Donnie Dunagan, Original Voice of Bambi, Dies at 92
American actor Donnie Dunagan died on November 4 at the age of 92, of lung cancer. He was the original voice of young Bambi in Walt Disney's 1942 animated classic Bambi.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, on August 16, 1934, Dunagan began acting at age three and made his screen debut in Mother Carey's Chickens (1938). In 1939 he played Peter von Frankenstein, the young son of the Baron, in Universal's Son of Frankenstein. His voice role as young Bambi in 1942, uncredited at the time, was his final film.
Dunagan then left Hollywood and joined the U.S. Marine Corps at 18, serving 25 years and retiring as a major in 1977. He became one of the youngest drill instructors in Marine Corps history and earned a Bronze Star in Vietnam. For years in uniform he kept his Hollywood past secret, not wanting to be known as "Lieutenant Bambi."
In later life Dunagan embraced the legacy, often sharing Bambi memories at fan events. According to a family tribute, he died peacefully in a hospital with his wife, Dana, holding his hand, and, per his wishes, no services or memorial will be held.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Donnie Dunagan 晚年出席公开活动（资料图）。Sara Fenwick 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Donnie Dunagan at a public event in later life (file photo). By Sara Fenwick, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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