To the young male actors in his retinue in Santa Barbara in the 1970s, Gary Goddard was an exalted figure. A successful former theater prodigy, Goddard returned through his 20s to direct and mentor child actors in his hometown, vowing to bring the most talented with him to Hollywood. He attracted a constant orbit of devoted boys others referred to as the Goddardites.
But the seemingly idyllic setting of privilege and promise had a dark edge for several members of the theater group. Four decades later, many of them say they have been haunted by their encounters with Goddard.
Since actor Anthony Edwards wrote in an online essay last month that Goddard sexually abused him as a pubescent actor in Santa Barbara, seven others from the theater group told the Los Angeles Times that their former mentor molested or attempted to molest them as boys.
They describe Goddards advances as ranging from straying hands on thighs during lulls in a production or fondling in a darkened Disneyland ride, to repeated incidents of sexual abuse during a troupes overnight stays in a statewide tour. In addition, Edwards and another former theater student said in interviews that a classmate who has since died, Scott Drnavich, told them that he was sexually assaulted by Goddard as a boy.
Goddard, 65, has led an eclectic and lucrative career directing, producing and writing in Hollywood and on Broadway, and as a designer of theme parks and other attractions. He declined to be interviewed. His publicist, Sam Singer, disputed the allegations, which he said were full of innuendo and hearsay.
If it were possible to prove a negative, Mr. Goddard would debate these 40-year-old allegations, Singer said, but instead would only categorically deny their veracity.
Goddards accusers have gone on to achieve success in Hollywood and other industries, but they say they have grappled with the psychological aftershocks of his alleged abuse. Their personal sagas have involved therapy, tearful revelations to others and dramatic confrontations with the man they once revered.
This is a man whos attracted to little boys, and attracted in the sickest way, said Edwards, an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor known for roles in Top Gun and ER. This is not love, this is not friendship what he was doing. It is a horror because it is manipulating young hearts and minds.
Mark Driscoll, left, Anthony Edwards and Bret Nighman this month. Each has accused Gary Goddard of molestation when they were child actors in Santa Barbara. (Courtesy of Bret Nighman)
The Lost Boys
For decades, the seaside hamlet about 100 miles north of Los Angeles was a surprisingly busy incubator for Hollywood talent. Goddard, who graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1970, acted in and directed student productions with budding stars such as Timothy Bottoms, who along with his three brothers went on to film and television fame.
Goddard, a Disney geek whose mother made sandwiches at the local deli, was on an early similar track to success. He majored in theater, dance and film at the California Institute of the Arts before landing a role at Walt Disney Imagineering, the companys vaunted theme park design group, in 1976.
He continued to stay involved in Santa Barbara, directing youth productions including Oliver! and Jesus Christ Superstar.
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