Don Marion Davis (October 9, 1917 – December 10, 2020), professionally known as John Henry Jr. and Don Marion, was an American child actor of the

silent film era A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

, who during a brief career in show business appeared in several feature roles and comedy shorts in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

screened between 1919 and 1925. He also had uncredited parts in radio. He was one of the last surviving actors who worked in the silent film era.

Biography

Entertainment career

He was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, on October 9, 1917, to Henry G. Davis and Helen Davis. He was discovered by studio entrepreneur and director

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

while he and his mother were visiting his uncle, British-born American actor and comedian Billy Armstrong around 1919. He was visiting the set of a film when the baby who was originally cast was not performing well. Davis then replaced him successfully. In a 1920 newspaper article, he was described as one of the most famous child actors in the world. His feature-length films included '' Down on the Farm'' (1920) and ''

A Small Town Idol ''A Small Town Idol'' is a 1921 American silent feature comedy film produced by Mack Sennett and released through Associated First National. The film stars Ben Turpin and was made and acted by many of the same Sennett personnel from his previou ...

'' (1921). He was often cast alongside the

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

Teddy, who was one of the most well-known film animals of the era. By 1921, his films reportedly had to adjust to the fact that he was continuously growing. Don Marion aka John Henry JR

Post-entertainment career

After leaving the entertainment industry in 1925, he attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1940, shortly prior to the United States entering

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was stationed in Europe during this time as an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

officer. After the war, he remained with the American military and held various positions in different countries, such as

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. He graduated from University of Arizona with a degree in

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

. He resided in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. At the age of 99, he was said to take daily bike rides for 40 minutes. He was falsely reported as having died on March 2, 2012, in the 2013 book ''Obituaries in the Performing Arts'', published by

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic and reference works, as well as general-interest adult nonfiction. Its president is Rhonda Herman. Its former ...

and authored by Harris M. Lentz. The Love Egg (1921) - 2

Marion died of a brief illness at the Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona on December 10, 2020, at the age of 103.

Filmography (selected)

References

Bibliography

* John Holmstrom, ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 81.

External links

*
Don Marion
at the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marion, Don 1917 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American male actors United States Army personnel of World War II American centenarians American male film actors American male silent film actors Male actors from Hollywood, Los Angeles Military personnel from California Male actors from Tucson, Arizona Men centenarians United States Army soldiers University of Arizona alumni University of Oregon alumni