The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was an incredibly popular sitcom in the 90s. Don DeFore, who played Thorny Thornbury. A co-star in hot sitcom, he could have been set maintaining the role. At the height of the show's popularity, however, he left.
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This may seem like a ludicrous decision, and in most cases, it would be. The motivation for leaving was the desire to catch an even bigger fish. After five years, Don DeFore and his agent believed they could score a bigger gig.
Ron DeFore, Don's son, told Fox News Digital, "he and his agent felt, 'hey, you've done your dues. You've paid your dues. You're good enough now. Let's shop around for your own show where you can be the main star.'"
And that he did. Although it didn't pay off initially, he got a surprise call from an unexpected fan.
Don Defore Left Ozzie and Harriet Sitcom For A Bigger Role
Don DeFore was playing in one of the first next-door-neighbour roles as Thornbury. When he left the show, however, he managed to score two pilots. Unfortunately for DeFore, they were never a hit.
As one door closes, another opens, as the adage goes. Although his pilots were never successful, he became the President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1954. Shorty after, he got a call from Walt Disney.
This began a long-lasting relationship between Don Defore and Walt Disney. Disney invited his whole family to the opening of Disneyland in 1995. Ron, his son, says that, "Disneyland was our backyard." They would visit almost every weekend and spend weeks there at a time during the summer.
So although DeFore didn't get the big role he wanted when taking the risk to leave Ozzie and Harriet, he did get even bigger opportunities. He would go on to live an extremely full and eventful life. From acting, to Disneyland, to politics, he became a very accomplished man.
He passed away at the age of 80 in 1993 with around 800 pages of an unfinished manuscript about his life. Ron, his son, took it upon them to pen "Growing Up In Disneyland Second Edition." This book is an account of his life and includes his father's manuscript.
