Billy Chapin

William McClellan Chapin (December 28, 1943 – December 2, 2016) was an American child actor, known for a considerable number of screen and TV performances from 1943 to 1959 and best remembered for both his roles as the "diaper manager" Christie Cooper in the 1953 family feature The Kid from Left Field and little John Harper in Charles Laughton's 1955 film noir movie The Night of the Hunter.

Chapin was the brother of child actors Lauren Chapin, known as Kathy "Kitten" Anderson, from the TV series Father Knows Best and of Michael Chapin, another child performer of the 1940s and 1950s.

Life and career Born William McClellan Chapin on December 28, 1943, in Los Angeles, he was the second of three children of Roy Chapin, a bank manager, and Marquerite Alice Barringer, who later became a kind of personal coach for all of her children's acting careers. His sister Lauren later told about alcohol problems and sexual abuse in the troubled family.

Early roles and Broadway When only a few weeks old, Chapin made his screen debut in the uncredited role of "Baby Girl" in 1944's Casanova Brown, starring Gary Cooper. Five months later he had another uncredited baby role in Marriage Is a Private Affair, starring Lana Turner. He had another bit role in The Cockeyed Miracle in 1946. He started acting professionally in 1951 in a supporting role in the Broadway stage musical Three Wishes for Jamie, which, while passably successful, toured the West Coast in the summer of the same year. After essential changes regarding dramatization of the play and replacements in the original West Coast cast, when the play moved to New York City in early 1952, it finally became a considerable success and earned him the N.Y. Drama Critics Award as the most promising young actor of the year. Later, Laughton publicly offered praise especially for "...the strength of [Chapin's] innate ability to understand the construction of a scene, its impact and its importance." The film was an inductee in the 1992 National Film Registry list.

Tension at Table Rock and career on TV Chapin's final big screen appearance came just a year after The Night of the Hunter, as young Jody Burrows in the 1956 B-Western Tension at Table Rock, starring Richard Egan. From then on his film career declined until he was acting solely on television, where his career eventually ended late in 1959 in an episode of the long-running family series Fury (1955–60).

Personal life and death In her own biography, Chapin's sister Lauren describes Chapin as having had alcohol and drug problems in his twenties and thirties.

Chapin died December 2, 2016, after a long illness, twenty-six days away from his 73rd birthday. He died of lung cancer while suffering from dementia, having previously had a stroke.

Work

Filmography (in order of release) Year Title Role Notes1944 Casanova Brown The Brown's Baby Girl Uncredited Marriage Is a Private Affair The Baby Uncredited1946 The Cockeyed Miracle Boy a.k.a. The Return of Mr. Griggs (US promotional title) a.k.a. Mr. Griggs Returns (UK)1953 Affair with a Stranger Timmy The Kid from Left Field Christie Cooper1954 Tobor the Great Brian "Gadge" Robertson Naked Alibi Petey There's No Business Like Show Business Steve Donahue, aged 10 Uncredited 1955 A Man Called Peter Peter John Marshall Violent Saturday Steve Martin The Night of the Hunter John Harper 1956 Tension at Table Rock Jody Burrows

On the stage Year Play Role Other notes1951/1952 Three Wishes for Jamie Kevin N.Y. Drama Critics Award

Television (in order of airing) Year Show/Series/Episode Role Other notes1951 Celanese Theatre - Episode: Winterset unknown originally aired on 31 October 1952 Celanese Theatre - Episode: On Borrowed Time Grandson originally aired on June 251953 Dragnet (a.k.a. Badge 714) - Episode: The Big White Rat unknown originally aired on September 3 Dragnet (a.k.a. Badge 714) - Episode: The Big Little Jesus Joseph Hefferman originally aired on December 24 1954 Dragnet (a.k.a. Badge 714) - Episode: The Big Children Richard Kessler originally aired on February 11 A Letter To Loretta (a.k.a. The Loretta Young Show/Theatre) - Episode: The New York Story Robbie Thorne originally aired on February 28 Lux Video Theatre (a.k.a. Summer Video Theatre)- Episode: Pick Off The Litter Jeremy originally aired on April 8 Waterfront - Episode: The Rift Teddy Herrick originally airing unknown Waterfront - Episode: Sunken Treasure Teddy Herrick originally aired on August 28 Waterfront - Episode: Capt'n Long John Teddy Herrick originally aired on September 191955 Stage 7 - The Greatest Man In The World Todd Jennings originally aired on March 13 Lux Video Theatre (a.k.a. Summer Video Theatre)- Episode: The Last Confession Gaston originally aired on September 1 Celebrity Playhouse - Episode: Day Of The Trial unknown originally aired on October 4 Cheyenne - Episode: "Julesburg" Tommy Scott originally aired on October 11 General Electric Theater (a.k.a. G.E. Theatre)- Outpost At Home unknown originally aired on October 23 The Millionaire (a.k.a. If I Had A Million) - The Tom Bryan Story Tom Bryan originally aired on November 2 My Friend Flicka - Episode: Silver Saddle unknown originally aired on December 161956 Ford Star Jubilee - Episode: The Day Lincoln Was Shot unknown originally aired on February 1 Fury (a.k.a. Brave Stallion) - Episode: The Test Louis Baxter Jr. originally aired on March 3 TV Reader's Digest - Episode: Lost, Strayed And Lonely (a.k.a. It's A Wise Father) Christopher originally aired on March 5 Climax! (a.k.a. Climax Mystery Theatre) - Episode: A Trophy For Howard Davenport Billy originally aired on June 28 Crossroads - Episode: Tenement Saint Jerry originally aired on December 141957 The Ford Television Theatre (a.k.a. Ford Theatre) - Episode: Ringside Seat Billy Curran originally aired on February 13 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater (a.k.a. The Westerners)- Episode: Black Creek Encounter Billy Morrison originally aired on March 8 Panic! (a.k.a. No Warning - US second season title) - Episode: The Boy Tommy Williams originally aired on March 191958 Meet McGraw - Episode: Friend Of The Court Tommy Cassidy originally aired on February 25 The Californians - Episode: The Marshall Joey originally aired on March 111959 Leave It to Beaver - Episode: The Grass Is Always Greener Pete Fletcher originally aired on January 8 Frontier Justice - Episode: Black Creek Encounter Billy Morrison originally aired on July 27 Fury (a.k.a. Brave Stallion) - Episode: The Rocketeers Vic Rockwell originally aired on December 5 (final appearance)