Donnie Dunagan, original voice of Disney's Bambi, dies aged 92
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Donnie Dunagan, who voiced young Bambi in Disney's 1942 film before a career in the US Marine Corps, has died aged 92 of lung cancer. He retired as a Major with three Purple Hearts.
Donnie Dunagan, who provided the voice of young Bambi in Disney's 1942 film before a military career, has died aged 92 of lung cancer. He was six when he voiced the young deer.
Born on 16 August 1934, Dunagan won a tap-dancing contest at the age of three and was spotted by a talent scout in the audience. He made his film debut in Mother Carey's Chickens (1938). Its director, Rowland V. Lee, then cast him alongside Boris Karloff as Peter von Frankenstein in Son of Frankenstein (1939). He also appeared in Tower of London (1939) with Basil Rathbone, Vigil in the Night (1940) and Meet the Chump (1941) before Bambi, which was his last role.
Dunagan joined the Marines in 1952 at age 18. He became the youngest drill instructor in the Corps' history and served three tours in Vietnam. He retired in 1977 with the rank of Major. His decorations included a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, which are given to service members wounded or killed in action.
He told NPR in 2015 that he never revealed his early career to his fellow Marines because he did not want to be called "Major Bambi". He said one of his biggest regrets was not having the courage to tell his close friends in the Marine Corps about his part in Disney's work.
His agents, Kris Jones and Nery Lemus of CelebWorx, told Variety they were proud to represent him. They said he had asked people not to be sad because of the great life he lived. They described him as warm and inspiring, said he rallied other veterans, and said he loved his fans and his wife.
