Eliza Hutton is a casting director who did extensive work in Hollywood in the 90s. But she is better known as the fiancée of actor Brandon Lee, Bruce Lee’s charismatic son before his tragic demise in 1993.
Who is Eliza Hutton?
Eliza Hutton was born in 1964 in Kansas City, Missouri. There is no information about her early life and education. Her first work in the film industry began in 1988 as an assistant to director Renny Harlin, who is known for successful films such as Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) and Cliffhanger (1993). In 1991 she worked as a dramaturge for Stillwater productions, a company of the British-Canadian actor, producer, and director Kiefer Sutherland. She has also worked for several other foundry and production companies.
Hutton first met Brandon Lee, son of legendary movie star and martial artist Bruce Lee, in 1990 when he was working on a job with director Harlin. The duo began meeting, and in October 1992 they were engaged after Brandon had suggested while they were on a trip to Europe promoting his film Rapid Fire (1992). The couple already had their romantic dream wedding plans under control, but their hopes and Brandon’s trajectory to fame were tragically shortened in 1993 on the set of the gothic comic film The Crow. Brandon, unfortunately, died on March 31, 1993, in Wilmington, North Carolina, while shooting a scene from the film when a false ball accidentally hit his belly and was in his spine. Young Brandon died 12 hours after the shot. He was only 28 years old.
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Despite the events that led to Lee’s death, his mother and Eliza Hutton supported the completion of the film. Hutton, however, requested stricter weapons regulations for film sets to avoid such tragedies in the future, as the cause of her fiancé’s death was her own. Moreover, after completion, the film was dedicated to Crow Hutton and Brandon. A weapons security program was also set up on Brandon’s behalf to train actors on weapons security and film set regulations. She also fought for the producers of the film to donate part of the film’s marketing sales to the security program.
Where Is She Now, Is She Dating Anyone?
Because after Brandon’s death, Hutton retained a very low profile. Although she continued her casting work, she put her career on the ice and moved to New York in 1994, probably to mourn, but finally returned to Los Angeles four years later.
In recent years, she has volunteered for the welfare of children. Together with some charities in Los Angeles, she spends time researching and working for abused and neglected children, especially for the safe care and housing of people who do not live in foster homes.
Hutton, who currently lives in Los Angeles, later married another man in 2004. Although she has been less active in the film industry in recent years, in 2011 she worked as a crew assistant to Kiefer Sutherland in the series The Confession.
About Brandon Lee – Life and Legacy
Brandon Lee was born on February 1, 1965, in Oakland, California, the son of Linda Emery, a teacher, and Bruce Lee, the famous martial artist, and actor. Brandon grew up and lived in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. Unfortunately, his father Bruce Lee died mysteriously of brain edema in 1973, when Brandon was eight years old. After that, his family finally settled in Seattle.
Brandon attended Chadwick School and Bishop Montgomery High School both in Los Angeles. He later studied theater at Emerson College, Boston, Massachusetts, but soon moved to New York, where he enrolled for acting classes at the famous Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute. Brandon finally moved back to Los Angeles in 1985 to realize his acting dreams. Brandon Lee was best known for his roles in action thriller films such as Crime Killer, released in 1985, Kung Fu and Legacy of Rage, both released next year, the 1989 Laser Mission and More Popular, Rapid Fire (1992), and of course The Crow (1994), the infamous gothic film that ended his young life.
As mentioned earlier, Brandon met Eliza Hutton in 1990, and they were hired in 1992. The lovebirds were at the height of their wedding plans, scheduled for April 17, 1993, in Mexico, before Brandon’s life was unfortunately interrupted. On March 31, 1993, while working on the set of dark fantasy The Crow. He was accidentally killed by a fellow actor Michael Massee, who fired a falsely prepared prop cannon. Brandon Lee was immediately taken to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center and after 12 hours of intermittent surgery, the promising star actor, who was only 28 years old, was declared dead with Eliza Hutton at his side. He died of unstoppable internal bleeding caused by the failure of blood clotting.
As a result, investigations into the shooting were initiated and it was later classified as an accident, so no charges were filed. Although Brandon’s mother, Linda Cadwell, initially filed a civil suit against the producers of the film, it was later settled out of court. Brandon was buried next to his father Bruce Lee at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle. The Crow, finally released on May 1994, was dedicated to Brandon Lee and Eliza Hutton.
