Claude Jarman Jr. was a former child star, best known for his performance in the 1946 movie “The Yearling.”
- Died: January 12, 2025 (Who else died on January 12?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Kentfield, California of natural causes at the age of 90.
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Claude Jarman Jr.’s legacy
Jarman’s acting career began with a classic Old Hollywood-style discovery. For “The Yearling,” MGM was looking for an unknown child actor, and they wanted a Southerner for authenticity. The film’s director, Clarence Brown, visited grade schools in the South, looking for just the right young man. Jarman, then 10 years old and in fifth grade, was at the chalkboard in his Tennessee classroom when Brown walked in and knew he had found his star. Three days later, Jarman got a call asking him to be in Hollywood in a week, and his career had its start.
It took two years to film “The Yearling,” in which Jarman starred alongside Gregory Peck (1916–2003) and Jane Wyman (1917–2007). He played Jody Baxter, a young boy who adopts a fawn, and he was honored with an Academy Juvenile Award for his performance. The film’s popularity kicked off a moderately successful acting career for the young Jarman, who went on to appear in 11 other movies.
Among Jarman’s best-known movies was “Rio Grande,” starring John Wayne (1907–1979) and Maureen O’Hara (1920–2015). Director John Ford (1894–1973) reached out to Jarman himself, hoping the teen could learn to ride horses Roman style – a foot on the back of each of two horses – for the project. Jarman learned the stunt and got the part. His other movies included “Intruder in the Dust,” “The Outriders,” “Hangman’s Knot,” and the Lassie film “The Sun Comes Up.”
As Jarman outgrew his childhood, he became frustrated with the attempt to transition to adult roles, and he left acting behind. However, he didn’t leave Hollywood entirely. After attending Vanderbilt University and serving in the U.S. Navy, he became the head of the San Francisco International Film Festival, running the event from 1965 to 1980. He made a final acting appearance in 1978 in the TV mini-series “Centennial,” and later, he recapped his Hollywood experience in the 2018 memoir “My Life and the Final Days of Hollywood.”
Jarman on filming “Rio Grande”
“Maureen was so beautiful and very sweet. Wayne was very professional and easy to work with. He always knew what he was doing. Being around all these guys and being able to ride horses, it was probably the most fun I had making a film.” — from a 2022 interview for The DeSoto Times-Tribune
Tributes to Claude Jarman Jr.
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
