Junior Durkin

Junior Durkin
Junior Durkin
	Durkin in Hell's House (1932)
Born	Trent Bernard Durkin; July 2, 1915; New York, New York, U.S.
Died	May 4, 1935 (aged 19); San Diego, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Road accident
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California
Nationality	American
Other names	Junior Dirkin; Trent Durkin
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1923–1935

Trent "Junior" Durkin (July 2, 1915 – May 4, 1935) was an American stage and film actor.

Career

Trent Bernard Durkin was born in New York City in 1915. He began his acting career in theater as a child. Durkin first appeared in films in 1930, playing the role of Huckleberry Finn in Tom Sawyer (1930) and in Huckleberry Finn (1931), both times with Jackie Coogan playing Tom Sawyer. Under contract to RKO Radio Pictures, he was cast in a series of "B" films in comedy roles that capitalized on his gangly appearance. He co-starred in Hell's House (1932) with then newcomer Bette Davis.

RKO began grooming him for more adult roles. In his final film Chasing Yesterday (1935), he was billed as Trent Durkin.

Death

In 1935, Durkin was returning from a hunting trip in Mexico with Jackie Coogan and three others, including Coogan's father, Charles Jones (manager of the Coogan Ranch) and writer Robert Horner. Coogan's father had to swerve to avoid colliding with a car coming straight at him, and his car left the road, rolling repeatedly until it landed in a creek bed. The accident occurred about 50 miles (80 km) from San Diego, California.[1] Jackie Coogan was the only survivor.

At the time, Durkin was living with agent Henry Willson, and they were rumored to be lovers.[2]

Durkin was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1930	Recaptured Love	Henry Parr	credited as Bernard Durkin
1930	The Santa Fe Trail	Old Timer	credited as Bernard Durkin
1930	Tom Sawyer	Huckleberry Finn
1931	Huckleberry Finn	Huckleberry Finn
1932	Hell's House	Jimmy Mason	alternative title: Juvenile Court credited as Junior Dirkin
1933	Man Hunt	William 'Junior' Scott, Jr.
1934	Big Hearted Herbert	Junior Kalness	credited as Trent Durkin
1934	Ready for Love	Joey Burke
1934	Little Men	Franz
1935	Chasing Yesterday	Henri	credited as Trent Durkin, final film role

References

Stern and Ian McKellen, Keith (2009). Queers in History. Dallas, Texas. p. 493. ISBN 978-1933771878.

External links

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[2] Stern and Ian McKellen, Keith (2009). Queers in History. Dallas, Texas. p. 493. ISBN 978-1933771878.