Career
He was the most popular male child singer during the 1930s and reached major popularity with film and radio appearances. He made his professional debut at age four in a night club in Toronto and was an immediate sensation. He made his radio debut soon after.
Breen went to Hollywood in 1935.
His first major appearance was on Eddie Cantor"s weekly radio show in 1936, and he soon became the leading child star at Radio-Keith-Orpheum Radio Pictures. He is best remembered today for his films, and for the fact that he was a boy soprano.
His first film was Let"s Sing Again (1936), followed by eight more, including Rainbow on the River (1936), Make a Wish (1937), Hawaii Calls (1938), Way Down South (1939), and his last film, Johnny Doughboy (1942). He was Radio-Keith-Orpheum"s biggest child star at this time and, while he played the leading part, his co-stars included famous actors like Basil Rathbone, Alan Mowbray, Charlie Ruggles, May Robson and Dolores Costello.
He continued working as a singer in nightclubs and a musical performer in stock theatre, later serving as a guest pianist for the National Broadcasting Company Symphony Orchestra on radio, and hosting a local television show in New New York
He also recorded briefly for the Motown label, singing on two singles and an unreleased album in 1964. In 1953, Breen appeared on American Broadcasting Company"s reality show, The Comeback Story, to explain how his career nose-dived as he entered his teen years and how he fought to recover. Bobby married Jocelyn Lesh and had a son, Hunter Keith Breen in 1954.
Breen lives today with his family in Tamarac, Florida and works as the owner/operator of Bobby Breen Enterprises, a local talent agency.
As of 2002, he even appeared sometimes as a singer at smaller concerts. Breen was one of the people represented on the cover of The Beatles" album Sergeant
Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Lenny Bruce mentioned Breen in his comedy routines "Hitler and the Master of Computer Applications" and "The Palladium".
