Darwood Kaye
Darwood Kaye , actually Darwood Kenneth Smith , (born September 8, 1929 in Fort Collins , Colorado , † May 15, 2002 in Riverside , California ) was an American child actor who played the role of the rich snob child with the little thugs Waldo became known.
Life
Film career
Born in Colorado as Darwood Kenneth Smith, he attended a show by western star Tom Mix when he was six , who recommended that the family give their son a try in Hollywood. On an extended vacation in California, the family finally managed to get Hollywood agents to spot him. Kaye made his film debut with the Little Rascals in the film Glove Taps (1937). In the following three years he played in a total of 21 productions in the popular short film series. In his first two films with the little rascals Kaye still had extra roles , in his third film he was seen for the first time as a rich snob child Waldo with nerdy and adult attitudes. With his expensive toys he was often the opponent of the group of children, especially Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer , with whom he regularly vied for the favor of the leading lady Darla Hood . In 1938 the little thugs moved from Hal Roach Studios to MGM , the films at the latter studio are generally viewed as weaker.
In 1940 he left the Little Rascals and had, among other things, a minor role in ... and life goes on (1943) with Mickey Rooney . In 1946 he shot his last of 33 films with My Reputation alongside Barbara Stanwyck .
Next life
After serving a year and a half in the US Army, Kaye attended La Sierra University, a Seventh-day Adventist University . In 1951 he married his fellow student Jean Venden, with whom he had four sons. Under the name "Ken Smith" he was pastor for the Seventh-day Adventists in several cities in California. In the mid-1950s, he and his family also moved to Bangkok as a priest for 17 years , where he served in the mission. Even after his return to Thailand he continued to work as a pastor, most recently alongside his son Dan - who was also a pastor - in Riverside, California. When he died, he had been married to his wife for over 50 years and had nine grandchildren.
On May 15, 2002, Kaye was walking the Riverside sidewalk when a truck went off the road and injured the 72-year-old so badly that he died soon after in hospital. The truck driver escaped.
literature
- David B. Smith (his son): Finding Waldo ; Pacific Press Publishing Association (2009)
Web links
- Darwood Kaye in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kaye, Darwood |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smith, Darwood Kenneth (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American child actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 8, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fort Collins , Colorado , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 15, 2002 |
| Place of death | Riverside , California |