Jean Darling
Jean Darling | |
---|---|
Born | Dorothy Jean LeVake August 23, 1922 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
Died | September 4, 2015 Rödermark, Germany | (aged 93)
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1923–1967 |
Spouse |
Reuben Bowen
(m. 1954; died 1980) |
Jean Darling (born Dorothy Jean LeVake; August 23, 1922 – September 4, 2015) was an American
Child star
Born Dorothy Jean LeVake, her name was legally changed to Jean Darling when she was five months old, a few days after her mother and father separated. She began in movies at six months old as a freelance baby. She got her break in 1926 when she passed a screen test and was accepted for a part in Hal Roach's Our Gang series. Darling appeared in 46 silents and five talkies with Our Gang during this period.[1] She left the series in the fall of 1929 along with Joe Cobb and Harry Spear. She was not replaced right away.
She continued to appear in films after leaving the gang, including an appearance in
Later life and career
Darling began to study singing, and in 1940 she was given a scholarship by the New York Municipal Opera Association. She turned down an offer to appear alongside
Her role as Carrie Pipperidge helped her with parts for radio and TV in the 1950s. She hosted her own television show for NBC in New York City, A Date with Jean Darling. Her daily TV show for women, The Singing Knit-Witch, was aired on KHJ-TV in Hollywood. Her last work was a humorous silent comedy short, The Butler's Tale, from 2013. Written and directed by her good friend René Riva, a Dutch actor and singer, it was styled after the ones Darling starred in as a child.[3][4]
In 1974, Darling moved to
Personal life
Darling married Reuben Bowen; they had a son, Roy. Reuben Bowen died of cancer on August 22, 1980. She never remarried.[6] She later lived with her son in Rodgau, Germany.[7]
She died at a nursing home in Rödermark on September 4, 2015, after a sudden illness,[8] aged 93. Her death was reported two days later.[5]
References
- ISBN 978-0786408146.
- ISBN 0-306-80113-2.
- ^ Profile, imdb.com; accessed September 7, 2015.
- ^ "The Butler's Tale (Short 2013)". IMDb.
- ^ a b Notice of death of Jean Darling, broadwayworld.com; accessed September 6, 2015.
- ^ "Jean Darling, Actress in 'Our Gang' Series, Dies at 93". The New York Times. September 6, 2015.
- ^ Maria Wiesner (August 21, 2015). "Stummfilm-Star Jean Darling: Was aus dem kleinen Strolch mit den blonden Locken wurde". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
- ^ Notice of death of Jean Darling, faz.net; accessed September 13, 2015 (in German)
External links
- Official website
- Jean Darling at IMDb
- Jean Darling at Playbill Vault
- Jean Darling at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Jean Darling at Find a Grave
- Jean Darling discography at Discogs
- Jean Darling at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jean Darling: A Personal Reminiscence by Jay Weissberg at Brenton Film