George "Georgie" Elmer Denbrough is a fictional character created by
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
from his 1986 epic horror novel ''
It''. Georgie is the younger brother of
Bill Denbrough
William "Bill" Denbrough is a fictional character created by Stephen King and the main protagonist of his 1986 novel '' It''. The character is considered to be the leader of "The Losers Club" and initiates finding and killing Pennywise the Danc ...
, and falls prey to
Pennywise the Clown. He is used by Pennywise to taunt Bill throughout the novel. Georgie is portrayed by
Tony Dakota
Tony Dakota (born 1982) is an American actor known for his roles as Clavo on the television series ''21 Jump Street'' and Georgie Denbrough in the 1990 television mini-series version of Stephen King's epic horror novel '' It''.Holloway, Diane (18 ...
in the
1990 TV miniseries adaptation and by
Jackson Robert Scott in the theatrical film series. Dakota also reprised his role for a 2019 short fan film based on the 1990 TV miniseries adaptation of the novel, titled ''Georgie'', which shows a "What If" scenario if Georgie had survived his encounter with Pennywise. He returns in the 1998 TV series, where he is portrayed by Prashant Rane.
Fictional character biography
George Elmer Denbrough (also known as "Georgie") was born on September 18, 1951 (1954 in the 1990 TV miniseries and 1981/1982 in the 2017 theatrical film adaptation) to Zack and Sharon Denbrough and is the younger brother of
Bill Denbrough
William "Bill" Denbrough is a fictional character created by Stephen King and the main protagonist of his 1986 novel '' It''. The character is considered to be the leader of "The Losers Club" and initiates finding and killing Pennywise the Danc ...
. Georgie has a very positive relationship with his older brother, considering him to be his best friend.
Encounter with Pennywise
On one October night in 1957 (1959/1960 in the 1990 TV miniseries and 1988 in the theatrical film series), Georgie makes a paper boat with his older brother on a rainy day. Bill is too sick to accompany Georgie outside, so he helps him make the boat and sends him on his way. The boat ends up falling down a storm drain, much to Georgie's dismay. Georgie then encounters an evil clown monster (called "Pennywise") in the storm drain (who offers him a red balloon) and tells him about how people float down in the sewers. Pennywise offers Georgie his boat back, but when Georgie attempts to reach out to it, Pennywise grabs Georgie's right arm and bites it off, leaving Georgie to bleed to death in the rain. In the theatrical film series, Georgie is instead dragged down the sewers by Pennywise, after his right arm is dismembered by the latter, calling Bill's name as no one hears.
Being used by Pennywise
Not long after his death, Georgie's appearance would be utilized by Pennywise to taunt and provoke Bill. While this aspect of the novel is not represented in the 1990 TV miniseries, Georgie appears to Bill several times throughout the theatrical film series.
Adaptations
1990 TV miniseries
Georgie Denbrough was portrayed by
Tony Dakota
Tony Dakota (born 1982) is an American actor known for his roles as Clavo on the television series ''21 Jump Street'' and Georgie Denbrough in the 1990 television mini-series version of Stephen King's epic horror novel '' It''.Holloway, Diane (18 ...
in the
1990 TV miniseries adaptation. This iteration remains faithful to the source material, however, Georgie is killed by Pennywise off-screen.
Theatrical film series

Georgie Denbrough was portrayed by
Jackson Robert Scott in the
2017 film adaptation of the King novel as well as its
2019 sequel. This adaptation of the character features the onscreen demise of Georgie as well as showing more of Pennywise using Georgie to affect Bill psychologically. Behind the scenes of the 2017 film, the young actor stated that he was not afraid of
Bill Skarsgård
Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (; born 9 August 1990) is a Swedish actor. He is known for portraying Pennywise in the horror films '' It'' (2017) and ''It Chapter Two'' (2019). Other horror appearances were in the series '' Hemlock Grove'' (2 ...
as Pennywise and formed a bond with the actor. Scott's performance as Georgie was acclaimed by fans and critics.
Death and controversy
The violent nature of Georgie's death (in the
2017 film adaptation of ''It'') received a polarizing response from some critics. While most people felt that the graphic nature of Georgie's death was necessary to show the danger of Pennywise, some viewers felt that Pennywise ripping a child's arm off and watching him attempt to crawl away was "downright disturbing" and "too graphic".
2019 short fan film
Georgie Denbrough is the main character of ''Georgie'', a 2019 short fan film based on the 1990 TV miniseries adaptation of the novel, with
Tony Dakota
Tony Dakota (born 1982) is an American actor known for his roles as Clavo on the television series ''21 Jump Street'' and Georgie Denbrough in the 1990 television mini-series version of Stephen King's epic horror novel '' It''.Holloway, Diane (18 ...
reprising his role as the title character. This short fan film shows an undead adult Georgie (being resurrected through drawing). This is the only adaptation to show Georgie as an adult.
Analysis
Throughout the novel and theatrical film series, Pennywise uses the "ghost of Georgie" to play on Bill's survivor's guilt. This is further explored in ''
It Chapter Two
''It Chapter Two'' is a 2019 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman. It is the sequel to '' It'' (2017) and the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel '' It'' by Stephen Ki ...
'' (where Bill blames himself for Georgie's death), exemplified in a scene in which the adult Bill returns to the storm drain where Georgie was murdered. The scene progresses into a flashback where Pennywise's disembodied voice taunts Bill for not being present with Georgie when he died. The adult Bill struggles with
post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...
(due to Georgie's death) and attempts to prevent Pennywise from killing another young boy (to no avail). Georgie has also been seen as an interpretation of the way children are lured by predators, notably seen in Georgie's encounter with Pennywise at the storm drain.
In popular culture
The character has also been referenced many times in different forms of media. He is mentioned numerous times by American heavy metal and metallic hardcore band
Ice Nine Kills
Ice Nine Kills is an American heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts, who are signed to Fearless Records. Best known for its horror-inspired lyrics, Ice Nine Kills formed in its earliest incarnation in 2000 by high school friends Spenc ...
in their 2019 song "It Is The End" (which is based upon and inspired by the
2017 film adaptation of the novel). The song is from the band's fifth studio album ''
The Silver Scream'' (in which all the songs are inspired by horror films). The scene where Georgie meets Pennywise (in the 1990 TV miniseries adaptation of the novel) has become an internet meme depicting Pennywise attempting to coerce Georgie to come down to the sewers with different things. Georgie was also referenced in King's novel ''
11/22/63
''11/22/63'' is a novel by American author Stephen King about a time traveler who attempts to prevent the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy, which occurred on November 22, 1963 (the novel's titular date). It is the 60th b ...
''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denbrough, Georgie
It (novel)
Stephen King characters
Child characters in film
Literary characters introduced in 1986
Fictional characters from Maine
Fictional ghosts
Fictional murdered children
Horror television characters