Salem’s Lot actor Lance Kerwin has died at 62… aka James at 15 and James at 16
Salem’s Lot actor Lance Kerwin has died at 62… aka James at 15 and The Boy Who Drank Too Much
- The actor’s family said he died in San Clemente, California and an autopsy is pending.
- Kerwin was a child actor who had several high-profile roles in the late 1970s.
- Kerwin is survived by his five children, Savanah, Fox, Terah, Kailani and Justus.
Actor Lance Kerwin has died at the age of 62 in San Clemente, California, according to his family.
The animator is best known for his work on such projects as the 1979 miniseries Salem’s Lot, as well as the 1977-1978 NBC series James at 15, later retitled James at 16.
Kerwin’s daughter, Savanah, said officials were conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death, according to Variety.
The Latest: Actor Lance Kerwin has died at the age of 62 in San Clemente, California, according to his family. He was photographed at a July 2022 event in Los Angeles.
Kerwin was a child actor who began appearing on television in 1974, with roles in shows like Emergency!, Little House on the Prairie, and Gunsmoke. He also earned plaudits for his portrayal of Billy Carpenter in the 1980 TV movie The Boy Who Drank Too Much.
In James at 15, he played James Hunter, a teenager who had moved to Massachusetts from Oregon and had a passion for photography.
The show was at the center of controversy when the main character had premarital sex, losing her virginity, as thousands of viewers sent letters to the network protesting the content. The series had a total of 21 episodes during 1977-1978.
Kerwin was a teenage heartthrob at the time and a regular presence on the cover of publications like Tiger Beat.
Kerwin was a teenage heartthrob in the late ’70s and a regular presence on the cover of publications like Tiger Beat.
The animator is best known for his work on projects like the 1979 miniseries Salem’s Lot, in which he appeared alongside James Mason.
Kerwin was photographed with Mackenzie Phillips at a Battle of the Network Stars event in Los Angeles in 1978.
Other roles Kerwin had in her career included stints on TV shows like Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, and Family.
In the later years of his career, he appeared on shows like The New Adam-12, Murder, She Wrote, and Simon & Simon.
He appeared in the 1995 film Outbreak and returned to the big screen in 2022’s The Wind and the Reckoning.
The actor had also made appearances at horror film conventions in recent years.
Kerwin is survived by his five children, Savanah, Fox, Terah, Kailani and Justus.
The actor was seen in a promotional image of the 1975 series The Family Holvak
He appeared in the 1985 TV movie The Fourth Wise Man.