Claude Jarman Jr: Oscar-winning child actor who starred with John Wayne dies at 90 'in his sleep'

He died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Kentfield, California, according to his wife of 38 years, Katie.

Born on September 27, 1934, in Nashville, Jarman was discovered at the age of 10 when director Clarence Brown visited his fifth-grade classroom while scouting for The Yearling. He was cast as Jody Baxter, the lonely boy who adopts an orphaned fawn, a role that earned him widespread acclaim.

Recalling his rapid rise to fame, Jarman said in a 2016 interview: “Next thing, they called three days later and said, ‘Get ready to leave for Hollywood in a week.’” The film took two years to complete, with Jarman recalling that one scene with a deer required 115 takes.

At the 1947 Academy Awards, Jarman received his Juvenile Academy Award from Shirley Temple at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. He was the seventh recipient of the miniature trophy, following Temple, who was the first to be honored with it 12 years earlier. Years later, the Academy presented him with a full-size Oscar, and he proudly displayed both awards in his home.

Following his success in The Yearling, Jarman appeared in other films such as The Sun Comes Up (1949), Intruder in the Dust (1949), and Rio Grande (1950), where he starred alongside John Wayne.

Despite his early Hollywood career, Jarman returned to Nashville in 1950 to complete high school and later graduated from Vanderbilt University. He then moved to other roles, serving as a publicist for the Armed Forces and heading the San Francisco International Film Festival from 1965 to 1980. His contributions to cinema were recognised with the festival’s George Gund III Craft of Cinema Award in 2019.

Jarman is survived by his wife, Katie, seven children, and eight grandchildren. He will be buried in Nashville, with a celebration of his life planned in San Francisco.