Fraser MacIntosh

Fraser MacIntosh - generally known as Fiz - was a dynamic child actor rivaling the performances of other great child actors like Bobby Driscoll, Mark Lester, Ricky Schroder, and Haley Joel Osment. His riveting portrayal of Jonno Durrant in The Boy Cried Murder (1966) was nothing short of a legendary performance! Fraser - born in Adelaide, Australia on November 17, 1953 - was the son of the broadcaster and TV newsreader Alex MacIntosh. (Alex MacIntosh was credited in the role of the Police Sergeant in The Boy Cried Murder (1966). He does bear a strong resemblance to Fraser; however, it is not confirmed that he is in fact his father.) Fraser's film career was very distinguished and was unfortunately limited to only two films. Both his roles were leading ones, in Yugoslav co-productions, and both were directed by George Breakston. In The Soldier (1966), he played a Yugoslav boy, forced to grow mature before his time and to die too early because of the cruel war circumstances. In The Boy Cried Murder (1966) - more or less a remake of the 1949 motion picture The Window (1949) - he is the witness of a murder and subsequently is terrorized by the murderer. Fraser's third film, started but never completed, was to be a remake of Treasure Island with none other than Orson Welles in the role of Long John Silver and Fraser as Jim Hawkins. Filming began and continued for nearly a month then mysteriously, the project was dropped. Welles then began work on Chimes at Midnight (1965). (Six years later, Welles finally did play Silver in a Treasure Island (1972) directed by John Hough. But by then Fraser was nearly twenty and not able to play the young Jim Hawkins.) Around this time, the Disney studio wanted to sign Fraser up for two or three films (recognizing his tremendous talent), but his mother vetoed the idea in favor of concentrating on his education. A noble ideal on the part of his mother to be sure, but oh what could have been. We can only image what other great works Fraser could have accomplished! Fraser displayed a strong and appealing personality in his films and an intensity most actors never achieve. He possessed that rare quality known as "stage presence"; that quality which only legendary stars have. Had he gone on to make more motion pictures, he could have achieved legendary status.