Donnie Dunagan Dies: Voice Of Young Bambi In 1942 Disney Classic Was 92

Donnie Dunagan, who voiced the young Bambi in Disney’s 1942 animated classic during a brief Hollywood career as a child actor, has died. He was 92.

Movie historian Tom Weaver said Dunagan died November 4 but did not provide details.

Born on August 16, 1934, in Texas, Dunagan moved with his family to Memphis, where he tap-danced his way to winning a talent contest in Memphis at age 3. He caught the eye of a talent agent, who had the boy and family come to Hollywood by train.

Dunagan’s screen debut came in the 1939 monster flick Mother Carey’s Chickens, leading to more than a half-dozen screen roles including Son of Frankenstein, The Forgotten Woman and Tower of London. As the United States was entering World War II, the youngster would land his most memorable role, playing the orphaned deer in the 1942 toon classic Bambi.

In a 2011 interview, Dunagan recalled meeting Walt Disney several times on the lot. “He was a leader; all over the place, helping, coaching, laughing, and even a kid like me then could sense that he was keenly respected by the air and production people. That was not always the case in other studios when the ‘boss’ came around. Mr. Disney was a class by himself.’

Dunagan was turning 8 as the film was released, but it would be his final screen credit. He played college football before join the U.S. Marines during the Korean War, serving in the Corps for the next quarter-century. He became the youngest drill instructor in Marines history and was promoted 13 times in 21 years, risign to the rank of major. He had multiple tours of duty in Vietnam, where he earned the Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts and other accolades. He retired from the service in 1977, never having told his fellow Marines about his Bambi role.