Celebrity Nooz: Lance Kerwin

Lance Kerwin (Actor) James at 15

Updated: 1/30/23

Name: Lance Kerwin

Birth Name: Lance Michael Kerwin

Born: November 6, 1960 in Newport Beach, California, USA Died: January 24, 2023 in San Clemente, California, USA (undisclosed)

Claim To Fame: Lance Kerwin was an American actor known for playing lead roles in the TV series James at 15, the made-for-TV mini-series Salem's Lot, and numerous 'After School Specials'.

Family Life: Kerwin had a daughter, Savanah Paige, with Kristen Lansdale; the two were married for a time. He was married to his wife Yvonne Kerwin from 1998 until his death. They have four children together.

Info: His father was an acting coach, who brought home scripts for his son to read.

His mother was also a performer and later, a talent agent.

He was the youngest of five brothers. His brother Shane was his stand-in.

In 1975, he graduated from Elsinore Jr. High.

In 1989, arrested for possession of crack cocaine in San Francisco. It actually turned out to be baking soda and the charges were dropped.

Kerwin says he started smoking pot before age 10 and did crack in his 20s. He only became clean & sober in the '90s through his new-found religious beliefs.

In 2010, Kerwin was placed on five years probation after pleading guilty to a theft charge. He falsified documents to obtain state medical assistance and food stamps, neglecting to mention he owned 3 properties.

Trivia: In the 1970s, Kerwin appeared in a number of made-for-TV movies and series.

His serious acting roles often portrayed anguished characters facing difficult challenges, such as in The Loneliest Runner, The Boy Who Drank Too Much, and Children of Divorce.

His hit TV-Series "James at 15" became "James at 16" on 9 February 1978.

Was number 82 on vh1's The Greatest: 100 Greatest Kid Stars (2005).

He gave up acting in the mid-1990s, but returned to the screen in 2022 for The Wind & the Reckoning, filmed in Hawaii.

Where Are They Now: Kerwin was a young star that took the world by storm in his teens. "James at 15" and Salem's Lot still have their fans to this day. Unfortunately, Kerwin died in San Clemente, California, on January 24, 2023, at the age of 62. He was a staple of the '70s television and will be missed. RIP Lance Kerwin.

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