Christian Juttner obit

Christian Juttner, Young Actor in ‘Return From Witch Mountain’ and ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand,’ Dies at 60

His credits also included Irwin Allen’s ‘The Swarm’ and episodes of ‘The Bionic Woman’ and ‘The Magical World of Disney.’ 

He was not on the list.

Christian Juttner, a child actor in the 1970s who appeared in the films Return From Witch Mountain, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and The Swarm and on several TV shows, has died. He was 60.

Juttner died Nov. 29 of natural causes at his home in Yucca Valley, California, his daughter Aidan Juttner told The Hollywood Reporter.

Return From Witch Mountain, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and The Swarm appeared in theaters within five months of one another in 1978.

He portrayed Dazzler, one of the truants known as the Earthquake Gang, in the sequel Return From Witch Mountain, and in I Wanna Hold Your Hand, the feature directorial debut of Robert Zemeckis, he was the boy with a Beatles-style haircut who is determined to see the Fab Four perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.

And in the Irwin Allen-directed disaster film The Swarm, Juttner portrayed a kid who suffers from hallucinations of giant bees attacking him — his folks had just been killed by bees, after all.

Christian John Juttner was born in Pomona, California, on May 20, 1964. His father, John, was an entrepreneur who owned a beauty salon, an art gallery and, on the island of St. Croix, a commercial glass business.

His mom, Marlene, got him interested in acting, and he had his first onscreen credit on a 1972 episode of ABC’s Bewitched.

On the first season (1976-77) of The Bionic Woman, another ABC series, Juttner recurred as one of Jaime Sommers’ (Lindsay Wagner) students at the Ventura Air Force Base.

He also appeared on seven installments of The Magical World of Disney, a pair of ABC Afterschool Specials and installments of Emergency!, The Rookies, Ironside, Medical Center, Wonder Woman, Lou Grant and Alice.

He attended Birmingham High School in the San Fernando Valley, worked with his dad in St. Croix and after returning to Southern California, had his own glassworks business. He also dabbled in special effects makeup.

In addition to his mother and Aidan, survivors include his ex-wife, Ann; another daughter, Ryan; son Lucas; and sister Shelley.

Actor

Finola Hughes, Maurice Benard, Steve Burton, Genie Francis, Kelly Monaco, Laura Wright, Donnell Turner, Tanisha Harper, Josh Kelly, Eden McCoy, Josh Swickard, and Tabyana Ali in General Hospital (1963)

General Hospital

6.6

TV Series

Teddy

1981

1 episode

 

Walt Disney in The Magical World of Disney (1954)

The Magical World of Disney

8.4

TV Series

Cadet Captain Hubert Fletcher

Timmy

Benjy ...

1974–1980

7 episodes

 

The Ghosts of Buxley Hall (1980)

The Ghosts of Buxley Hall

5.6

TV Movie

Cadet Captain Hubert Fletcher

1980

 

Polly Holliday, Beth Howland, and Linda Lavin in Alice (1976)

Alice

6.9

TV Series

Billy

1980

1 episode

 

Pernell Roberts in Trapper John, M.D. (1979)

Trapper John, M.D.

6.6

TV Series

Teenage Boy

1979

1 episode

 

Edward Asner in Lou Grant (1977)

Lou Grant

7.3

TV Series

Michael

1979

1 episode

 

Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda, Michael Caine, Richard Chamberlain, Patty Duke, José Ferrer, Slim Pickens, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Bradford Dillman, Lee Grant, Ben Johnson, and Fred MacMurray in The Swarm (1978)

The Swarm

4.5

Paul Durant

1978

 

Nancy Allen, Eddie Deezen, Theresa Saldana, and Wendie Jo Sperber in I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

6.8

Peter Plimpton

1978

 

Bette Davis, Christopher Lee, Kim Richards, and Ike Eisenmann in Return from Witch Mountain (1978)

Return from Witch Mountain

5.7

Dazzler

1978

 

The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance (1978)

The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance

7.8

TV Movie

Timmy

1978

 

ABC Afterschool Specials (1972)

ABC Afterschool Specials

7.1

TV Series

Hollis

Mouse

1974–1977

2 episodes

 

The New Mickey Mouse Club (1977)

The New Mickey Mouse Club

7.1

TV Series

Chris Hollister

1977

1 episode

 

Jean Marie Hon and Terry Lester in Ark II (1976)

Ark II

6.8

TV Series

Ben

1976

1 episode

 

Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman (1975)

Wonder Woman

7.0

TV Series

Tommy

1976

1 episode

 

The Bionic Woman (1976)

The Bionic Woman

6.7

TV Series

Teddy

1976

4 episodes

 

James Daly in Medical Center (1969)

Medical Center

7.1

TV Series

Luke

1976

1 episode

 

Christian Juttner in The Boy Who Talked to Badgers (1975)

The Boy Who Talked to Badgers

5.3

TV Movie

Benjy

1975

 

S.W.A.T. (1975)

S.W.A.T.

6.7

TV Series

Billy Farris

1975

1 episode

 

Journey from Darkness (1975)

Journey from Darkness

8.3

TV Movie

Danny (age 8)

1975

 

Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)

Ironside

6.9

TV Series

Joey

Eddie

1971–1974

2 episodes

 

Return of the Big Cat (1974)

Return of the Big Cat

7.6

TV Movie

Leroy McClaren

1974

 

Kate Jackson, Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, and Michael Ontkean in The Rookies (1972)

The Rookies

6.8

TV Series

Todd Page (as Christian Jutner)

1974

1 episode

 

The Healers (1974)

The Healers

6.6

TV Movie

Vince Kier

1974

 

Emergency! (1972)

Emergency!

7.9

TV Series

Frankie Stewart

1972

1 episode

 

Elizabeth Montgomery, Agnes Moorehead, and Dick York in Bewitched (1964)

Bewitched

7.6

TV Series

Robert

1972

1 episode

 

Self

Making the 'Return' Trip

7.2

Video

Self - 'Dazzler'

2003

 

Kim Richards and Ike Eisenmann in The Blair Witch Mountain Project (2002)

The Blair Witch Mountain Project

5.8

Short

Self

2002

 

Archive Footage

The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue (1985)

The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue

8.7

Video

Dazzler (archive footage)

1985

 

Irwin Allen and Marneen Fields in Inside 'the Swarm' (1978)

Inside 'the Swarm'

5.2

TV Movie

Paul Durant (archive footage, uncredited)

1978