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Theodore Matthew Michael Kuhn Jr. (September 21, 1932 – November 20, 2022) was an American actor. He started his career as a child actor, active on-screen during the
Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...
from the 1930s until the early 1950s. He is noted for having played Beau Wilkes in '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939). Kuhn also appeared in '' Juarez'' (1939), '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' (1945), '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946), '' Red River'' (1948), '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), and '' A Streetcar Named Desire'' (1951).


Biography


Career as a child star

Kuhn was born on September 21, 1932, in
Waukegan, Illinois Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 89,321, makin ...
, to Theodore Matthew Michael Kuhn Sr. and Pearl Bernadette (née Hicks). He had a sister, Bernadette, who was twelve years older. In 1934, the family moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
as a result of the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. Kuhn appeared as a toddler in the 1934 film '' Change of Heart'', after a woman spotted him with his mother in
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
and informed her of a Fox Film casting call, believing Kuhn and the woman's toddler could play twins. His parents enrolled him at the Mar-Ken School for performing children, where he became friends with acting brothers Darryl and Dwayne Hickman. Kuhn considered ''Juarez'' (1939) his "big break", having been chosen from more than 50 children for the role. Afterwards, he was selected for the role of Beau Wilkes in ''Gone with the Wind'', recalling that the receptionist at the casting call told him "Mickey, we've been waiting for you", and instantly announced the role had been filled. Kuhn went on to appear as the adoptive son of
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
's character in ''Red River'' in 1948 and then in ''Broken Arrow'' in 1950 starring James Stewart. The film ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (1951) reunited him with Vivien Leigh twelve years after they first worked together in ''Gone with the Wind''. In ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', Kuhn played a sailor who directs Leigh's character Blanche to the correct
streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...
which will take her to her sister's neighborhood at the beginning of the film. He therefore achieved the distinction of being the only actor to share screen time with Leigh in each of her
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning performances, and following the death of Dame
Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...
on July 26, 2020, he became the last surviving credited cast member in both films.


Navy career

Kuhn served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 until 1955 and worked as an aircraft electrician there.


Post-acting career

After finishing his Navy service, Kuhn attempted to return to acting, briefly appearing in the TV anthology ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...
'', but was only offered television roles which he found unappealing. He left the film business in 1956 to attend college, and worked for
American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
from 1965 to 1995 and the Boston airport in administrative positions until his retirement. He regularly visited film festivals dealing with his films. Kuhn was married five times. His first marriage, to Jean Marie Hannick, lasted from 1956 until 1962; they had two children, including son Theodore Matthew Michael III. He was later married to Shannon Farnon, Rosa Negrete, and Yolanda Borbon, all of which ended in divorce. His last wife, an American Airlines co-worker named Barbara Traci, was married to him from 1985 until his death.


Death

Kuhn had been living in Naples, Florida, and volunteered four hours per week at a local hospital. He died at a hospice facility in Naples on November 20, 2022, at the age of 90.


Awards

In 2005, Kuhn received a Golden Boot Award, an award given to acknowledge significant contributions to the Western genre.


Filmography


Citations


General and cited references

* * Holmstrom, John (1996). ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 178.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuhn, Mickey 1932 births 2022 deaths American male film actors American male child actors American people of German descent Actors from Waukegan, Illinois Male actors from Illinois Military personnel from Illinois 20th-century American male actors