What Happened to Matthew Garber (Little Boy from Mary Poppins)?

Matthew Adam Garber (25 March 1956 – 13 June 1977) was the child actor who played Michael Banks in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins.
What did he do after Mary Poppins you ask? Well, he only acted in one more movie after that. Matthew Garber again paired up with Karen Dotrice (his sister from Mary Poppins, Jane Banks) in the 1967 Disney movie, The Gnome-Mobile. They played the grandchildren of a rich lumber mogul (that's original) who stumble across a gnome forest and are asked to help keep the gnomes from dying off.

Well, if he didn't act, what happened to him then? I'm glad you asked. On June 13, 1977, Garber died of hemorrhagic necrotising pancreatitis at the age of 21. How did this happen? Well, he contracted hepatitis. According to Fergus Garber, Matthew Garber's younger brother (by eight years), it was probably the result of eating "bad meat" while traveling in India in 1976. Apparently it had already spread to his pancreas when their father brought Garber back to England the following year.

Farewell sweet prince, we barely knew thee. Next time, eat the fish.

(Source)

16 comments:

  1. I found on-line that Matthew Garber Died on 13 June, 1977 from hemorrhagic necrotising pancreatitis. On Wikipedia.

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  2. just watching mary poppins and thought id look up the cast, didnt know matthew garber had died, how tragic and at 21 to.

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  3. I don't know why Matthew had to die and why couldn't he keep living,he could have least started a family.

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  4. My name is Matthew and my birthday is the 13/6/77!

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  5. Watching the movie now :-)
    Always remember a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down. RIP Matthew

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  6. Always taught he looked jaundiced in Mary Poppins poor lad

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  7. What A sad state of affairs to die of eating some tainted meat. Poor lad.Definitely gone too soon. Makes me never want to eat meat ever again. I have had food poisoning before and I felt as if I were dying.

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  8. The writer and editor should be ashamed for the last sentence in this story. Nasty sarcasm bastardizing the memory of this human being to make a joke at the expense of a misfortune which brought death surely adds to both of your karma. Karma. Something India is known much better for than its fish or meat.

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    1. Well said, it was a cheap shop at trying to be funny, failed miserably!

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    2. Yes I agree!!! The joke was disrespectfulling appalling!!!!

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  9. That is so sad. I thought he was a very good actor and its sad that he is dead. He will be greatly missed by me cause I loved him a lot. I wanted to meet him when I waz older but life does go on. xxx

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  10. Like this guy,just a month before he died,he loaned me a couple of cigarettes

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  11. Just watched Mary Poppins. Such a shock to lose such a sweet actor at such a young age. So so sad

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  12. Matthew Garber was also in "The Three Lives of Thomasina" with Karen Dotrice. I just loved those two growing up and own all three of the movies they were in together and watch them now with my grandchildren.

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