Donnie Dunagan
| Donnie Dunagan | |
|---|---|
Pickwick Oct. 30, 2014 | |
| Born | Donald Roan Dunagan August 16, 1934 San Antonio, Texas |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1938–1942 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ | |
| Years of service | 1952–1977 |
| Rank | |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Donald "Donnie" Roan Dunagan (born August 16, 1934) is an American former child actor and United States Marine Corps drill instructor. He was a voice actor in the Bambi film, providing the voice of young Bambi.
Biography[edit]
Dunagan was born in San Antonio, Texas, but his family soon moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where they struggled with poverty.[1] There at the age of three-and-a-half he won a talent contest prize of $100. Spotted by a studio talent scout, the family moved to Hollywood, where Dunagan appeared in a series of films[2] and soon became his family's main breadwinner. His career ended after he provided the voice for the young fawn in Walt Disney's Bambi.[3]
By the age of 13, Dunagan was living in a boarding house and working as a lathe operator. In 1952, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.[4] He became the Marines' youngest-ever drill instructor[5] and served three tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded several times, before finally retiring in 1977 with the rank of Major.[5]
For his service he received a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Dunagan kept his acting career a secret while serving in the Marines[5] but in 2004 he was located and exhaustively interviewed by horror movie historian Tom Weaver in a special "Donnie Dunagan issue" of "Video Watchdog" magazine. Dunagan is retired and is currently living in San Angelo, Texas, with his wife.
Filmography[edit]
- Mother Carey's Chickens (1938) as Peter Carey (film debut)
- Son of Frankenstein (1939) as Peter von Frankenstein
- The Forgotten Woman (1939) as Terry Kennedy Jr.
- Tower of London (1939) as Baby Prince
- Vigil in the Night (1940) as Tommy (uncredited)
- Meet the Chump (1941) as Little Boy (uncredited)
- Bambi (1942) as Young Bambi (voice, final film)
References[edit]
- ^ "A Discussion With Donnie Dunagun: The Voice Of Bambi". MouseInfo.com. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ Murray, Angus Wolfe (2011). "A profile of Donnie Dunagan, The Voice of Bambi". iofilm.co.uk. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ NPR Staff (July 31, 2015). "Major Bambi: Meet The Marine Who Was Disney's Famous Fawn". NPR.
- ^ Brooks, Xan (February 16, 2005). "How Bambi fought the Viet Cong". The Guardian. London: GMG. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ a b c Westbrook, Bruce (March 7, 2005). "Marine reflects on being the voice of Bambi". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
External links[edit]
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| This article about an American voice actor born in the 1930s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1934 births
- Living people
- American male child actors
- American male voice actors
- American male film actors
- United States Marine Corps officers
- Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee
- People from San Angelo, Texas
- 20th-century American male actors
- American Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War
- American voice actor stubs