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
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Golden may also refer to:
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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