Mickey Kuhn

Theodore Matthew Michael Kuhn Jr. (born September 21, 1932) is an American former child actor. He was active on screen in Hollywood during the Golden Age of Hollywood from 18-months old in 1934, as a adult actor he appeared primarily in smaller parts and cameos, before leaving the industry in 1956.

Mickey Kuhn
Born
Theodore Matthew Michael Kuhn Jr.

(1932-09-21) September 21, 1932
Waukegan, Illinois
Other namesMichael Kuhn
Occupation
Years active1934–1956
Spouse(s)
Jean Marie Hannick
​
(
m. 1956; div. 1962)

Barbara Traci
(
m. 1984)

His most remembered role was as Beau Wilkes in Gone with the Wind (1939).[1] He also appeared in Juarez (1939), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Red River (1948), and Broken Arrow (1950). On television in 1956 he appeared on Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Biography

Career as a child star

Born in Waukegan, Illinois of German descent to Mickey Snr. and Pearl Hicks, he gained fame as child actor in the 1930s and appeared opposite Conrad Nagel and Leslie Howard, amongst others.[2] His first fame came when he won the role auditioned for by 100 other child actors in playing Beau Wilkes, the son of Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland's characters Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind in 1939. He later went on to appear in Juarez (1939) opposite Bette Davis, as the adoptive son of John Wayne in Red River, Broken Arrow starring James Stewart and in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), a role in which he was reunited with Vivien Leigh a dozen 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 which will take her to her sister's neighborhood at the beginning of the film. He is the only actor to share screen time with Leigh in each of her Oscar-winning performances.[3]

In the Navy from 1951 until 1955, Kuhn worked as an aircraft electrician.[1]

Post-acting career

Kuhn left the film business in 1956 and worked for American Airlines (from 1965 to 1995)[1] and the Boston airport in administrative positions until his retirement. He now regularly visits film festivals dealing with his old films.

Awards

In 2005, Kuhn received a Golden Boot Award.[4]

Later life

Following Dame Olivia de Havilland's death on July 26, 2020, Kuhn, now aged 87, is the last surviving credited cast member from Gone with the Wind.[5] Caren Marsh Doll and Patrick Curtis are also living, although their parts were uncredited.

Kuhn currently lives in Naples, Florida and volunteers four hours per week at a local hospital.[6]

Filmography
Year Title Role
1934 Change of Heart Adopted baby (film debut, uncredited)
1937 A Doctor's Diary Boy in hospital
1939 King of the Underworld Young Boy
Juarez Agustín de Iturbide y Green
S.O.S. Tidal Wave Buddy Shannon
When Tomorrow Comes Boy (uncredited)
Bad Little Angel Bobby Creighton - Age 5 (uncredited)
Gone with the Wind Beau Wilkes
1940 I Want a Divorce David Holland, Jr.
Slightly Tempted Boy (uncredited)
1941 One Foot in Heaven Boy (uncredited)
1944 Beneath Western Skies Teddy (uncredited)
1945 Roughly Speaking John
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Boy at Christmas Tree Throw (uncredited)
This Love of Ours Youngster (uncredited)
Dick Tracy Junior
1946 Roaring Rangers Larry Connor (uncredited)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Young Walter
The Searching Wind Sam as a Boy
The Return of Rusty Marty Connors
Three Little Girls in Blue Farm boy
1947 High Conquest Peter Oberwalder Jr.
Magic Town Hank Nickleby
1948 Red River Young Matt
1949 Scene of the Crime Ed Monigan, Jr.
1950 Broken Arrow Bob Slade (uncredited)
1951 That's My Boy Student (uncredited)
A Streetcar Named Desire A Sailor
On the Loose Bob Vance
1955 The Last Frontier Luke
1956 Away All Boats Seaman (final film)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Bellhop/Ellerbee

References
  1. Fan's Guide to Gone With The Wind eBook Bundle: Collected Biographies of Margaret Mitchell, Vivien Leigh, and Gone With the Wind Trivia. Rowman & Littlefield. 2014. ISBN 9781493017010. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. Mickey Kuhn: Boy Actor of the Golden Age
  3. Argetsinger, Amy (December 15, 2014). "A quiet 75th anniversary for 'Gone With the Wind' and one of its last surviving actors, Mickey Kuhn". Washington Post. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  4. "The Golden Boot Awards". Golden Boot Awards. Motion Picture and Television Fund. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  5. Noland, Claire (April 8, 2014). "Mary Anderson dies at 96; actress had role in 'Gone With the Wind'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  6. "Mickey Kuhn, child actor during Hollywood's Golden Age, lives in Naples, Florida". Naples Daily News. Retrieved 22 December 2017.

Bibliography
  • Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 178–185. ISBN 1476613702.
  • Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 178.


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