Bridget Marriah Andersen (July 11, 1975May 18, 1997) was an American child actress and child model who starred in 1982's Savannah Smiles, for which she received her first of four Youth in Film Award nominations.
Personal life Born on July 11, 1975 to Frank and Teresa Andersen, Bridgette lived in Malibu, California with her parents, younger sister Angelica and two brothers. As an infant, Angelica appeared in television advertisements for Bank of America and Mervyn's. A reader since age two-and-a-half, the Havre Daily News reported that six-year-old Andersen had "a staggering IQ." Her favorite author was Ernest Hemingway and her favorite book was The Old Man and the Sea. A fan of the television series Diff'rent Strokes and Silver Spoons, she decided to pursue acting and aspired to produce and direct films as well.
Career During a February 1983 interview with Johnny Carson on his late-night show, Andersen related a family anecdote of her trying to climb into the television and play with Our Gang ("The Little Rascals") at age two. Caught by her father, Frank, she was taught about actors and acting, whereafter she secured a talent agent and began acting. She spent three years fashion modeling and acting in television advertisements. She also appeared in television shows including King's Crossing and Washington Mistress. In 1982, Andersen starred as Savannah Driscoll in the film Savannah Smiles. Writer and co-star Mark Miller was inspired by (and wrote the part for) his daughter, Savannah. However, when the film began production, Savannah was too old for the part at age 11, so Mark auditioned almost 150 children before discovering and choosing Andersen for the part. In a contemporary interview, Andersen opined that she and the Driscoll character were "like twins! We do the same things." According to The Cumberland Times, only three months after the release of Savannah Smiles, Miller was already writing another script to star Andersen. That same year, Andersen portrayed the six-year-old Mae West in the biographical television film, Mae West. In 1983, Andersen explained that she preferred working in films versus television because they gave her more to do. During the 1983-1984 run of The Mississippi, Anderson was nominated for a Youth in Film Award ("Best Young Actress-Guest in a Television Series") for her work thereon. Andersen went on to star in the short-lived CBS sitcom, Gun Shy; she portrayed Celia, one of two children won in a card game by Barry Van Dyke's character, Russell Donovan.
Credits + Film performances Year Title Role Citation(s) Savannah Smiles Savannah Driscoll Nightmares Brooke Houston Jill Fever Pitch Amy Taggart Too Much Susie
+ Television performances Year Title Role Episode(s) Citation(s) Washington Mistress Jenny Reynolds King's Crossing Mae West Mae West (age six) Television film Gun Shy Celia Six episodes Faerie Tale Theatre Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. Alison Lattimer Television film Remington Steele Angel "Blood Is Thicker Than Steele" Charley "The Truth Will Out" Between Two Women Kate Petherton Television film Mary Grand CBS Summer Playhouse Jamie Wilde "Doctors Wilde"
Awards nominations + Year(s) Award Category Title of work Result 1981-1982 4th Youth in Film Awards Best Young Motion Picture Actress Savannah Smiles 1982-1983 5th Youth in Film Awards Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series Gun Shy 1983-1984 6th Youth in Film Awards Best Young Actress-Guest in a Television Series The Mississippi 1984-1985 7th Youth in Film Awards Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress in a Television Special or Mini-Series A Summer to Remember
Death and legacy Andersen died of a heroin overdose in Los Angeles on May 18, 1997 at the age of 21. In 2015, actress Amber Tamblyn published her third book of poetry, Dark Sparkler, which features eulogies and poems dedicated to numerous deceased actors. Andersen is the subject of one such poem, as is pornographic film actor Shannon Michelle Wilsey (1970-1994), whose stage name "Savannah" was derived from her favorite film, Andersen's Savannah Smiles. Wilsey's poem is written as "a meta-poem, where she's writing for Andersen and telling her how they're the same." When MVD Entertainment Group published Savannah Smiles on DVD in 2018 as part of their MVD Rewind Collection, among the bonus materials included was "a featurette about the memories of Andersen."
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