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Outlook: I was the voice of Bambi – and kept it secret for years

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Donnie Dunagan

08/08/2022 GMT

I was the voice of Bambi – and kept it secret for years

BBC World Service - Outlook, I was the voice of Bambi – and kept it secret for years

Donnie Dunagan was a child star in the 1930s before becoming a US Marine

Donnie Dunagan starred in several Hollywood movies in the 1930s before becoming a US Marine.

Donnie Dunagan was born in 1934 and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, in the midst of the Great Depression. After winning a talent show aged four he was scouted and whisked to Hollywood where he starred in several movies – including a role as the voice of Walt Disney’s iconic animated deer Bambi in 1942. But WWII would put a halt to his movie career, and Donnie eventually became a US Marine – never telling anyone about his Hollywood history until he was publicly unmasked in 2004. On the 80th anniversary of Bambi's release, he shares his story.

Every other year, someone is awarded 'Disney Legend' status for having made an extraordinary contribution to the Walt Disney Company. Floyd Norman is one of the chosen few. In 1956, he became the studio's first African American animator and worked on some of its most iconic creations. He spoke to Outlook's Maryam Maruf in 2016. 

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Zoe Gelber

(Photo: 1940s newspaper clipping of Donnie Dunagan and Bambi Poster. Credit: (R) Courtesy of Donnie and Dana Dunagan. (L)  LMPC via Getty Images)

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