Dickie Moore (actor)

John Richard Moore Jr. (September 12, 1925 – September 7, 2015) was an American actor known professionally as Dickie Moore, he was one of the last surviving actors to have appeared in silent film. A busy and popular actor during his childhood and youth, he appeared in over 100 films until the 1950s. Among his most notable appearances were the '' Our Gang'' series and films such as '' Oliver Twist'', ''Blonde Venus'', '' Sergeant York'' and ''Out of the Past''.

Career

Moore was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Nora Eileen (Orr) and John Richard Moore Sr., a banker. His mother was Irish, and his paternal grandparents were from England and Ireland.

He made his film debut in 1927 in the silent film ''The Beloved Rogue'', where he portrayed silent film star John Barrymore's character as a one-year-old baby. At the time of his death, Moore was one of the last surviving actors to have appeared in silent film. He quickly gained notable supporting roles. He had a significant role as Marlene Dietrich's son in Josef von Sternberg's drama ''Blonde Venus'' (1932). He also appeared with Barbara Stanwyck in '' So Big'' (1932), with Walter Huston in '' Gabriel Over the White House'' (1933) and with Spencer Tracy in ''Man's Castle'' (1933).

Besides appearing in a number of major feature films, he was featured as a regular in the '' Our Gang'' series during the 1932–1933 season. Although he only played in eight ''Our Gang'' films, in those films he played an important role as the leader of the gang. He left the series after one year to play in more feature films. In addition to his ''Our Gang'' work, Moore is most remembered for his portrayal of the title character in the 1933 adaptation of Charles Dickens' '' Oliver Twist''.

In 1935, he played the historical role of Joseph Meister in ''The Story of Louis Pasteur''. In 1941, he portrayed the brother of Gary Cooper in the war drama '' Sergeant York'' under the direction of Howard Hawks. He is also famous for giving Shirley Temple her first romantic onscreen kiss, in the film ''Miss Annie Rooney''.

Moore served in the United States Army during World War II.

Moore was less successful as a teenage actor and young adult and he often had to play in B-movies such as ''Dangerous Years'' during the 1940s. One of his last notable film roles was in ''Out of the Past'' (1947), in which he portrayed Robert Mitchum's deaf young assistant, "The Kid". Moore played his last role as a young soldier in '' Eight Iron Men'' (1952). He later performed on Broadway, in stock and on television. He went on to teach and write books about acting, edit Equity News, and produce an Oscar-nominated short film (''The Boy and the Eagle''), and industrial films. He retired from acting in the late 1950s.

In 1966, after battling alcohol and drug addictions, he founded a public relations firm, Dick Moore and Associates, which he ran until 2010.

Personal life

Moore was married three times. His first marriage was from 1948 to 1954 to Pat Dempsey. The couple had one child, Kevin Moore. His second marriage was in 1959 to Eleanor Donhowe Fitzpatrick. His third and final marriage was in 1988 to Jane Powell, to whom he remained married until his death in 2015.

Later life

In 1984, Moore published ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (But Don't Have Sex or Take the Car)'', a book about his and others' experiences as child actors. Moore owned a public relations firm, Dick Moore and Associates. Founded in 1966, it existed for 44 years. From 1988 until his death in 2015 Moore was married to the actress Jane Powell. The two met when Moore interviewed Powell for ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star''. The couple lived in Manhattan and Wilton, Connecticut.Thomas, Nick. "Wilton's Jane Powell, 80 years young", p 1B, ''The Wilton Bulletin'' (and other Hersam Acorn newspapers), September 10, 2009.

In March 2013, Powell reported that Moore had arthritis and "bouts of dementia".

Death

Moore died at a hospice in Wilton, Connecticut on September 7, 2015, five days before his 90th birthday. He was later cremated and his ashes returned to his family.

Filmography

*''The Beloved Rogue'' (1927) as Baby Francois (film debut, uncredited)
*'' Object: Alimony'' (1928) as Jimmy Rutledge Jr. (as Dickey Moore)
*'' Madame X'' (1929) as Boy at Puppet Show (uncredited)
*''Son of the Gods'' (1930) as Sam Lee – as a Boy (uncredited)
*'' The Three Sisters'' (1930) as The Child (uncredited)
*''Let Us Be Gay'' (1930) as Young Bobby Brown (uncredited)
*''The Matrimonial Bed'' (1930) as One of Susan's Sons (uncredited)
*'' Lawful Larceny'' (1930) as The Dorsey Child (uncredited)
*'' The Office Wife'' (1930) as Dickie – Boy at the Beach (uncredited)
*''Passion Flower'' (1930) as Tommy Wallace
*'' Aloha'' (1931) as Junior Bradford
*''Seed'' (1931) as Johnny Carter as a Child
*''Three Who Loved'' (1931) as Sonny Hanson
*''Confessions of a Co-Ed'' (1931) as Patricia's Son (uncredited)
*''The Star Witness'' (1931) as Ned Leeds
*'' The Squaw Man'' (1931) as Little Hal
*'' Sob Sister'' (1931) as Kidnapped Boy (uncredited)
*''Husband's Holiday'' (1931) as Philip Boyd
*''Manhattan Parade'' (1931) as Junior Roberts
*'' Union Depot'' (1932) as Little Boy (uncredited)
*'' Fireman, Save My Child'' (1932) as Herbie (uncredited)
*'' The Expert'' (1932) as Dickie
*''Disorderly Conduct'' (1932) as Jimmy
*'' So Big!'' (1932) as Dirk De Jong (younger)
*''When a Feller Needs a Friend'' (1932)
*'' Million Dollar Legs'' (1932) as Willie – Angela's Brother
*'' Winner Takes All'' (1932) as Dickie Harmon
*'' Hook and Ladder'' (1932, Short) as Dickie (as Hal Roach's Rascals)
*''Blonde Venus'' (1932) as Johnny Faraday
*''Free Wheeling'' (1932, Short) as Dickie
*'' Deception'' (1932) as Dickie Allen
*''Birthday Blues'' (1932, Short) as Dickie (as Our Gang)
*'' The Devil Is Driving'' (1932) as 'Buddy' Evans
*'' The Racing Strain'' (1932) as Bill Westcott as a Little Boy
*''A Lad an' a Lamp'' (1932, Short) as Dickie (as Our Gang)
*''Fish Hooky'' (1933, Short) as Dickie (as Our Gang)
*'' Oliver Twist'' (1933) as Oliver Twist
*'' Obey the Law'' (1933) as Dickie Chester
*'' Forgotten Babies'' (1933, Short) as Dickie (as Our Gang)
*'' Gabriel Over the White House'' (1933) as Jimmy Vetter
*'' The Kid from Borneo'' (1933, Short) as Dickie (as Our Gang)
*'' Mush and Milk'' (1933, Short) as Dickie (as Our Gang)
*''The Wolf Dog'' (1933, Serial) as Boy at Airport
*'' Cradle Song'' (1933) as Alberto
*''Man's Castle'' (1933) as Joey
*'' Gallant Lady'' (1933) as Deedy Lawrence
*''This Side of Heaven'' (1934) as Freddie
*'' Upper World'' (1934) as Tommy Stream
*''In Love with Life'' (1934) as Laurence 'Laury' Applegate
*'' Fifteen Wives'' (1934) as Young Boy
*'' The Human Side'' (1934) as Bobbie Sheldon
*''Tomorrow's Youth'' (1934) as Thomas Hall Jr
*'' The World Accuses'' (1934) as Tommy Weymouth
*''Little Men'' (1934) as Demi
* '' Swellhead'' (1935) as Billy Malone
*'' Without Children'' (1935) as David Sonny Cole Jr. as a Child
*''So Red the Rose'' (1935) as Middleton Bedford
*''Peter Ibbetson'' (1935) as Gogo – Peter Age 8
*''Timothy's Quest'' (1936) as Timothy
*''The Story of Louis Pasteur'' (1936) as Joseph Meister
*'' The Little Red Schoolhouse'' (1936) as Dickie Burke
*''The Life of Emile Zola'' (1937) as Pierre Dreyfus
*'' Madame X'' (1937) as Allan Simonds (uncredited)
*''The Bride Wore Red'' (1937) as Pietro
*''Love, Honor and Behave'' (1938) as Ted – as a child
*'' My Bill'' (1938) as Bill Colbrook
*''The Gladiator'' (1938) as Bobby
*'' The Arkansas Traveler'' (1938) as Benjamin Franklin 'Benny' Allen
*'' Lincoln in the White House'' (1939, Short) as Tad Lincoln
*'' The Under-Pup'' (1939) as Jerry Binns
*''Hidden Power

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