Terry Kilburn
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Terence Edward Kilburn[1] (born November 25, 1926),[1] known for his acting work prior to 1953 as Terry Kilburn, is a retired English-American actor. Born in London, he moved to Hollywood in the U.S. at the age of 10, and is best known for his roles as a child actor during the Golden Age of Hollywood, in films such as A Christmas Carol (1938) and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) in the late 1930s and the early 1940s.
Early life
Kilburn was born in 1926 in West Ham, Essex,[2] to working-class parents Tom and Alice Kilburn.[3][4]
Kilburn did some unpaid acting as a young child, and an agent encouraged him to go to Hollywood. He and his mother immigrated to the U.S. in 1937, and his father arrived the following year.[4] A talent scout for MGM discovered him rehearsing for Eddie Cantor's radio show, and he was cast in the British-set film Lord Jeff (1938).[5]
Career
Hollywood and Broadway
Known for his innocent, dreamy, doe-eyed look, Kilburn achieved fame at the age of 11 portraying Tiny Tim in the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film version of A Christmas Carol, and also as four generations of the Colley family in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939).
As a child actor, Kilburn also played leading roles in two films which starred Freddie Bartholomew: Lord Jeff (1938) and Swiss Family Robinson (1940). He was featured in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) with Basil Rathbone. In addition to Lord Jeff (1938), he worked alongside Mickey Rooney in Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939), A Yank at Eton (1942), and National Velvet (1944). In 1946 he was Joe, the horse's groom, in Black Beauty. In his early 20s, in 1947 and 1948, he was in four back-to-back Bulldog Drummond films, as Seymour, a reporter; and in 1950 he had small roles in two seagoing films.
After high school, Kilburn concentrated on stage work, and studied drama at UCLA.[6] He made his Broadway debut, credited as Terrance Kilburn, portraying Eugene Marchbanks in a 1952 revival of George Bernard Shaw's Candida.[6][7][8] He thereafter remained committed to live performances, as both actor and director.[6]
After 1952, Kilburn was credited on screen as Terence Kilburn. His final feature film role was a small part in Lolita (1962). Between 1951 and 1969, he was also in nearly a dozen teleplays, television movies, and television series episodes.
After Hollywood
From 1970 to 1994, Kilburn was artistic director of Oakland University's Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Michigan.[9][10] Meadow Brook Theatre is the largest non-profit professional theatre in Michigan and presents classic plays, comedies, and musicals. The theatre is known for its annual production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Kilburn's partner, Charles Nolte.[11]
Personal life
Since 1994 Kilburn has resided in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[4][12] His partner of over 50 years, actor Charles Nolte, died in January 2010.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | No Greater Glory | Paul Street Boy | Film debut |
| 1938 | Lord Jeff | Albert Baker | |
| A Christmas Carol | Tiny Tim | ||
| Sweethearts | Brother | ||
| 1939 | The Great Man Votes | Student | |
| Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Template:Ubl | ||
| Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever | 'Stickin' Plaster | ||
| They Shall Have Music | Limey | ||
| The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | Billy | ||
| 1940 | Swiss Family Robinson | Ernest Robinson | |
| 1941 | Mercy Island | Wiccy | |
| 1942 | A Yank at Eton | Hilspeth | Uncredited |
| 1944 | National Velvet | Ted | |
| 1946 | Black Beauty | Joe | |
| 1947 | Song of Scheherazade | Midshipman Lorin | |
| Bulldog Drummond at Bay | Seymour | ||
| Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back | Seymour | ||
| 1948 | The Challenge | Seymour | |
| 13 Lead Soldiers | Seymour | ||
| 1950 | Tyrant of the Sea | Dick Savage | |
| Fortunes of Captain Blood | Kenny Jensen | ||
| 1951 | Hill Number One: A Story of Faith and Inspiration | Stephen | Teleplay, Family Theatre |
| Only the Valiant | Trooper Saxton | ||
| 1953 | Slater's Dream | Samuel Slater | Teleplay, Cavalcade of America |
| Slaves of Babylon | King Cyrus | ||
| 1954 | King Richard II | Harry Percy | TV movie |
| Night Must Fall | Dan | Ponds Theater | |
| You Touched Me! | Kraft Theatre | ||
| 1956 | The Honor Code | Cadet Eddie Garley | Teleplay, West Point |
| Miss Mabel | Peter | Lux Video Theatre | |
| 1957 | The New Adventures of Martin Kane | Bill Wright | TV series, episode "The Railroad Story" |
| The Long Christmas Dinner | Sam | TV adaptation of play | |
| 1958 | Fiend Without a Face | Capt. Al Chester | |
| The New Adventures of Charlie Chan | Col. Arthur Ross | TV series, episode "Safe Deposit" | |
| 1962 | Lolita | Man | Final film |
| 1969 | Get Smart | Shirtsinger | TV series, episode "Hurray for Hollywood" |
References
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- ↑ a b Terence Edward Kilburn, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947. World War II Draft Registration Cards for California, 1940-1947. (Retrieved 15 November 2025).
- ↑ Terence E Kilburn, Birth Registration, 1927. England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1927, Volume 4A, page 93, line 28. (Retrieved 26 November 2017).
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- ↑ "Candida, National Theatre, (4/22/1952 – 5/17/1952)". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
- ↑ "Terrance Kilburn". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
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External links
- Template:Trim/ Template:PAGENAMEBASE at IMDbTemplate:EditAtWikidataScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Template:First word Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the Internet Broadway DatabaseTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck
- Pages with script errors
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- IBDB name template using Wikidata
- 1926 births
- 20th-century English male actors
- Actors from the London Borough of Newham
- American gay actors
- American male child actors
- American male film actors
- American male radio actors
- American male stage actors
- English expatriate male actors in the United States
- English gay actors
- English male child actors
- English male film actors
- English male radio actors
- English male stage actors
- LGBTQ people from London
- Living people
- Male actors from Essex
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players
- People from West Ham