Phillip Alford (born September 11, 1948) is an American former actor best known for his roles as
Jem Finch in the
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
film
''To Kill a Mockingbird'', and Boy Anderson in
''Shenandoah'' (1965). After retiring from acting, he became a businessman.
Career
Alford appeared in three productions with
Birmingham's Town and Gown Civic Theatre, whose director called up Alford's mother to see if her son was interested in auditioning for the part of Jem in ''To Kill a Mockingbird''.
Initially Alford had refused, but agreed to audition under the condition that he would miss half a day of school.
As one of the three finalists, he was called to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
for a screen test several weeks later
and won the role of Jem Finch.
During the filming, his parents drove to
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, ...
to be with him, and his sister became the stand-in actress for
Mary Badham
Mary Badham (born October 7, 1952) is an American actress who portrayed Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At the time, Badham (aged 10) w ...
, who played Jem's sister, Scout, in the film. He and Badham were constantly bickering and at odds with each other during most of the shoot; at one time after their worst argument, he had planned mischief against her.
Alford's other acting credits include: ''Bristle Face'' (1964) (TV); the role of "Boy" in ''
Shenandoah'' (1965); ''The Intruders'' (1970) (TV); and ''Fair Play'' (1972) (TV).
Personal life
Since retiring from acting, Alford now works as a businessman in
Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,092 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County, Mississippi, Grenada County.
History
...
and stays out of the limelight. He followed his father into the construction business.
Alford is divorced and has two children.
Filmography
References
Further reading
*
* Holmstrom, John (1996). ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995''. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 276.
* Dye, David (1988). ''Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914-1985''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., p. 4.
External links
*
*
1948 births
Living people
People from Gadsden, Alabama
People from Grenada, Mississippi
American male child actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Male actors from Alabama
Businesspeople from Mississippi
Ramsay High School alumni
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