Frankie Darro
Birthday: 1917-12-22 | Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois, USABorn into a show-business family - his parents were circus aerialists - Frankie Darro appeared in his first film at age six. Due to his small size and youthful appearance, he played teenagers well into his 20s. Always a physical performer, Darro often did his own stunts, many times out of necessity - his small stature made it difficult to find stunt doubles his size. He was an accomplished horseman and, in addition to westerns, made several films where he played jockeys. In 1933 he played the lead as a troubled teen in a major film for Warner Brothers, "Wild Boys Of The Road." It is a pre-code film with a realistic look at "The Great Depression," from the point of view of the youth of the time. This film seems to have been rediscovered only recently and has received critical acclaim.That same year, he played a troubled youth in the James Cagney classic, "The Mayor Of Hell". Later in 1935, he had a key role in the cult serial classic "The Phantom Empire"(1935). As Darro got older, however, he found it increasingly difficult to secure employment, and by the late 1940s was doing uncredited stunt work and bit parts. He had a recurring role on The Red Skelton Hour (1951), unrecognized by his fans, he played "Robby The Robot" in the groundbreaking sci-fi film "The Forbidden Planet" (1956), though Marvin Miller, best remembered as Michael Anthony of TVs "Millionaire"(1955-60), was the robot's voice. After that Frankie appeared sporadically in films and on TV .
Known For
Acting
Role
as Jim Bascom
as Gig Jackson
as Ben Feathers
as Cousin Jimmy
as Jockey
as Frankie O'Malley
as Frankie O'Reilly
as Frankie 'Doc' Kelly
as Frankie Baxter
as Frankie Kelly
as Frankie Ryan
as Jimmy O'Brien
as Lampwick (voice) (uncredited)
as Buzzy O'Brien
as Tommy Ryan
as 'Skipper' Murphy
as "Dink" Reid
as Freddie Shields
as James 'Jimmy' Forbush Tallant, Jr.
as Lee
as 'Babyface' Madison
as Frankie Reynolds
as Frankie Baxter
as Jimmy Moore
as Johnny
as Johnny Morgan
as Slivers Sanderson
as Bobbie Riley
as Dan
