Harold Clayton Lloyd Jr. (January 25, 1931 – June 9, 1971) was an American actor and singer.

Career

The third child and only son of the silent film comedian Harold Lloyd and former actress

Mildred Davis Mildred Hillary Davis (February 22, 1901The reference book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Davis's birth date as January 1, 1900.August 18, 1969) was an American actress who appeared in fifteen of Harold Lloyd's cl ...

, Lloyd made several B-movies in the 1950s and 1960s, including '' The Flaming Urge'' (1953) (one of only two starring roles) and ''

Frankenstein's Daughter ''Frankenstein's Daughter'' is an independently made 1958 American black-and-white science fiction/horror film drama, produced by Marc Frederic and George Fowley, directed by Richard E. Cunha, that stars John Ashley, Sandra Knight, Donald ...

'' (1958). In 1959, he had a role in the film '' Girls Town'', which features Charles Chaplin Jr., son of famous silent movie comedian

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

. He was given production roles in the compilations of his father's films, released in the early 1960s. As a singer, he performed in several films, had moderate successes in cabaret in Hollywood and elsewhere, and released an album of romantic ballads in 1965 titled ''Intimate Style''.

Personal life

Lloyd (known as Dukey to his family) found it difficult to live in the shadow of his famous father, and was an alcoholic from his twenties onward. In addition, he struggled with his homosexuality at a time when it was considered socially unacceptable. Author Tom Dardis notes that Lloyd Sr. was understanding of his son's sexuality and protective of his son, given Lloyd Jr.'s tendency toward violent lovers. Consequently, the younger Lloyd often returned to

Greenacres Greenacres can refer to: *Greenacres, California, a town in the Central Valley (United States) *Harold Lloyd Estate, 'Greenacres', the legendary 1920s Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills, California (United States) *Greenacres, Florida, town in th ...

, the family estate, battered and bruised after his encounters. His father's tolerance had its limits, however, and Lloyd Sr. blamed his own absences during his son's childhood for his sexuality. In 1953, he briefly was engaged to the Chilean actress

Marina Cisternas Marta Natalia Filomena "Marina" Cisternas Holley (5 May 1897 – 26 January 1992) was a Chilean American actress, author, and journalist. She became active as a journalist in Hollywood and in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). She ...

. In 1960, he was again engaged, this time to Parisian socialite Irene Barrelet de Ricou, daughter of French tennis player Paul Barrelet de Ricou and socialite Louise Barrelet de Ricou. Irene was warned by many, including

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

, not to marry Lloyd, but it was not until she caught him with another man that the wedding was canceled. He had a home in Palm Springs, California.

Death

Lloyd suffered a massive

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

in 1965 from which he never fully recovered. He died on June 9, 1971, at age 40, three months after the death of his father. He was interred with his parents in a crypt in the Great Mausoleum's Begonia Corridor at Glendale Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Review of ''Frankenstein's Daughter''

''The Flaming Urge'' online at The Internet Archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lloyd, Harold Jr. 1931 births 1971 deaths American male film actors American gay actors American gay musicians American LGBT singers Male actors from Beverly Hills, California Musicians from Palm Springs, California Musicians from Beverly Hills, California Male actors from Palm Springs, California 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Gay singers LGBT people from California 20th-century American LGBT people