Here is the biography of Junior Durkin:
Junior Durkin was a child actor who was born Trent Bernard ("Junior") Durkin in Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 2, 1915. His father, Bernard, abandoned the family when Junior was young, and his mother, Florence "Molly" Edwards, who was an actress, encouraged Junior and his two older sisters to pursue a career in performing.
Junior began his acting career at a young age, making his stage debut at 2 1/2 years old in the play "Some Night." He went on to appear in various shows on Broadway, including "The Squaw Man," "The Blue Bird," "Poppy," "Paid," and "Floradora."
In 1923, Junior took his first bow on Broadway in the melodrama "The Lady" alongside veterans Mary Nash and Elisabeth Risdon. He returned to Broadway in 1926 as Tommy Tucker in Gilbert & Sullivan's musical "H.M.S. Pinafore" and earned strong reviews in the comedy "Courage" in 1928, starring alongside Janet Beecher and featuring his sister Gertrude.
After his mother's death in 1930, Junior and his sisters headed to Hollywood to test their skills in early sound pictures. Junior's first film was "Recaptured Love" (1930),followed by "The Santa Fe Trail" (1930) alongside child actress Mitzi Green.
Junior's breakthrough role came when he was cast as Huckleberry Finn opposite Jackie Coogan in the movie version of Mark Twain's classic "Tom Sawyer" (1930). The two became lifelong friends, and they were reunited in the film version of "Huckleberry Finn" (1931).
Junior went on to appear in several more films, including "Hell's House" (1932) with Bette Davis and Pat O'Brien, "Man Hunt" (1933),and "Ready for Love" (1934) with Richard Arlen and Ida Lupino. His last film was "Chasing Yesterday" (1935),which was released posthumously.
Junior's life was tragically cut short in a car accident on his 20th birthday, when he was a passenger in a car driven by his friend Jackie Coogan's father. Junior died from a fractured skull, leaving behind a promising career and a legacy as a talented young actor.
