Terry Kilburn

Terry Kilburn

Born 1926-11-25 (age 99) West Ham, Essex, Greater London, England, UK
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Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Terence Edward Kilburn (born 25 November 1926), known for his acting work prior to 1953 as Terry Kilburn, is an English-American actor. Born in London, he moved to Hollywood in the U.S. at the age of 10, and is best known for his roles as a child actor, in films such as A Christmas Carol (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) in the late 1930s and the early 1940s.

Kilburn was born in West Ham, Essex, in Greater London in 1926, to working-class parents. He did some unpaid acting as a young child, and an agent encouraged him to go to Hollywood. Kilburn and his mother immigrated to the U.S. in 1937, and his father arrived the following year. A talent scout for MGM discovered him rehearsing for Eddie Cantor's radio show, and he was cast in the British-set film Lord Jeff (1938).

Known for his innocent, dreamy, doe-eyed look, Kilburn achieved fame at the age of 11 portraying Tiny Tim in the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film version of A Christmas Carol, and also as four generations of the Colley family in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). He also played leading roles in two films which starred Freddie Bartholomew: Lord Jeff (1938) and Swiss Family Robinson (1940). He was featured in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) with Basil Rathbone.

In addition to Lord Jeff (1938), Kilburn worked alongside Mickey Rooney in Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939), A Yank at Eton (1942), and National Velvet (1944). In 1946 he was in Black Beauty. In his early 20s, in 1947 and 1948, he was in four back-to-back Bulldog Drummond films, as Seymour, a reporter; and in 1950 he had small roles in two seagoing films.

After high school, Kilburn concentrated on stage work, and studied drama at UCLA. He made his Broadway debut, credited as Terrance Kilburn, as Eugene Marchbanks in a 1952 revival of George Bernard Shaw's Candida. He thereafter remained committed to live performances, as both actor and director.

After 1952 he was credited on screen as Terence Kilburn. His final feature film role was a small part in Lolita (1962). Between 1951 and 1969, he was also in nearly a dozen teleplays, television movies, and television series episodes.

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Known For

Lolita
Lolita

1962

as Man

Only the Valiant
Only the Valiant

1951

as Trooper Saxton

Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips

1939

as John Colley / Peter Colley I / Peter Colley II / Peter Colley III

A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol

1938

as 'Tiny Tim' Cratchit

National Velvet
National Velvet

1945

as Theodore 'Ted'

Lord Jeff
Lord Jeff

1938

as Albert Baker

Fiend Without a Face
Fiend Without a Face

1958

as Capt. Al Chester

The Fan
The Fan

1949

as Messenger (uncredited)

Black Beauty
Black Beauty

1946

as Joe

Swiss Family Robinson
Swiss Family Robinson

1940

as Ernest Robinson

The Great Man Votes
The Great Man Votes

1939

as Student

They Shall Have Music
Fortunes of Captain Blood
Fortunes of Captain Blood

1950

as Kenny Jensen

The Red Danube
The Red Danube

1949

as Sloppily-dressed Airman

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery
The Challenge
The Challenge

1948

as Seymour

Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever

1939

as Stickin Plaster

Sweethearts
Sweethearts

1938

as Brother

Slaves of Babylon
Slaves of Babylon

1953

as King Cyrus