John Megna

John Anthony Megna (November 9, 1952 – September 5, 1995) was an American actor, director and teacher. His best known role is that of "Dill" in the film To Kill a Mockingbird.

John Megna
Megna in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Miri" (1966)
Born
John Anthony Megna

(1952-11-09)November 9, 1952
Queens, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 5, 1995(1995-09-05) (aged 42)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, director, teacher
Years active1959–1984
Known forTo Kill a Mockingbird
RelativesConnie Stevens (half-sister)

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, both famous singers. 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.

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 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.[4] He later became a high school English teacher, and last taught at James Monroe High School in North Hills, California.[5] He also taught Honors English at Hollenbeck Jr High in Boyle Heights.

Personal life and death

John Megna was openly gay.[6] He died from AIDS-related complications on September 5, 1995, at Midway Hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 42.[3]

Television

Filmography

References
  1. Fisher, Joely (November 14, 2017). Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories, and Misadventures (Hardcover ed.). Harper-Collins. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-0626-9553-6.
  2. John Megna at IBDB
  3. "John Megna, 42, 'Mockingbird' Star". The New York Times. September 7, 1995. p. B17.
  4. "Obituaries: John Megna: Former Child Actor, Stage Director". Los Angeles Times. September 9, 1995. p. A24. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  5. Jones, Brittney (October 15, 2012). "John Megna–Famous Actor Lost to HIV/AIDS". AIDS Response Effort, Inc. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  6. "FOUR CLASSIC MOVIE ACTORS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE GAY". Logo. Logo TV. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
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