Hal Scardino

This talented child actor made his debut in the acclaimed drama "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993) playing Morgan, a seven-year-old chess prodigy friend of the protagonist. Scardino graduated to starring in his next feature, the superior children's fantasy, "The Indian in the Cupboard" (1995). As Omri, he was a bright, sensitive youngster who learns some valuable life lessons from a three-inch tall toy Indian brought magically to life by an old wooden cupboard. Avoiding the self-consciousness and preciousness that afflicts many child performers, Scardino proved both likable and believable. His achievement becomes even more impressive when one considers that Scardino and his Native American co-star acted face-to-face in only one scene. For the most part, they were on separate soundstages. Consequently the young actor had to pretend to react to a tiny Indian that was actually added to the scenes in post-production. He followed up with a supporting turn as the younger son of Meryl Streep in "Marvin's Room" (1996). Despite his success, Scardino's family has asked him to concentrate on his education in lieu of pursuing an acting career.