Trent "Junior" Durkin (July 2, 1915 – May 4, 1935) was an American stage and film actor.

Career

Trent Bernard Durkin was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1915. He began his acting career in theater as a child. Durkin first appeared in films in 1930, playing the role of

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry "Huck" Finn is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884). He is 12 ...

in '' Tom Sawyer'' (1930) and in ''

'' (1931), both times with

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Coogan's role in Charlie Chaplin's film ''The Kid (1921 film), The Kid'' (1921) made him one o ...

playing Tom Sawyer. Under contract to

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

, he was cast in a series of "B" films in comedy roles that capitalized on his gangly appearance. He co-starred in ''

Hell's House ''Hell's House'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film starring Junior Durkin, featuring Bette Davis and directed by Howard Higgin. The screenplay by Paul Gangelin and Ben Orkow, B. Harrison Orkow, set during the waning days of the Prohibition ...

'' (1932) with then newcomer

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

. RKO began grooming him for more adult roles. In his final film, '' Chasing Yesterday'' (1935) starring Anne Shirley, he was billed as Trent Durkin.

Death

In 1935, Durkin was returning from a hunting trip in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

with

and three others: Coogan's father John Henry Coogan Jr., Charles Jones (manager of the Coogan Ranch) and writer Robert Horner. Coogan's father had to swerve to avoid colliding with a car coming straight at him, and his car left the road, rolling repeatedly until it landed in a creek bed. The accident occurred about 50 miles (80 km) from San Diego, California. Jackie Coogan was the only survivor. At the time, Durkin was living with agent Henry Willson, and they were rumored to be lovers. In a 2013 interview, former child star

Diana Serra Cary Diana Serra Cary (born Peggy-Jean Montgomery; October 29, 1918 – February 24, 2020), known as Baby Peggy, was an American child film actress, vaudevillian, author and silent film historian. She was the last surviving person with a substantial ...

(known as Baby Peggy), a close friend of Durkin, said, "It would not surprise me to know that Trent was gay. However, in the early thirties it would have been suicidal for such a promising young actor to come out of the closet. Especially without the protection of a strong producer, or already under contract to MGM, with studio head Louis B. Mayer seriously invested in his future success as a leading man." Durkin was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

Filmography

References

External links

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Down the road less traveled..: Trent Bernard Junior Durkin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durkin, Junior 1915 births 1935 deaths Male actors from New York City American male child actors American male film actors American male stage actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Road incident deaths in California 20th-century American male actors RKO Pictures contract players