Terry Kilburn

Terence Edward Kilburn<ref name=draftcard>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).</ref> (born November 25, 1926),<ref name=draftcard/> known for his acting work prior to 1953 as Terry Kilburn, is an 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,<ref name=familysearch>Terence E Kilburn, Birth Registration, 1927. England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1927, Volume 4A, page 93, line 28. (Retrieved 26 November 2017).</ref> to working-class parents Tom and Alice Kilburn.<ref name="ci">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="2016 video interview"/>

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.<ref name="2016 video interview"/> 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).<ref name="TKilburn">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Career

File:Terry Kilburn.jpg

Kilburn as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol (1938)

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.<ref name=allmovie/> He made his Broadway debut, credited as Terrance Kilburn, portraying Eugene Marchbanks in a 1952 revival of George Bernard Shaw's Candida.<ref name=allmovie>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>"Candida, National Theatre, (4/22/1952 – 5/17/1952)". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 26 November 2017.</ref><ref>"Terrance Kilburn". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 26 November 2017.</ref> He thereafter remained committed to live performances, as both actor and director.<ref name=allmovie/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Meadow Brook Theatre is the largest non-profit professional theater in Michigan and presents classic plays, comedies, and musicals. The theater is known for its annual production of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Kilburn's partner, Charles Nolte.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

Since 1994 Kilburn has resided in Minneapolis, Minnesota.<ref name="2016 video interview">Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His partner of over 50 years, actor Charles Nolte, died in January 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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"

External links

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