Lorenzo Brino: What to Remember About His ‘7th Heaven’ Role

On Sunday, fans were devastated to learn that 7th Heaven star Lorenzo Brino had passed away at the age of 21. The young actor was known for playing the roles of Sam and David Camden on the show from the time he was an infant. There is a lot fans may not remember about the unique role.

Brino was killed in a car crash earlier this week, according to a report by TMZ. The actor lost control of his car — a Toyota Camry — and crashed into a pole. He was the only passenger and the only casualty.

Brino has been out of the entertainment industry for a while, but he is still remembered by fans as one half of the Camden twins. In Season 3 of the show, Annie Camden (Catherine Hicks) gave birth to two baby boys, Sam and David. As infants, they were played alternately by Brino and his siblings — quadruplets Lorenzo, Nikolas, Myrinda and Zachary.

According to the 7th Heaven wiki page on Fandom, the four real-life Brino quadruplets took turns playing the Camden twins on 7th Heaven, allowing them to rest and alternate more effectively. As they grew up, however, the Brinos began to look much different, and so Myrinda and Zachary bowed out of the show while Lorenzo and Nikolas stayed on as Sam and David, alternating the roles as needed.

The twins were born in Season 3, Episode 14 of 7th Heaven, titled “In Praise of Women.” It was the show’s most-watched episode ever, ending with Lucy Camden (Beverly Mitchell) singing the fussy twins and the rest of the family to sleep.

From there, the twins remained a source of mischief on the show, often pulling one over on family members who underestimated them. In Season 7, they stole money from most of their family members, and in Season 10 they tricked the whole family into sharing their personal secrets. In the final season, Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) even left his youngest sons home alone despite their young age, and the crafty twins made due.

Perhaps most importantly of all, the introduction of the twins allowed 7th Heaven to live up to its name. The series centered around a family of seven originally — Eric, Annie and their five children, but the twins made for an even seven siblings instead. With the exception of Lucy, all of the Camden kids are named after biblical figures, because Eric is a minister.

The role made Lorenzo Brino a beloved child star, but it remains his only profession credit on IMDb. Still, fans mourned for the actor online this weekend, as did his friends, colleagues and family.

“To my amazing and crazy brother. You might be gone but it’s true when people say ‘gone but never forgotten,’” his sister Mimi Bruno wrote on Instagram. “Saying that you were a blessing is an understatement. You brought light to so many lives and you did so much with the too short of a life that you had. I had the privilege of growing up side by side with you for an absolutely wild 21 years.”

7th Heaven is available to stream in full on Hulu.