Mickey Kuhn

Born in Waukegan, Illinois of German descent, he started as a child actor in the 1930s and appeared opposite Conrad Nagel and Leslie Howard, amongst others.[2] His first fame came in playing the role of Beau Wilkes (Ashley and Melanie's son) in Gone with the Wind (1939). He later went on to appear in Juarez (1939) opposite Bette Davis, as the adoptive son of John Wayne in Red River, and in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), in which he was reunited with Vivien Leigh a dozen years after they first worked together in Gone with the Wind. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Kuhn played a sailor who directs Blanche to the correct streetcar which will take her to her sister's neighborhood at the beginning of the film. He is the only actor to share screen time with Leigh in each of her Oscar-winning performances.[3]

In the Navy from 1951 until 1955, Kuhn worked as an aircraft electrician.[1]

Kuhn left the film business in 1957 and worked for American Airlines (from 1965 to 1995)[1] and the Boston airport in administrative positions until his retirement. He now regularly visits film festivals dealing with his old films.

In 2005, Kuhn received a Golden Boot Award.[4]

As of 2020, Kuhn, along with Olivia de Havilland (who portrayed Beau Wilkes's mother, Melanie Wilkes), is one of the last two surviving credited cast members from Gone with the Wind.[5] Caren Marsh Doll and Patrick Curtis are also living, although their parts were uncredited.

Kuhn currently lives in Naples, Florida and volunteers four hours per week at a local hospital.[6]

• Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 178–185. ISBN 1476613702.
• Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 178.

• Mickey Kuhn on IMDb