Douglas Croft

Douglas Croft (born Douglas Malcolm Wheatcroft, August 12, 1926 – October 24, 1963) was an American child actor and a soldier who is best remembered for being the first person to portray the DC Comics character Robin, the Boy Wonder, as well as his secret identity Dick Grayson, in the 1943 serial Batman when he was 16 years old.

Douglas Croft
Born
Douglas Malcom Wheatcroft

(1926-08-12)August 12, 1926
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedOctober 24, 1963(1963-10-24) (aged 37)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeFort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Point Loma, San Diego, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationChild Actor soldier
Years active1941–1947

Early life

Croft was born Douglas Malcolm Wheatcroft[1] on August 12, 1926, in Seattle, Washington, in the United States.[2] His mother, Beatrice Hayden, married the silent film actor Stanhope Nelson Wheatcroft They divorced in 1922,[3] and his mother relocated to San Francisco. His parents' divorce was a bitter one, and about the time he was born in August 1926, Stanhope Wheatcroft attempted to have Beatrice declared dead so that he could stop paying alimony.[4] The name of Douglas Croft's biological father is not known.

Acting career

Croft was living with his mother in Los Angeles, California, in 1941. Fascinated by movie stars, a talent agent spotted him loitering near a studio and signed him up.[1] About September 1941, he began using the stage name "Douglas Croft".[5] He also shaved several years off his age, claiming in July 1941[6] and again in March 1942 that he was 11 years old.[7] A December 1941 newspaper report listed his age as 12, when he was by then actually 15.[8]

His first role was a bit part in Remember The Day.[1] His second role was a small part in the 1942 film Kings Row,[2][6] with his first major part and notable performance coming the same year in Not A Ladies Man.[1]

His breakout role was that of the young George M. Cohan in 1942's Oscar-winning Yankee Doodle Dandy. The year 1942 also saw Croft in a substantial role as the young Lou Gehrig in The Pride of the Yankees and as Raymond in George Washington Slept Here.[2] then as Skip in Harrigan's Kid and as Davey in Presenting Lily Mars.

Croft was the first actor to play the comic book character Robin in a motion picture,[9] doing so in the 1943 15-chapter movie serial Batman.[10] As of 2013, Croft remains the youngest person (aged 16) to portray Robin, who at that time was depicted in comic books as being a young teenager. The producers made one change to the character, and that was to give Croft a wig of untamed curly hair.[11]

Later life

Croft served in the United States armed forces during World War II.

In February 1947, he was critically injured in a motorcycle accident which killed 19-year-old driver John J. Masterson.[12]

His final motion picture role, a bit part in 1947's Killer McCoy, was filmed in June or July 1947.[13] Croft's mother died of an intestinal blockage on June 3, 1950, at the age of 48.[14]

Death

Douglas Croft died on October 24, 1963 at the Palomar Hotel in Los Angeles, California, near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Western Avenure just down the street from 20th Century Fox's Hollywood studios. He died from acute alcohol intoxication and liver disease, aged 37. He was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery near San Diego, California.[2]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1941 Remember The Day Dewey Roberts as a Boy Film debut
1942 Kings Row Drake McHugh - as a Boy
Not A Ladies' Man Bill Bruce
Yankee Doodle Dandy George M. Cohan - As a Boy of 13
Flight Lieutenant Danny Doyle - as a Boy Uncredited
The Pride of the Yankees Lou Gehrig as a Boy
George Washington Slept Here Raymond
1943 Harrigan's Kid Skip
Presenting Lily Mars Davey
Batman Robin / Dick Grayson Serial
1945 River Gang Slug
1947 Killer McCoy Danny Burns, Newsboy Final film

References
  1. Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia From 1895 to 1995. Norwich, Conn.: Russell. p. 165. ISBN 9780859551786.
  2. Wilson, Scott; Mank, Gregory W. (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 167. ISBN 9780786479924.
  3. "Judge Orders Actor Husband to Pay Alimony". The Los Angeles Times. July 12, 1922. p. 7.
  4. "Actor in Pictures Charges Alimony Paid Dead Woman". The Los Angeles Times. August 5, 1926. p. 17.
  5. "Of Local Origin". The New York Times. September 9, 1941. p. 26.
  6. "Tyro Gets Break". The Los Angeles Times. July 1, 1941. p. 18.
  7. Pryor, Thomas M. (March 1, 1942). "By Way of Report". The New York Times. p. X3.
  8. "Douglas Croft, Youthful Actor, to Make Debut". The Los Angeles Times. December 24, 1941. p. 10.
  9. Lin, Joseph C. (March 28, 2014). "Meet All the Actors Who Have Played Batman and Robin". Time. Retrieved August 12, 2018; Harp, Justin (February 15, 2016). "Johnny Duncan, the actor who played Batman's sidekick Robin in the 1940s serial, dies at age 92". Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  10. Rainey, Buck (2010). Serials and Series: A World Filmography, 1912-1956. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 22. ISBN 9780786447022.
  11. Reinhart, Mark S. (2013). The Batman Filmography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 19. ISBN 9780786468911.
  12. "Motorcyclist Killed". The Los Angeles Times. February 9, 1947. p. 13.
  13. Killer McCoy at the American Film Institute Catalog
  14. "Hotel Death Laid to Natural Causes". The Los Angeles Times. June 7, 1950. p. 6.
Preceded by
none		 Actors to portray Robin
1943		 Succeeded by
Johnny Duncan
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