Pat Close

Patrick Tilden "Pat" Close (June 1, 1948 – February 15, 1988) was an American child actor who later appeared in the 1967 Andy Warhol film Imitation of Christ.

Career Close began his career at the age of 11, when he was discovered while appearing in a stage production of Auntie Mame in Hollywood. He made his film debut as a young Elliott Roosevelt in 1960, in the biographical film Sunrise at Campobello. For the remainder of the decade, he guest starred on various television series. Close continued his acting career in his late teenage years from 1967 to 1970 as one of Andy Warhol's film stars. He played the lead role of "The Son" in the 1967 Warhol film Imitation of Christ. There was speculation at the time that Close would have become a new James Dean if Warhol had released the film into general distribution, instead of allowing only a single premiere presentation. Other reviews, however, disagreed, saying he was "awkward" and "unprofessional."

After 1980, he continued acting in movies, credited as Patrick Close, in minor roles for such low-budget productions as Roger Corman's Space Raiders (1983).

Death On February 15, 1988, Close died of "fatty metamorphosis of the liver" at the age of 39. The coroner's report indicated that Close's death was due to alcoholism.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1960 Sunrise at Campobello Elliott Roosevelt 1960 The Tab Hunter Show Chris Morgan 2 episodes 1961 The Donna Reed Show Butch Episode: "Character Building" 1961 The Danny Thomas Show Episode: "Rusty, the Millionaire" 1961 General Electric Theater Joey McQueen Episode: "Open House" 1961 The Tom Ewell Show Andy Bishop Episode: "Big Brother" 1961 The Rifleman Noah Fergus Episode: "The Queue" 1962 The Twilight Zone Hudson Episode: "The Changing of the Guard 1963 Dennis the Menace Freddy Thorpe Episode: "Dennis Goes to Washington" 1967 Imitation of Christ The Son Credited as Patrick 1983 Space Raiders 2nd Guard Credited as Patrick Close