Christian Juttner, Former Disney Child Star, Dead at 60

Christian Juttner, the former child actor who began his early career in Hollywood in the 1970s, has died. He was 60.

Juttner, who started working in TV several years before his starring role in Disney’s 1978 science fiction film Return From Witch Mountain, died while at his home in Yucca Valley, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2024. His daughter, Aidan Juttner, confirmed his passing in an article published by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, Jan. 15. She told the magazine that her father died of natural causes.

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Juttner was born in 1964 and began acting as a young child. He appeared in episodes of several TV shows in the early 1970s, including Bewitched, ABC Afterschool Specials, Wonder Woman and The Magical World of Disney.

In addition to playing Dazzler in the Escape to Witch Mountain sequel, Juttner starred in director Robert Zemeckis’ historical comedy I Wanna Hold Your Hand that same year. The two films became his best-known roles and two of his last, with Juttner ending his time in Hollywood shortly thereafter.

Not long after Juttner’s daughter announced his death, one of his former co-stars posted a touching tribute on Instagram. Ike Eisenmann, who played Tony Malone in Return From Witch Mountain, shared a photo of a young Juttner on the picture-sharing platform and wrote, “He was an incredible actor, and one of the nicest people I have ever met. RIP ‘Dazzler.’”

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A post shared by Ike Eisenmann (@ike_eisenmann)

Several fans left comments mourning Juttner’s death and shared their own memories of the late actor.

“I remember him from so many things.. especially The Bionic Woman series and of course your movie as well,” one Instagram user told Eisenmann. “I am so sorry for your loss and his families loss. Rest in Peace Christian Juttner.”

“The first thing I remember seeing him in was an Afterschool Special called ‘The Horrible Honchos’. Kim Richards was in that, too, about a year before ‘Return From Witch Mountain’. RIP My condolences to his family and friends. 🙏,” another fan shared.

“He was in one of my all time favorite movies – ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand,’” a third fan recalled before adding, “May he RIP.”

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