Donnie Dunagan

Donald "Donnie" Roan Dunagan (born August 16, 1934) is a semi-retired American former child actor and United States Marine Corps drill instructor. He was a voice actor in the Bambi film, providing the voice of Young Bambi. A 28-page interview, his first after decades as a "lost Hollywood player," can be found in the book "Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers" (Jefferson NC: McFarland & Co., 2006) by Tom Weaver.

Biography
Dunagan was born in San Antonio, Texas, but his family soon moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where they struggled with poverty. There at the age of three-and-a-half he won a talent contest prize of $100. Spotted by a studio talent scout, the family moved to Hollywood, where Dunagan appeared in a series of films and soon became his family's main breadwinner. His career ended after he provided the voice for the young fawn in Walt Disney's Bambi. By the age of 13, Dunagan was living in a boarding house and working as a lathe operator. In 1952, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He became the Marines' youngest-ever drill instructor and served three tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded several times, before finally retiring in 1977 with the rank of Major. For his service he received a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart three times. Dunagan has said in interviews that he kept his acting career a secret while serving in the Marines.

Filmography

 * Bambi (1942) – as Bambi (young)
 * Meet the Chump (1941) – as Little Boy
 * Vigil in the Night (1940) – as Tommy
 * Tower of London (1939) – as Young Prince Richard
 * The Forgotten Woman (1939) – as Terry Kennedy Jr.
 * Son of Frankenstein (1939) – as Peter von Frankenstein
 * Mother Carey's Chickens (1938) – as Peter Carey