John Bowman Duncan (December 7, 1923 – February 8, 2016) was an American actor. In addition to managing several business ventures, he made appearances at comic book conventions and collectors' shows worldwide.

Biography

Career

Johnny Duncan learned to dance

Jitterbug Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, charleston, balboa and other swing dances. Swing dan ...

as a teen and by the age of 19 had his first major appearance in a dance role in the "King of Swing"

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

camp classic musical '' The Gang's All Here''. This kicked off Duncan's career as a movie swing dancer and actor and led to numerous appearances in other films, and a contract with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, where he appeared in productions with

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

and

Jane Withers Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for ...

. Notable roles include parts in ''

The East Side Kids The East Side Kids were characters in a series of 22 films released by Monogram Pictures from 1940 through 1945. Many of them were originally part of The Dead End Kids and The Little Tough Guys, and several of them later became members of The B ...

'', ''

The Bowery Boys The Bowery Boys are fictional New York City characters, portrayed by a company of New York actors, who were the subject of 48 feature films released by Monogram Pictures and its successor Allied Artists Pictures Corporation from 1946 through 195 ...

'', ''

Mystery of the 13th Guest ''The Mystery of the 13th Guest'' is a 1943 American crime film, crime/mystery film directed by William Beaudine and released by Monogram Pictures. It is based on Armitage Trail's 1929 novel ''The 13th Guest'' and is an updated version of the 1932 ...

'' and the 1949 serial '' Batman and Robin'' as

Dick Grayson Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman and Teen Titans. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ''Detective Comics' ...

/ Robin, the Boy Wonder. He was so young looking that he was twenty-five years old when he was hired to play the Boy Wonder. He later appeared in bit parts in a number of films including ''

Plan 9 from Outer Space ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' is a 1957 American independent science fiction-horror film produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. The film was shot in black-and-white in November 1956 and had a theatrical preview screening on March 15 ...

''. He was a member of The Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in the classic Marlon Brando film ''

The Wild One ''The Wild One'' is a 1953 American crime film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. The picture is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler, portrayed by Marlon Brando, whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1 ...

'' in 1952. His final film appearance was in the 1960 film ''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising ...

''.

Personal life

Duncan made occasional appearances at movie conventions, often signing photos from ''The East Side Kids'' and ''Batman and Robin'' until his death in February 2016 at the age of 92.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Interview with Johnny DuncanWebsite for Johnny Duncan
(Now defunct after his passing)
NPR profile of Johnny Duncan
1923 births 2016 deaths American male film actors {{US-film-actor-1920s-stub