John Anthony Megna (November 9, 1952 – September 5, 1995) was an American actor, director and teacher. His best known role is that of "Dill" in the film ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

''.

Early life

John Anthony Megna was born in Ozone Park, Queens, New York to Ralph W. Megna, a pharmacist, and Eleanor McGinley, a one-time nightclub singer. He was a half-brother of

Connie Stevens Connie Stevens (born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingolia; August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer. Born in Brooklyn, New York City to musician parents, Stevens was raised there until age 12, when she was sent to live with family friends in r ...

and an ex-brother-in-law of

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

, both famous singers. He attended Holy Cross High School in Flushing, New York.

Career

At age 6, Megna made his acting debut in

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

's Broadway musical ''

Greenwillow ''Greenwillow'' is a musical with a book by Lesser Samuels and Frank Loesser and music and lyrics by Loesser. The musical is set in the magical town of Greenwillow. It ran on Broadway in 1960. Overview Based on the novel by B. J. Chute, the musi ...

''.John Megna
at IBDB At 7, he starred in ''All the Way Home'', an adaptation of

James Agee James Rufus Agee ( ; November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic. In the 1940s, writing for ''Time Magazine'', he was one of the most influential film critics in the United States. ...

's novel about the effect of a father's death on his family. This led to his being cast as Charles Baker "Dill" Harris, the toothy young summer visitor in the 1962 film ''

''. The character was based on writer

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, ...

, a childhood friend and later associate of

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926February 19, 2016) was an American novelist best known for her 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. It won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. Lee has received numero ...

, the author of the original novel. Megna appeared in many television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s; he portrayed a near-blind child in the '' Naked City'' episode "A Horse Has a Big Head - Let Him Worry!", one of the "Onlies" in the "

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

" episode of ''

Star Trek: The Original Series ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...

'', Stephan in ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

'' (1967), and Little Adam in the

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

-produced animated shorts '' The Big World of Little Adam''. His other film appearances include '' Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' (1964), '' The Godfather: Part II'' (1974), ''

The Boy in the Plastic Bubble ''The Boy in the Plastic Bubble'' is a 1976 American made for television drama film inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed, R ...

'' (1976) with

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

, and ''

Go Tell the Spartans ''Go Tell the Spartans'' is a 1978 American war film directed by Ted Post and starring Burt Lancaster. The film is based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel ''Incident at Muc Wa'' about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam ...

'' (1978) with

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

. He also acted in two car-chase films starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

and directed by

Hal Needham Hal Brett Needham (March 6, 1931 – October 25, 2013) was an American stuntman, film director, actor, writer, and NASCAR team owner. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with actor Burt Reynolds, usually in films involving fast ...

– ''

Smokey and the Bandit II ''Smokey and the Bandit II'' is a 1980 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham, and starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise. The film is the sequel to the 1977 film ''Smokey and the Bandit''. T ...

'' (1980) and ''

The Cannonball Run ''The Cannonball Run'' is a 1981 action comedy film. It was directed by Hal Needham, produced by Hong Kong's Golden Harvest films, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Filmed in Panavision, it features an all-star ensemble cast, including Burt ...

'' (1981).

Later career

Megna graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

as a performing arts major. As an adult, he turned to directing plays. He was the founding director of L.A. Arts, a nonprofit theater group in Los Angeles. He later became a high school English teacher, and last taught at James Monroe High School in North Hills, California. He also taught Honors English at Hollenbeck Jr High in Boyle Heights.

Personal life and death

John Megna was one of the first actors to

come out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

in the 1960s. He died from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related complications on September 5, 1995, at Midway Hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 42.

Television

* '' Naked City'' (1962) - Harold Denton * ''

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...

'' - The Magic Shop (1964) (TV) - Anthony 'Tony' Grainger * ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'', episode "

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

" (1966) (TV) - Little Boy * ''

Skag ''Skag'' is an American drama series that aired on NBC and starred Karl Malden. ''Skag'' originated as a three-hour television movie that aired on January 6, 1980 (as an installment of ''The Big Event''). Over a week later, it then premiered as ...

'' (1980) (TV) * ''The Mogul'' (1984)

Filmography

* ''

'' (1962) - Dill Harris * ''

Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte ''Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'' is a 1964 American psychological thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, and starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead and Mary Astor in her final film role. It fo ...

'' (1964) - New Boy * ''

Blindfold A blindfold (from Middle English ') is a garment, usually of cloth, tied to one's head to cover the human eye, eyes to disable the wearer's visual perception, sight. While a properly fitted blindfold prevents sight even if the eyes are open, a ...

'' (1966) - Mario Vincenti * ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The film is partially based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. ''Part II'' s ...

'' (1974) - Young

Hyman Roth Hyman Roth (born Hyman Suchowsky) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1974 film ''The Godfather Part II''. He is also a minor character in the 2004 novel '' The Godfather Returns''. Roth is a Jewish mobster, investor and a bus ...

(uncredited) * ''

'' (1976) (TV Movie) - Smith * ''I Want to Keep My Baby'' (1976) (TV Movie) - Andy * ''

Another Man, Another Chance ''Another Man, Another Chance'' (''Un autre homme, une autre chance'', UK title: ''Another Man, Another Woman'') is a 1977 French western film directed by Claude Lelouch. Plot France in 1870: Napoleon III has just lost the war against Prussia ...

'' (1977) - Loser in Saloon (uncredited) * ''

'' (1978) - Cpl. Ackley * ''Sunnyside'' (1979) - B.B. * '' Butch and Sundance: The Early Days'' (1979) - Outlaw * ''

'' (1980) - P.T. * ''

'' (1981) - Arthur Rose * ''

The Ratings Game ''The Ratings Game'' is a 1984 comedy cable television film directed by Danny DeVito and produced by David Jablin. The Showtime comedy stars DeVito and Rhea Perlman, and features Huntz Hall, Michael Richards, George Wendt and Jerry Seinfeld. ...

'' (1984) - Al

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Megna, John 1952 births 1995 deaths Cornell University alumni American male child actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American theatre directors LGBT male actors LGBT people from New York (state) Male actors from New York City Educators from California People from Queens, New York AIDS-related deaths in California 20th-century American male actors American people of Italian descent Educators from New York City Holy Cross High School (Flushing) alumni