Don Marion Davis

Don Marion Davis (October 9, 1917 – December 10, 2020), professionally known as John Henry Jr. and Don Marion, was an American child actor of the silent film era, who during a brief career in show business appeared in several feature roles and comedy shorts in Hollywood screened between 1919 and 1925. He also had uncredited parts in radio. He was one of the last surviving actors who worked in the silent film era.

Don Marion Davis
Don Marion Davis c. 1922
Born	October 9, 1917 Hollywood, California,[1] U.S.
Died	December 10, 2020 (aged 103) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Child actor of silent films, radio performer
Years active	1918–1925 (as a child actor)
Family	Billy Armstrong (uncle)

Biography

Entertainment career

He was born in Hollywood, California, on October 9, 1917, to Henry G. Davis and Helen Davis.[2] He was discovered by studio entrepreneur and director Mack Sennett while he and his mother were visiting his uncle, British-born American actor and comedian Billy Armstrong around 1919. He was visiting the set of a film when the baby who was originally cast was not performing well. Davis then replaced him successfully.[3][4]

In a 1920 newspaper article, he was described as one of the most famous child actors in the world.[3] His feature-length films included Down on the Farm (1920) and A Small Town Idol (1921). He was often cast alongside the dog Teddy, who was one of the most well-known film animals of the era. By 1921, his films reportedly had to adjust to the fact that he was continuously growing.[1]

Don Marion aka John Henry Jr.

Post-entertainment career

After leaving the entertainment industry in 1925, he attended the University of Oregon and joined the U.S. Army in 1940, shortly prior to the United States entering World War II. He was stationed in Europe during this time as an infantry officer. After the war, he remained with the American military and held various positions in different countries, such as South Africa and South Korea. He graduated from University of Arizona with a degree in Master of Public Administration.[2]

He resided in Tucson, Arizona. At the age of 99, he was said to take daily bike rides for 40 minutes.[5][6]

He was falsely reported as having died on March 2, 2012, in the 2013 book Obituaries in the Performing Arts, published by McFarland & Company and authored by Harris M. Lentz.[7]

Marion in The Love Egg (1921)

Marion died of a brief illness at the Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona on December 10, 2020 at the age of 103.[8]

Filmography (selected)

Year	Title	Role
1919	Back to the Kitchen	The Baby
	His Last False Step	Minor role
1920	The Star Boarder	The boarding house owner's son
	Down on the Farm	The Baby
	Let 'er Go	The country girl's little brother
	By Golly!	Minor role
	Married Life	Child
	The Quack Doctor	The rich father's son
	It's a Boy	The child
	Bungalow Troubles	The son
1921	A Small Town Idol	Baby
	The Unhappy Finish
	Made in the Kitchen	The Son
	Officer Cupid	The cook's son
	Astray from the Steerage	The immigrant child
	The Love Egg
	Wanted, a Girl
	A Rural Cinderella
1922	Bow Wow	The country girl's baby brother
1925	Percy	Percival Rogeen, as a boy
	The Golden Princess	Tennessee Hunter (age 10)
	The Golden Bed[2]

References

1. "Amusements". Kansas City Kansan. December 27, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
2. Walker, Brent E. (2013). Mack Sennett's Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786477111.
3. "World Famous Youngsters in the Public Eye". The Ithaca Journal. September 9, 1920. p. 6. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
4. "Among the Movie Stars". The Salina Evening Journal. January 1, 1921. p. 8. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
5. "Tucson's centenarians are an optimistic, active and growing group". Tucson.com. May 5, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
6. "Pima Council on Aging, TMC host Salute to Centenarians". KOLD. May 3, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
7. Lentz, Harris M. (2013). Obituaries in the performing arts, 2012. McFarland (April 24, 2013). p. 183. ISBN 978-0786470631.
8. "Don Davis Obituary - AZ". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved December 19, 2020 – via Legacy.com.

Bibliography

• John Holmstrom, The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 81.

External links

• Don Marion at IMDb
• Don Marion at the American Film Institute