The Last Surviving Cast Member Of ‘Gone With The Wind,’ Mickey Kuhn, Has Passed Away At Age 90
Image Source: Henry Herald
Micky Kuhn, the last surviving cast member of the 1940s classic Gone with the Wind, has passed away at the age of 90. He passed away on Sunday, November 20th, at a hospice facility in Naples, Florida.
Born on September 21, 1932, in Waukegan, Illinois, Kuhn made his first film appearance as a toddler in tye 1934 film Change of Heart. He was soon enrolled in Mar-Ken School for performing children and soon became friends with the acting brothers Dwayne and Darryl Hickman. Kuhn considered the 1939 film Juarez his breakout role, and he was soon chosen to play Beau Wilkes in Gone with the Wind, recalling that the receptionist told him that they had been waiting for him and cast him on the spot. His classic line “Where is my mother going away to, and why can’t I go along, please?” was shot in one take.
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He recalled filming that scene in an interview:
“Fleming took me aside and said, ‘I want to talk with you, Mickey. Your mother is dying and you’re going to be left all alone. How would you feel about that?’ I began crying, he handed me to Leslie Howard (who played his father), and it was shot in one take. Howard then handed me back to Fleming who said, ‘Now it’s over, you can calm down and even take a punch at me if you want.’ At that moment, someone on the set took a photo.”
Kuhn continued his acting career until he joined the Navy in 1955. When he returned, he was only offered television roles, but he found those unappealing, so he left acting altogether in 1956 and entered college. His last credit was in the horror series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He worked for American Airlines from 1965 to 1995 and then in administrative airport positions until he retired. The actor was married five times, with his last marriage being to American Airlines co-worker Barbara Traci from 1985 until his death. Kuhn is survived by his wife and his two children.
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