John Megna

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Megna
John Megna.jpg
Megna in the Star Trek episode "Miri" (1966)
Born
John Anthony Megna

(1952-11-09)November 9, 1952
Queens, New York, United States
DiedSeptember 4, 1995(1995-09-04) (aged 42)
Los Angeles, California, United States
OccupationActor, director, teacher
Years active1959–1984
Known forTo Kill a Mockingbird
RelativesConnie Stevens (half-sister)

John Anthony Megna (November 9, 1952 – September 4, 1995) was an American actor, director and teacher. His best known role is that of "Dill" in the film To Kill a Mockingbird.

Early life[]

John Anthony Megna was born in Ozone Park, Queens, New York to Ralph W. Megna, a pharmacist,[1] and Eleanor McGinley, a one-time nightclub singer. He was a half-brother of Connie Stevens and an ex-brother-in-law of Eddie Fisher. He attended Holy Cross High School in Flushing, New York.

Career[]

At age 6, Megna made his acting debut in Frank Loesser's Broadway musical Greenwillow.[2] At 7, he starred in All the Way Home,[2] an adaptation of James Agee's novel about the effect of a father's death on his family.[3] This led to his being cast as Charles Baker "Dill" Harris, the toothy young summer visitor in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird. The character was based on writer Truman Capote, a childhood friend and later associate of Harper Lee, the author of the original novel.[citation needed]

Megna appeared in many television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s; he portrayed a near-blind child in the Naked City episode "A Horse Has a Big Head - Let Him Worry!", one of the "Onlies" in the "Miri" episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, Stephan in I Spy (1967), and Little Adam in the NASA-produced animated shorts The Big World of Little Adam.

His other film appearances include Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), The Godfather: Part II (1974), The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) with John Travolta, and Go Tell the Spartans (1978) with Burt Lancaster. He also acted in two car-chase films starring Burt Reynolds and directed by Hal Needham – Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The Cannonball Run (1981).

Later career[]

Megna graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York as a performing arts major.

As an adult, he turned to directing plays. He was the founding director of L.A. Arts, a nonprofit theater group in Los Angeles.[citation needed] He later became a high school English teacher, and last taught at James Monroe High School in North Hills, California.[4] He also taught Honors English at Hollenbeck Jr High in Boyle Heights.

Death[]

John Megna died from AIDS-related complications on September 4, 1995 at Midway Hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 42.[3]

Television[]

  • Naked City (1962) - Harold Denton
  • The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - The Magic Shop (1964) (TV) - Anthony 'Tony' Grainger
  • Star Trek, episode "Miri" (1966) (TV) - Little Boy
  • Skag (1980) (TV)
  • The Mogul (1984)

Filmography[]

References[]

  1. ^ Fisher, Joely (2017). Growing Up Fisher (Hardcover ed.). Harper-Collins. p. 42. ISBN 9780062695536.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b John Megna at IBDB
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "John Megna, 42, 'Mockingbird' Star". The New York Times. September 7, 1995. p. B17.
  4. ^ Jones, Brittney (October 15, 2012). "John Megna–Famous Actor Lost to HIV/AIDS". AIDS Response Effort, Inc. Winchester, Virginia. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2016.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""