Jaleel White says the death of former partner Jonathan Brandis made him want to quit acting

There is no such business as show business, but tragic death in Jaleel White’s professional life almost knocked him off course.

The actor and “Family Matters” alum reflects on the death of his former co-star Jonathan Brandis in his new memoir “Growing up UrkelBoth White and Brandis appeared in the 2003 television drama pilot “111 Gramercy Park.”

According to reports, the series, which starred Frank Langella, Peter Strauss and Tippi Hedren, was about the professional lives of several maids, nannies and maintenance workers employed in an apartment building in an affluent area of ​​New York. IMDb.

“I imagine Jonathan felt he needed this pilot to feed his soul,” White wrote in chapter 13 of his book I Will Love You as Long as I Need You.

“I’ve never met an actor who repeatedly asked me about hook-up opportunities like he did when we were filming 111 Gramercy Park.” … It seemed to me that Jonathan, like me, was at another crossroads in his career and (the series) would give him a fair shot at leading man status,” he continues.

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Brandis, a former child star who appeared in the early 1990s comedies “Ladybugs” and “The Helpers,” died by suicide in November 2003. He was 27 years old.

“I stared at the computer screen as tears streamed down my face. “I could only speculate what Jonathan was going through at that time,” White said of Brandis’ death. “Like me, he dedicated his entire life to achieving what Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of his group seemingly achieved with ease.

“In my own way, I was a better-adjusted success story. I grew up in an industry that always told me I couldn’t match the level of success of Leo or Tobey Maguire, and yet I made an incredible living. “

In a 2021 interview People MagazineBrandis’ father, Greg, said his son’s death was not caused by his work in the entertainment industry, speculating instead that undiagnosed bipolar disorder may have contributed to his suicide. “I look back now and see that in his 20s he was showing signs of manic depression,” Greg said. “I hope anyone suffering can get help.”

White said Brandis’ death clouded his view of his own showbiz career. In his memoir, the actor recalls telling his mother: “I want to withdraw. This business is killing people from the inside.”

Although White continued to work in the entertainment industry, in his grief for Brandis he “wept over something that resembled a fallen soldier”.

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“Jonathan and I weren’t very close when we were kids. But his paths always crossed,” White said, adding that they became friends while filming “111 Gramercy Park” in Toronto.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jaleel White reflects on the impact of the death of her partner Jonathan Brandis