Former child actor with local ties reflects on film career, says it wasn't life he wanted - East Idaho News

WINDY WEATHER

Very strong winds, mountain snow expected as cold front moves through eastern Idaho

It's Worth Mentioning

Former child actor with local ties reflects on film career, says it wasn’t life he wanted

  Published at  | Updated at
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready ...

Stewart Petersen has no regrets living out of the spotlight.

The 64-year-old Cokeville, Wyoming man was cast as Billy Coleman in the 1974 film, “Where the Red Fern Grows.” He was only 13 at the time and went on to appear in half a dozen family-friendly films over the next six years. He left the film industry for good at that point.

RELATED | Former child actor with ties to eastern Idaho has no regrets living out of the spotlight

RELATED | Sculpture in downtown Idaho Falls pays tribute to popular children’s author who once lived here

In an interview with Rett Nelson on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” the former child actor says it was never his desire or intention to get into the film business, and it’s only through a family connection that he had the opportunity in the first place.

In this episode, Petersen shares how the opportunity came to him and his memories of working on “Red Fern” and other film projects. He also discusses his faith, unique ties to eastern Idaho and what he’s up to now.

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to Petersen, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Watch previous episodes here. If you have a topic or guest idea you’d like us to explore, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION