Don Marion Davis
Don Marion Davis | |
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Born |
Hollywood, California[1] | October 9, 1917
Occupation | Child actor |
Years active | 1919–1925 |
Don Marion Davis (born October 9, 1917), professionally known as Don Marion and also credited as John Henry, Jr. is an American former child actor who appeared in several feature films and shorts during the silent era. He was best known for appearances in comedy shorts.
He is one of the last surviving stars from Hollywood's Silent era.
Early life and career
He was born in Hollywood, California on October 9, 1917, to parents Henry G. Davis and Helen Davis.[2] He was discovered by Mack Sennett while he and his mother were visiting his comedian uncle Billy Armstrong in around 1919.[3][4]
In a 1920 article, he was described as one of the most famous child actors in the world.[3] While he mostly appeared in comedy shorts, his feature length films include Down on the Farm and A Small Town Idol.
Later life
After retiring from show business in 1925, he attended the University of Oregon and joined the U.S. Army in 1940, shortly prior to United States entering World War II. After the war, he remained with the American military and held various positions in different countries, such as South Africa and South Korea.[5]
As of May 2017, he resides in Tucson, Arizona.[6]
He was falsely reported as having died on March 2, 2012, in the 2013 book Obituaries in the Performing Arts, published by McFarland & Company and authored by Harris M. Lentz.[7]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1919 | Back to the Kitchen | The Baby |
His Last False Step | Minor role | |
1920 | The Star Boarder | The boarding house owner's son |
Down on the Farm | The Baby | |
Let 'er Go | The country girl's little brother | |
By Golly! | Minor role | |
Married Life | Child | |
The Quack Doctor | The rich father's son | |
It's a Boy | The child | |
Bungalow Troubles | The son | |
1921 | A Small Town Idol | Baby |
The Unhappy Finish | ||
Made in the Kitchen | The Son | |
Officer Cupid | The cook's son | |
Astray from the Steerage | The immigrant child | |
The Love Egg | ||
Wanted, a Girl | ||
A Rural Cinderella | ||
1922 | Bow Wow | The country girl's baby brother |
1923 | Jealous Husbands | Little boy |
1925 | Percy | Percival Rogeen, as a boy |
The Golden Princess | Tennessee Hunter (age 10) | |
The Golden Bed [5] |
References
- ↑ "Amusements". Kansas City Kansan. December 27, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Two Sennett Comedies". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 1919. p. 43. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- 1 2 "World Famous Youngsters in the Public Eye". The Ithaca Journal. September 9, 1920. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Among the Movie Stars". The Salina Evening Journal. January 1, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- 1 2 Walker, Brent E. (2013). Mack Sennett's Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786477111.
- ↑ "Tucson's centenarians are an optimistic, active and growing group". Tucson.com. May 5, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ↑ Lentz, Harris M. (2013). Obituaries in the performing arts, 2012. McFarland (April 24, 2013). p. 183. ISBN 978-0786470631.
Bibliography
- John Holmstrom, The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 81.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Don Marion. |
- Don Marion on IMDb
- Don Marion at the American Film Institute