John Megna
Encyclopedia
John Megna was an American actor
whose Broadway
success at the age of seven in 1960's All the Way Home led to his being cast as Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris, the toothy young summer visitor in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird
. According to Mockingbird author, Harper Lee
, the character was based on her childhood friend, writer Truman Capote
.
A half-brother of actress/singer/businesswoman Connie Stevens
, Megna appeared in many television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and as an adult, he turned to stage directing. He appeared in two car chase films starring Burt Reynolds
and directed by Hal Needham
in cameo roles: Smokey and the Bandit II
and Cannonball Run
.
John Megna later became a high school English teacher, and last taught at James Monroe High School in North Hills, CA. On September 5, 1995, in Los Angeles, California, he died from AIDS
-related complications at the age of 42.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
whose Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
success at the age of seven in 1960's All the Way Home led to his being cast as Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris, the toothy young summer visitor in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird (film)
To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film adaptation of Harper Lee's novel of the same name directed by Robert Mulligan. It stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
. According to Mockingbird author, Harper Lee
Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee is an American author known for her 1960 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama...
, the character was based on her childhood friend, writer Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
.
A half-brother of actress/singer/businesswoman Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens
Connie Stevens is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in the television series Hawaiian Eye and other TV and film work.-Early life:...
, Megna appeared in many television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and as an adult, he turned to stage directing. He appeared in two car chase films starring Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
and directed by Hal Needham
Hal Needham
Hal Needham is an American stuntman and film director.-Early years:Needham was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Edith May and Howard Needham. He was raised in Arkansas and Missouri...
in cameo roles: Smokey and the Bandit II
Smokey and the Bandit II
Smokey and the Bandit II is a comedy film released on August 15, 1980 in the United States. It is the sequel to the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason, and Dom DeLuise...
and Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run
Cannonball Run may refer to:* Erwin Baker's 1933 NYC to LA drive* Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an outlaw automobile race, memorializing Erwin Baker's drive.* Films inspired by the race;...
.
John Megna later became a high school English teacher, and last taught at James Monroe High School in North Hills, CA. On September 5, 1995, in Los Angeles, California, he died from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related complications at the age of 42.
Acting Credits
John Megna's other acting credits include:- The Mogul (1984);
- The Cannonball Run (1981);
- Smokey and the Bandit IISmokey and the Bandit IISmokey and the Bandit II is a comedy film released on August 15, 1980 in the United States. It is the sequel to the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit. The film stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason, and Dom DeLuise...
(1980); - SkagSkag (TV series)Skag is a short-lived American drama series that aired on NBC and starred Karl Malden. Skag originated as a three-hour television movie that aired on January 6, 1980...
(1980) (TV); - Go Tell the SpartansGo Tell the SpartansGo Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel Incident at Muc Wa, about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam War in 1964, a time when Ford was a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation.The film's title is from Simonides's epitaph to...
(1978); - I Want to Keep My Baby (1976) (TV);
- The Boy in the Plastic BubbleThe Boy in the Plastic BubbleThe Boy in the Plastic Bubble is a 1976 made-for-TV movie inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed, and P.J. Soles...
(1976) (TV); - The Godfather: Part II (1974) (uncredited in the role of Young Hyman Roth);
- Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(1966) (TV), episode "Miri"; - BlindfoldBlindfold (film)Blindfold is an American movie from 1965, by Universal Pictures, starring Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale that was based on Lucille Fletcher's 1960 novel of the same name....
(1965); and - Hush… Hush, Sweet CharlotteHush… Hush, Sweet CharlotteHush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte is a 1964 American thriller film directed and produced by Robert Aldrich, and starring Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten, and Agnes Moorehead....
(1964). - To Kill a Mockingbird (film)To Kill a Mockingbird (film)To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 American drama film adaptation of Harper Lee's novel of the same name directed by Robert Mulligan. It stars Mary Badham in the role of Scout and Gregory Peck in the role of Atticus Finch....
- Charles Baker 'Dill' Harris (1962) - Naked CityNaked City (TV series)Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
- Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
- The Magic Shop
External links
- Obituary, New York Times, September 7, 1995 http://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/07/obituaries/john-megna-42-mockingbird-star.html