Brandon Kleyla
- Actor
- Director
- Editor
Ever since the 1984 film "Ghostbusters", Brandon Kleyla knew what he
wanted to do: act. He first professional job came in 1991 when he was
in a local theater production of "Evita". That winter, he went on to
portray "Tiny Tim" in "A Christmas Carol" and "Jacob Rothchild" in "The
Rothchilds." He soon signed with The Christensen Group talent agency in
Winter Park, Florida. From then on, he worked regularly at Nickelodeon
Studios in Orlando on such projects as the pilot episode of "Gullah
Gullah Island", "Nick News", and "All That." He landed his first film
role in the 1995 hit NOW AND THEN, starring Demi Moore, where Brandon
plays "Bobby Fricker, " a character that was originally dropped from
the script but later restored just for him. While filming NOW AND THEN
in Savannah, Brandon worked with Christina Ricci, Gaby Hoffmann, Thora
Birch & Ashleigh Aston Moore. A few months after filming NOW AND THEN,
Brandon auditioned for CHILDREN OF THE CORN - MILLENNIUM'S CHILD. Soon
after he auditioned, he found himself flying to Austin, Texas for
production. In the film, which is now known as CHILDREN OF THE CORN -
THE GATHERING, Brandon plays the very demon that Stephen King
originally created in his short story. In this film, Brandon worked
with the legendary Karen Black, Naomi Watts (Tank Girl), Samaria Graham
(NOTHING TO LOSE), Brent Jennings (ANOTHER 48 HRS.) and William Windom.
During filming, Brandon was turned over to the artists at Sota FX, who
transformed him into "Josiah", the amazing boy preacher who is
wrongfully murdered by the townspeople. After CHILDREN OF THE CORN -
THE GATHERING, Brandon and his family moved to Los Angeles where he
contacted Roy Knyrim at Sota FX, the studio that did his makeup in
"Corn" and started helping out around the shop. He soon was auditioning
for casting director Valorie Massalas for the film FATHER OF
FRANKENSTEIN (later retitled GODS AND MONSTERS) -- by coincidence Sota
FX was working on makeup effects for the film. Brandon went into his
audition not knowing that Valorie Massalas was also one of the casting
directors for one of his favorite films of all time, INDIANA JONES AND
THE LAST CRUSADE. Brandon says "If I had known that when I went in, I
probably would have made a real fool of myself." He went on to land the
role of "young James Whale, " in GODS AND MONSTERS. During the filming
of GODS AND MONSTERS, Brandon certainly did is part and more to help
with the production. In addition to playing the "young James Whale, "
he helped Sota FX with makeup. Very soon after wrapping production on
GODS AND MONSTERS, he was on his way to the El Rey Theater on Wilshire
Blvd. in Los Angeles to help out his friends Robert Bayer Burnett and
Mark A. Altman, by doing a small cameo in their film FREE ENTERPRISE
starring William Shatner. You can also see Brandon in a variety of
television commercials including "Got Milk -Monster Trapping" and
"Holiday Inn Express."