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Corey Haim

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A screenshot of a young Corey Haim in the 1988 film Watchers

Corey Ian Haim (born December 23, 1971) is a Canadian actor, best known for a 1980's Hollywood career as a teen idol.

Haim reached peak popularity in the late 1980s, releasing The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream. His friendship and on-screen collaboration with actor Corey Feldman was widely publicized, and they were dubbed "the two Coreys".

Haim's career took a different direction in the 1990s, releasing numerous direct-to-video films and having an on-going battle with drugs as well as numerous problems in his personal and professional life.

In August 2001, Haim suffered a drug induced stroke and briefly fell into a coma. After being in and out of rehab fifteen times, Haim has since 2004 beaten his drug addiction. His fall from stardom is considered a textbook case of a child star losing his way when entering adulthood.

Early life

Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to Bernie Haim (a Francophone Jewish Canadian sales representative) and Judy (an Israeli-born computer operator). Haim was enlisted in acting lessons by his mother in an attempt to help him overcome his shyness. Haim, not particularly fascinated by acting, practiced other hobbies such as ice hockey, playing music on his keyboard and collecting comic books.

It was actually his older sister, Carol, who got him initially interested in the notion of acting. She brought him along when auditioning for a film role. At a young age, Haim would appear in several television commercials. At 11, his parents divorced after 18 years of marriage.

Career

Early success

Haim first broke into mainstream acting playing the role of Larry in the Canadian family oriented comedy television series, The Edison Twins, which ran from 1982 through until 1986. Haim made his first theatrical appearance in the 1984 film, Firstborn, which also starred now well-known actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.

In 1985, Haim appeared in minor roles in Secret Admirer and Murphy's Romance (as Sally Field's son), and starred in the leading role in a film version of Stephen King's novella, Silver Bullet, playing a a paralytic boy alongside actor Gary Busey. Haim started to make a name for himself in the industry, earning critical acclaim and his first Young Artist Award as an Exceptional Young Actor Starring in a Television Special or Movie of the Week for the television movie A Time to Live.

Haim's major break was in 1986, billed as the main star alongside Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen and Winona Ryder in the popular film Lucas. Haim would receive a nomination for an Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Starring in a Feature Film - Comedy or Drama at the Young Artist Awards for his role as the title character. Film critic Roger Ebert raved about Haim's performance, commenting that he creates one of the most three-dimensional, complicated, interesting characters of any age in any recent movie. If he can continue to act this well, he will never become a half-forgotten child star, but will continue to grow into an important actor. He is that good.[1] Following the success of Lucas, Haim starred in the 1987 television series, Roomies.

Teenage idol

File:Corey Haim Corey Feldman Dream a Litttle Dream.jpg
Haim and Feldman formed the popular duo The two Coreys, seen here in Dream a Little Dream

Haim had a large role in Joel Schumacher's vampire film, The Lost Boys, alongside Jason Patric and Keifer Sutherland. The film, which made $32,222,567 domestically, was well received and Haim, as well as gaining more renown, formed his famous acting partnership with fellow actor Corey Feldman. Haim also earned another Young Artist Award nomination as Best Young Male Superstar in Motion Pictures.

In 1988, Haim starred in two more widely released films, License to Drive, a financially successful teen comedy (co-starring Corey Feldman and Heather Graham) and the horror film Watchers, which was a financial disappointment. Haim won his second Young Artist Award, tying Corey Feldman for the Best Young Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Fantasy award. The pair of Feldman and Haim had become teen successes.

In 1989, Haim appeared in the film Dream a Little Dream, once again co-starring with Feldman. The film received mostly negative reviews and grossed only $5,552,441, notably less than Haim's previous affairs. That same year, amid much-publicized rumors of a serious drug problem, Haim released a self-promotional video documentary entitled Corey Haim: Me, Myself, and I in an attempt to challenge these rumors which were proving to be detrimental to his image and his creditability as a teenage role model. In the video he is shown taking part in wholesome family activities and discussing his career and ambitions.

Haim's last theatrical release was the film Prayer of the Rollerboys, which was released in only 60 theatres and had a low box office gross. His next film, The Dream Machine, was the first of many direct-to-video films that Haim would make in the 1990s. Haim dated several high-profile actresses during the 1990s, including Alyssa Milano (whom was seen with Haim as early as 1987), Nicole Eggert, Holly Fields, Victoria Beckham, and Cindy Guyer. He was briefly engaged to Eggert, Fields, and Guyer. Although he had a steady amount of low-budget work in the early to mid-1990s, drug addiction was beginning to seriously impede his career.

Career decline

As Haim's problems started to become more apparent, his career began a downward trajectory. He continued making straight-to-video films, including Blown Away (also starring Corey Feldman), The Double 0 Kid and Oh, What a Night. His Blown Away co-star and former girlfriend, Nicole Eggert, commented that Haim was so messed up on drugs that it would mean waiting hours between scenes. A four—week shoot turned into a couple of months [2]. In 1993, Haim was charged for pulling out a fake handgun during a dispute with his business manager. The charges were later reduced from felony to misdemeanor. Later that year he stared in a full motion video game called Double Switch, which was released for the Sega CD and later for the Sega Saturn, as well as for the home computer.

In 1996 Haim celebrated his engagement to Holly Fields, which did not last, as well as starring in four more direct-to-video films; Snowboard Academy, Busted with Corey Feldman, Demolition High and Fever Lake but further problems arose when he was sued by Lloyds of London for $375,000 after pulling out of the film Paradise Bar because of drug problems, which he had failed to mention on the insurance form. After releasing both Never Too Late and the sequel to Demolition High, Demolition University which he also produced, he filed for bankruptcy in 1997. According to the bankruptcy report, he had $100,000 outstanding to the IRS, $100,000 in debts, and his assets included $100 dollars cash, $750 dollars worth of clothing, a red 1987 BMW (as seen in Corey Haim: Me, Myself, and I), and a $31,000 pension fund.

In 1999, Haim was again involved in a controversy, as a string of allegations arose with then girlfriend Cindy Guyer, a former Playboy model, regarding harassment. Guyer personally wrote him a cheque to the sum of $2000 so he could check into the Betty Ford Clinic. Guyer would later comment, I paid to get this kid out of my life. He had a serious drug problem and was obsessed with me. Haim allegedly checked out after only one week which prompted Guyer to change her number and tell her doorman not to let him in. [3] Haim's film roles were scarce since 1997, and apart from playing a minor role in a television version of Merlin, Haim would not work as an actor again until 2000.

Current status

File:Corey Haim 2005.PNG
Haim in an interview on the DVD release of License to Drive in late 2004

Haim returned to the industry with a major role in another direct-to-video film, Without Malice, with Jennifer Beals and Craig Sheffer. The next year, he appeared in the film The Back Lot Murders alongside Priscilla Barnes. He became the subject of E! True Hollywood Story in 2001, which detailed the extent of his drug addiction. Corey Feldman, who had overcome his own drug habit, spoke of how he had tried to intervene with the troubled actor. At this stage, Haim was living with his mother in a sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment over a garage in Santa Monica. On August 10 2001, Haim suffered a drug induced stroke. He was found by his mother, who franticly called an ambulance. Haim was rushed to the UCLA medical center, where he briefly fell into a coma. A family friend would later comment that He looked like he was already dead by the time the ambulance got there. [4] He had to leave the hospital early because he had no health insurance. Haim's last major appearence was a cameo role in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. The film is about a former child star who did not live a normal childhood; it featured a range of other former child stars, including Haim's old friend Corey Feldman.

"I was working on The Lost Boys (1987) when I smoked my first joint. But a year before that, I was starting to drink beer on the set of the film Lucas (1986). I lived in Los Angeles in the '80s, which was not the best place to be. I did cocaine for about a year and a half, then it led to crack. I started on the downers which were a hell of a lot better than the uppers because I was a nervous wreck. But one led to two, two led to four, four led to eight, until at the end it was about 85 a day - the doctors could not believe I was taking that much. And that was just the valium - I'm not talking about the other pills I went through".

[5]

Having been in and out of rehab over fifteen times, Haim appeared to have finally gotten rid of his drug habit by 2004, after resettling in Toronto. The Irish band, The Thrills, released a single, Whatever happened to Corey Haim?, in September 2004. In response to an investigation by The Sun newspaper during the single's release into what exactly had happened to Haim, he responded: "I'm clean, sober, humble and happy". [6] Presently, he is renting an apartment in Toronto and working part-time at a record store. Haim, now in better shape, is optimistic about returning to the film industry.

Selected filmography

See full Haim filmography at IMDB
Year Title Role Other notes
1991 Fast Getaway Nelson direct-to-video release
1991 Prayer of the Rollerboys Griffin
1990 The Dream Machine Barry Davis direct-to-video release
1989 Dream a Little Dream Dinger
1988 Watchers Travis Cornell
1988 License to Drive Les Anderson
1987 The Lost Boys Sam Emerson
1986 Lucas Lucas
1985 Silver Bullet Marty Coslaw
1984 Firstborn Brian Livingston

Notes

  1. ^ Ebert, Roger. Roger Ebert review of Lucas. Chicago Sun-Times. March 28 1986. Retrieved December 25 2005.
  2. ^ Gutfield, Greg. Nicole Eggert interview. Stuff Magazine. February 20 2003. Retrieved December 25 2005.
  3. ^ BUSTY blond Playboy pinup claims that former teen idol Corey Haim... (reproduced). Enquirer Online. August 2001. Retrieved December 25 2005.
  4. ^ Shipp, Patricia. Lost Boys' star in coma after drug overdose (reproduced). Star Magazine. August 21 2001. Retrieved December 25 2005.
  5. ^ Corey Haim biography Teen Idols 4 You. Retrieved December 26 2005.
  6. ^ Corey Haim interview TheSun.co.uk. Retrieved January 18 2005.

References

See Also

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