Among the child actors who quit their careers is Jake Lloyd, best known for his roles in “The Promised Gift” (“Jingle All the Way”) and “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace” .
However, fame took a toll on him, and after taking part in these big productions, he was never the same again: that’s his sad story.
Jake Lloyd became famous for “The Promised Gift” (“Jingle All The Way”)
1996 saw the release of “The Promised Gift” (“Jingle All the Way”), a Christmas movie in which young Jake Lloyd shared the credits with Arnold Schwarzenegger (who, ironically, is one of the Hollywood stars who started the their career in adult cinema).
Its plot follows two desperate parents who have to get an action figure, ‘Turbo-Man’, to give to their children. Although it was not well received by critics, it is still considered by many to be a Christmas classic.
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This tape launched young Jake Lloyd to stardom and in 1999 he was chosen to give life to the child version of Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader in the movie “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace”.
However, this role came to change everything in his life as his performance was heavily criticized by fans of the franchise.
As if that wasn’t enough, he began to suffer from bullying at school as other kids made fun of him for the role.
He went on to reprise this role in some video games related to the “Star Wars” universe, but in 2001, at the age of 12, he gave up acting for good.
The tragic story of Jake Lloyd, the boy from Jingle All the Way
But the problems for Jake Lloyd did not end there, because in 2015, when it was thought that he had already completely withdrawn from the public eye, his name made news again.
That’s because in 2015 his mother called the police to report him, as she was going through a violent outburst in which he verbally and physically assaulted her.
It was then revealed that Lloyd was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and that he had stopped taking his medication, which is why the incident was attributed to him.
His mother did not press charges, but later that year he got into another trouble when he ran a red light in South Carolina, for which the police chased him until the dodger finally crashed into a tree.
He was locked up in a state prison for 10 months and then committed to a mental institution.
His tragedies didn’t end there, because in 2018 his sister Madison died suddenly at the age of 26 while she was sleeping.
Jake Lloyd approached the home of his mother, who in 2020 issued a statement via the website Geek News Now, in which she confirmed that the youngster suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, in addition to a symptom called anognosia, which “causes a lack of of understanding his illness”.
In addition, he mentioned the difficult situation that Jake experienced after the death of his sister, as well as the support he has from his family.
And you, did you know the fate of the little actor from ‘The Promised Gift’? Did his life story surprise you? Tell us in the comments
Source: univision
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
