Jean Darling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Darling
|
|
|---|---|
Darling in the 1920s
|
|
| Born |
Dorothy Jean LeVake
August 23, 1922 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
|
| Died | September 4, 2015 (aged 93) Rödermark, Germany
|
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1923–1953 |
| Spouse(s) |
Reuben Bowen
(m. 1954; died 1980) |
Jean Darling (born Dorothy Jean LeVake) was an American child actress. She was famous for being a regular in the Our Gang comedy films from 1927 to 1929. These were short movies that were very popular.
Jean was one of the last actors from the silent movie era to pass away. Silent movies are films made without recorded sound, where actors used their expressions and actions to tell the story. She passed away in 2015 at the age of 93.
Contents
Jean Darling: A Young Star
Jean Darling was born Dorothy Jean LeVake on August 23, 1922. Her name was officially changed to Jean Darling when she was just five months old. She started acting in movies when she was only six months old.
Early Acting Days
In 1926, when she was four, Jean got a big break. She passed a screen test and joined Hal Roach's famous Our Gang series. These films were also known as The Little Rascals.
Jean appeared in 46 silent Our Gang films. She also made five "talkies," which were movies with sound. She left the series in 1929.
Life After "Our Gang"
After leaving Our Gang, Jean continued to act in other films. She had a small part in the movie Babes in Toyland in 1934. She also played the young Jane in the movie Jane Eyre that same year.
After her film roles, Jean performed in many stage shows and radio programs. Sometimes, she had to do up to seven shows a day. This was a very busy schedule for a teenager, especially while she was also studying.
A New Chapter
Jean began to study singing and received a special scholarship in 1940. She decided to focus on her singing and stage career. She turned down a movie offer to appear on Broadway, which is famous for its live theater shows in New York City.
Broadway Success
Jean made her Broadway debut in the musical Count Me In in 1942. Her stage career reached a high point when she got the role of Carrie Pipperidge. This was in the original Broadway production of Carousel in 1945. She performed in this show an amazing 850 times in a row!
Television and Writing
Her success in Carousel helped her get roles on radio and TV in the 1950s. She even hosted her own TV show for NBC called A Date with Jean Darling. She also had a daily TV show for women called The Singing Knit-Witch.
In 2013, Jean appeared in a funny silent comedy short film called The Butler's Tale. This movie was made in the style of the silent films she starred in as a child.
In 1974, Jean moved to Dublin, Ireland. There, she started writing mystery stories. Over 50 of her short stories were published in magazines like Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. She also wrote and read her own stories on RTÉ radio and TV as "Aunty Poppy." She also wrote plays for radio and worked as a journalist.
Personal Life
Jean Darling was married to Reuben Bowen. They had one son named Roy. Reuben Bowen passed away in 1980. Jean never remarried. Later in her life, she lived with her son in Germany.
Jean Darling passed away on September 4, 2015, in a nursing home in Rödermark, Germany. She was 93 years old.
Images for kids
-
Darling in the 1920s
See also
In Spanish: Jean Darling para niños
