Former child actor Brian Bonsall is now opening up about the dark side of fame. In the latest episode of Hollywood Demons, the former Family Ties actor shares his journey from childhood stardom to substance abuse and the life-threatening guilt he carries after a man obsessed with him used his identity to terrorize women.
Brian Bonsall gained widespread recognition in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties, where he played the role of Andrew Keaton. At a young age, Bonsal was shot into the limelight and later appeared in movies such as Father Hood alongside Patrick Swayze, Disney’s Blank Check, and Father and Scout with Bob Saget. However, by his mid-teens, he chose to step away from Hollywood.
Brian Bonsall is guilt-ridden over impersonator who attacked multiple women
According to Dr. Drew Pinsky from the Hollywood Demons episode, Child actors are often saddled with the responsibility of living like adults when they are not old enough to bear the weight. Hence, when this undeserved burden is about to crush a child star, they turn to other things where they can derive happiness, which mostly hurts them. Regarding this, former child actor Brian Bonsall was no exception.
Bonsall grappled with deep emotional struggles after leaving the spotlight and turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism, seeking solace in drinking to escape feelings of loneliness and displacement. However, his drinking went out of control, leading him to live on the streets and multiple DUI arrests between 2007 and 2010.
Where is Brian Bonsall now?
In 2013, Brian Bonsall’s struggles took a darker turn when he discovered that a man had been impersonating him to deceive and victimize women. The impersonator also had the tattoos of the former child actor in their exact positions. He was caught and revealed to be Nathan Loebe.
In 2021, Loebe was sentenced to 274 years in prison for assaulting multiple women over 12 years. Bonsall recalled first encountering Loebe in 2004 while both were in jail. Despite not being responsible for Loebe’s actions, Bonsall admitted to struggling with immense guilt. Hollywood Demons also explores the lives of other former child actors, including Dee Jay Daniels (The Hughleys), Zachery Ty Bryan (Home Improvement), and Orlando Brown (That’s So Raven).