Frankie Darro Movies and Career Information

Frankie Darro (December 22, 1917 – December 25, 1976) was an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles in adventure, western, dramatic, and comedy films, and later became a character actor and voice-over artist. Darro was born as Frank Johnson in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were The Flying Johnsons, a Flying Circus act with the Sells Floto Circus. It was a profession that his father attempted to train him in as well but Frank's fear of heights became a problem. In 1922, while the circus was in California, his parents separated. Their circus act ended with their marriage. The growing film industry, however, found a use for a small child who could do his own stunts and, renamed Frankie Darro, he appeared in his first film at the age of six. As a child actor he appeared in many silent adventure, western, and serial pictures of the 1920s, and became a very prolific actor as an adolescent. His convincing delivery of dialogue and his obvious comfort before the cameras kept him steadily employed. His most important role of the 1930s was the lead in Wild Boys of the Road, director William Wellman's indictment of