At the age of fourteen, Brandis was cast, in his first starring role, as Bastian Bux in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter. That same year, Brandis played the young “Stuttering Bill” Denbrough in the 1990 miniseries Stephen King’s It, alongside Tim Curry, based on the epic horror novel of the same name. Brandis’ performance in the film was lauded by critics and audiences. Brandis then appeared in Sidekicks, costarring with Chuck Norris, and in Ladybugs, with actor/comedian Rodney Dangerfield.

Jonathan Brandis was born in Danbury, Connecticut, the only child of Mary, a teacher and personal manager, and Gregory Brandis, a food distributor and firefighter. At the age of two, he began his career as a child model for Buster Brown shoes. At the age of four, Brandis began acting in television commercials. He attended Valley Professional School, graduating in 1993.

From 1995 to 1998, Brandis dated actress and singer Tatyana Ali. The then-couple appeared in an article in People magazine in July 1995.

After seaQuest DSV was canceled in 1996, Brandis appeared in the television film Her Last Chance, starring Kellie Martin. His next role was in the television film Born Free: A New Adventure. Shot in South Africa, the film also starred Chris Noth as Brandis’s character’s father. He continued his career in supporting roles in Outside Providence (1999), and Ride with the Devil (1999). In 2000, he costarred in Bad Girls from Valley High, which, because of distribution problems, was not released until 2005. Brandis had a small role in Hart’s War (2002). The following year, he was cast in 111 Gramercy Park, a pilot for ABC that was not picked up by the network. He made his final onscreen appearance in action drama Puerto Vallarta Squeeze, starring Harvey Keitel and Scott Glenn. That film was also released posthumously.

Brandis did not leave a suicide note. After his death, friends reported that he was depressed about his waning career, and was reportedly disappointed when his appearance in the 2002 war drama Hart’s War, a role he had hoped would revive his career, was significantly reduced in the film’s final cut. Brandis had begun drinking heavily and had said that he intended to kill himself.

On November 11, 2003, Brandis was found hanged in the hallway of his Los Angeles apartment. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and died the following day of injuries sustained from the hanging. He was 27 years old.