https://www.edgepedia.org/chuck-norris).[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/)
## Later career
After *seaQuest* ended, Brandis's career slowed considerably, and he took only a handful of small roles in the late 1990s, including [Ang Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/ang-lee)'s *[Ride with the Devil](https://www.edgepedia.org/ride-with-the-devil-film)* and the coming-of-age comedy *Outside Providence*, both released in 1999.[7](https://entertainmentnow.com/news/2026/01/jonathan-brandis-90s-star-died-photos/) • [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) In 2001 he filmed the drama *Hart's War* as Pvt. Lewis P. Wakely, a part that appeared to offer a transition to serious adult roles, but the film reached theaters in early 2002 without any of his scenes, which had been removed in post-production.[7](https://entertainmentnow.com/news/2026/01/jonathan-brandis-90s-star-died-photos/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_brandis) His final screen credits included *The Year That Trembled* (2002), an adaptation of Scott Lax's coming-of-age novel set in Ohio after the [Kent State shootings](https://www.edgepedia.org/kent-state-shootings), in which he played Casey Pedersen.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_brandis)
## Death
On November 11, 2003, shortly before midnight, a friend called 911 from Brandis's Los Angeles apartment to report that he had attempted suicide. Paramedics took him to [Cedars-Sinai Medical Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/cedars-sinai-medical-center), where he died the next day, November 12, at age 27. The [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county) coroner's office ruled the death a suicide by hanging.[2](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/) • [1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html)
His father later said that Brandis had shown signs of manic depression in his 20s, and that the death was not due to the entertainment industry.[9](https://www.aol.com/articles/remembering-jonathan-brandis-look-back-130800000.html) The producer of *The Year That Trembled*, Tyler Davidson, told the *Cleveland Plain Dealer*: "It's a terrific tragedy, and our hearts go out to the family."[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html)
## Legacy
Fellow former child actors have spoken about Brandis in the years since his death. [Soleil Moon Frye](https://www.edgepedia.org/soleil-moon-frye), a close childhood friend, described him in a 2021 *People* interview as "a real friend" and said his death changed how she listens to friends who might be struggling; she recalled finding ten-minute voicemails he had left her as a kid.[7](https://entertainmentnow.com/news/2026/01/jonathan-brandis-90s-star-died-photos/) • [9](https://www.aol.com/articles/remembering-jonathan-brandis-look-back-130800000.html) On what would have been his 50th birthday in 2026, actor [Jason Marsden](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-marsden) posted a tribute to him.[9](https://www.aol.com/articles/remembering-jonathan-brandis-look-back-130800000.html)
His best-reviewed film by critics' aggregate scores remained *Ride with the Devil* at 65 percent, while his lowest-rated was *Ladybugs* at 14 percent.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_brandis) Among television appearances, *L.A. Law* and *The Wonder Years* carried his highest Metacritic scores, at 83 and 82 respectively.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jonathan-brandis/)
## References
1. [Jonathan Brandis, 27; Teen Fans Loved 'seaQuest' Star, Los Angeles Times (Nov. 21, 2003)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-me-brandis21-story.html)
2. [Actor Brandis Committed Suicide, CBS News/AP (Nov. 21, 2003)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/actor-brandis-committed-suicide/)
3. [seaQuest DSV – About the Show, Amblin](https://amblin.com/tv/seaquest-dsv/)
4. [Jonathan Brandis – Actor, Model, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jonathan-brandis/)
5. [Online Memorial for Jonathan Gregory Brandis, Parting Wishes](https://www.partingwishes.com/memorials/view?id=24090)
6. [Jonathan Brandis, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jonathan-brandis/)
7. [Jonathan Brandis, 27, Remembered as a Teen Heartthrob, EntertainmentNow (Jan. 2026)](https://entertainmentnow.com/news/2026/01/jonathan-brandis-90s-star-died-photos/)
8. [Jonathan Brandis Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_brandis)
9. [Remembering Jonathan Brandis: A Look Back on His Life as He Would Have Turned 50, AOL/Men's Journal](https://www.aol.com/articles/remembering-jonathan-brandis-look-back-130800000.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born before 1986*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license