Children stars are usually seen as national sweethearts and when they are part of a long-running television show, their fans get to watch them grow. One of such child stars was Sawyer Sweeten who was part of the regular cast of the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005. His time on the show is what he is mostly remembered for as he died a few years after his career was beginning to expand and grow. We explore the years which Sawyer Sweeten was alive.
Sawyer Sweeten Biography
On the 12th of May in 1995, Sawyer Storm Sweeten was born as a twin (his twin brother is named Sullivan) to Timothy and Elizabeth Sweeten. When the twins were just six months old, the family moved from Brownwood, Texas where the boys were born to California. Barely a year later, Elizabeth Sweeten took her boys for an audition and they got their first role on TV, alongside their sister.
It is not known if Sawyer attended high school, as most of his childhood and teenage years were spent creating the television show Everybody Loves Raymond. During his time on the show, he played as Geoffrey Barone – one of the sons of Raymond and his wife Debra Barone, while his elder sister, Madilyn played the role of Alexandra Barone, the elder sister to the boys.
In the pilot episode, Sawyer’s character was named Gregory and that of his brother Matthew, however, both roles, upon the beginning of the show were changed to Geoffrey and Michael respectively. When the show began on the 13th of September in 1996, they were just part of the recurring cast, but as they grew older they became frequent members of the show which ended on the 16th of May 2005 after about a decade.
The other appearances Sawyer Sweeten had on TV was in the Disney Channel show Even Stevens where he appeared in the fifth episode of the first season in 2000 playing the character Milton. His only time in a movie was in the 2002 comedy Frank McKlusky, where he played the role of a young Frank McKlusky. Before his death, the actor lived in Riverside California in a house he owned with Sullivan his brother.
Siblings
In addition to his twin brother Sullivan and his older sister Madylin Stevens, Sawyer Sweeten had 6 other siblings. He and his twin were the second-born children of their parents.
His other siblings include are Emma, Maysa, Gulliana, Elliette, Jaymeson, and Claudia. Besides himself, his older sister, Madylin, was the only other popular one among his siblings. She had begun acting at the age of 6 and while on Everybody Loves Raymond, she accepted other acting jobs.
She has appeared in mostly independently released films and feature films, however, her best-recognized role remains that of Ally Barone. Madylin continues to build her career appearing mostly TV shows and TV films, among them, Grey’s Anatomy and Lucifer. She has produced and written a handful of short films including Wedding Frisk (2014) and Mommy (2015).
Cause of Death
Unfortunately, Sawyer Sweeten took his own life by shooting himself at the head on the 23rd of April in 2015, at the age of nineteen. Following a period of going missing, authorities found his dead body after which his death was ruled as suicide.
The tragic occurrence sent shock waves around Hollywood as many stars especially his co-stars on Everybody Loves Raymond took turns to share condolence and tributes. His onscreen father, described him as a delightful kid while his onscreen mother, said he had gone far too soon referring to the brightness he exuded in his childhood and on his time during the show.
It was his sister, Madilyn who confirmed the news of his passing by suicide in a press release. She asked that the family be afforded some privacy and urged everyone to reach out to their loved ones. His mother spoke on his death and how he showed signs before his passing. His funeral was attended by 200 guests, an event his mother stated she never wanted to experience again.
Net Worth
Sweeten Sawyer would have most likely gone ahead to be one of Hollywood’s most admired stars but unfortunately, death truncated his very bright future. Being that he was in his early adulthood when he died, it is almost impossible to determine how much he was worth as his parents managed his finances for the most part of his career.
