Frank Coghlan Jr. (March 15, 1916 â€" September 7, 2009) also known as
Junior Coghlan, was an American actor who later became a career
officer in the United States Navy and a naval aviator. He appeared in
approximately 129 films and television programs between 1920 and 1974.
During the 1920s and 1930s, he became a popular child and juvenile
actor, appearing in films with Pola Negri, Jack Dempsey, William
Haines, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, William Boyd and Bette Davis.
He appeared in early "Our Gang" comedies, but he is best known for the
role of Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial Adventures of
Captain Marvel. Coghlan later served 23 years as an aviator and
officer in the U.S. Navy, from 1942 to 1965. After retiring from the
Navy, he returned to acting and appeared in television, films, and
commercials. He published an autobiography in 1992 and died in 2009 at
age 93.Coghlan was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but his parents
moved to Hollywood when he was still a baby. His father was a doctor,
and in "Who's Who on the Screen" for 1932 he hoped to be a doctor,
too, when he grew up. Coghlan began appearing in motion pictures in
1920 as an extra and worked his way up to more important roles. He
later boasted that he had been gainfully employed since age three. The
freckle-faced Coghlan was billed as "Junior Coghlan" and became one of
Hollywood's most popular child stars. Film historian Leonard Maltin
said, "He was one of the busiest child actors of the late '20s and
1930s. He was a fresh, freckle-faced boy with great All-American-type
appeal."Coghlan began his acting career in 1920, appearing with Jack
Dempsey in Daredevil Jack. In 1922 he co-starred with Brownie the Dog
in a film called Rookies, and in 1923 he played a small role in the
Pola Negri film The Spanish Dancer. He also appeared in early "Our
Gang" films, including the 1923 Hal Roach short "Giants vs. Yanks," in
which the gang, after having a baseball game called off, gets stuck in
an elegant home, which they destroy. In 1924 Coghlan was again cast
opposite Jack Dempsey in Winning His Way.
Junior Coghlan, was an American actor who later became a career
officer in the United States Navy and a naval aviator. He appeared in
approximately 129 films and television programs between 1920 and 1974.
During the 1920s and 1930s, he became a popular child and juvenile
actor, appearing in films with Pola Negri, Jack Dempsey, William
Haines, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, William Boyd and Bette Davis.
He appeared in early "Our Gang" comedies, but he is best known for the
role of Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial Adventures of
Captain Marvel. Coghlan later served 23 years as an aviator and
officer in the U.S. Navy, from 1942 to 1965. After retiring from the
Navy, he returned to acting and appeared in television, films, and
commercials. He published an autobiography in 1992 and died in 2009 at
age 93.Coghlan was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but his parents
moved to Hollywood when he was still a baby. His father was a doctor,
and in "Who's Who on the Screen" for 1932 he hoped to be a doctor,
too, when he grew up. Coghlan began appearing in motion pictures in
1920 as an extra and worked his way up to more important roles. He
later boasted that he had been gainfully employed since age three. The
freckle-faced Coghlan was billed as "Junior Coghlan" and became one of
Hollywood's most popular child stars. Film historian Leonard Maltin
said, "He was one of the busiest child actors of the late '20s and
1930s. He was a fresh, freckle-faced boy with great All-American-type
appeal."Coghlan began his acting career in 1920, appearing with Jack
Dempsey in Daredevil Jack. In 1922 he co-starred with Brownie the Dog
in a film called Rookies, and in 1923 he played a small role in the
Pola Negri film The Spanish Dancer. He also appeared in early "Our
Gang" films, including the 1923 Hal Roach short "Giants vs. Yanks," in
which the gang, after having a baseball game called off, gets stuck in
an elegant home, which they destroy. In 1924 Coghlan was again cast
opposite Jack Dempsey in Winning His Way.
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