# Dickie Moore (actor)
**Dickie Moore** (John Richard Moore Jr.; September 12, 1925 – September 7, 2015) was an American child actor of Hollywood's studio era who made his screen debut as a baby in the silent film *The Beloved Rogue* (1927), appeared in more than 100 films, and later built a second career as a New York public relations executive.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) He is remembered for playing [Marlene Dietrich](https://www.edgepedia.org/marlene-dietrich)'s son in *Blonde Venus* (1932), the title role in the first sound adaptation of *Oliver Twist* (1933), and for giving 14-year-old [Shirley Temple](https://www.edgepedia.org/shirley-temple) her first on-screen kiss in *Miss Annie Rooney* (1942).[2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | September 12, 1925, Los Angeles; September 7, 2015, Connecticut, aged 89[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dickie-moore-20150912-story.html) |
| Screen debut | *The Beloved Rogue* (1927), playing John Barrymore's character, the poet François Villon, as a baby[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) |
| Output as a child | 52 films by age 10; more than 100 films over his career[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601129/bio/) • [2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) |
| Signature roles | *Blonde Venus* (1932), *Oliver Twist* (1933), *The Story of Louis Pasteur* (1936), *The Life of Emile Zola* (1937), *Sergeant York* (1941), *Out of the Past* (1947)[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) • [2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) |
| Trivia landmark | The actor who gave Shirley Temple her first screen kiss, in *Miss Annie Rooney* (1942)[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) |
| Second career | Public relations director for Actors' Equity Association, then founder of Dick Moore and Associates in New York[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) |
| Author | *Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (But Don't Have Sex or Take the Car)* (1984), based on interviews with 31 former child actors[6](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/dick-moore/twinkle-twinkle-little-star-but-dont-have-sex-o/) |
## Beginnings in silent film
Moore was born in Los Angeles and entered films before he could talk. A casting director visiting the family home noticed the baby and claimed a likeness to [John Barrymore](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-barrymore), and Moore made his screen debut in *The Beloved Rogue* (1927) as the infant [François Villon](https://www.edgepedia.org/francois-villon), the character Barrymore played as an adult.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [7](https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-news/obituary-dickie-moore/31541853.html) Sources disagree on his exact age at debut: obituaries in *The Guardian*, *The Independent*, and the American Heritage Center give 11 months, while IMDb and other summaries give 18 months.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601129/bio/)
His cherubic features, big brown eyes, and quiet naturalness made him in demand as Hollywood moved from silent film to sound. By age four he was cast regularly as a poor little rich boy, the son of a single parent, or a child fought over by estranged parents, and his earnings helped support his parents while his banker father was unemployed during the [Depression](https://www.edgepedia.org/depression).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) His first *New York Times* review, for *Passion Flower* (1930), called him charming and noted that audiences laughed at nearly every line he spoke.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore)
## The 1930s: a prolific child star
Moore appeared in six episodes of [Hal Roach](https://www.edgepedia.org/hal-roach)'s *Our Gang* comedy shorts in 1932 and 1933 (the series later known on television as *The Little Rascals*); the American Heritage Center account puts the count at eight.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [8](https://ahcwyo.org/2015/10/05/in-memoriam-dick-moore-september-12-1925-september-7-2015/) By his tenth birthday he had appeared in 52 films, and he made 19 films in 1932 alone.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601129/bio/) • [2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html)
**Notable roles.** He played Marlene Dietrich's son in [Josef von Sternberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/josef-von-sternberg)'s *Blonde Venus* (1932) and [Barbara Stanwyck](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbara-stanwyck)'s son in William Wellman's *So Big!* (1932), worked with [Spencer Tracy](https://www.edgepedia.org/spencer-tracy) in *Man's Castle* (1933) and W.C. Fields in *Million Dollar Legs* (1932), and took the title role in the 1933 Monogram *Oliver Twist*, the first sound version of the Dickens story.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) Some sources date the film to 1932.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/dickie_moore) In two William Dieterle biopics starring Paul Muni, he was a boy cured of rabies in *The Story of Louis Pasteur* (1936) and Captain Alfred Dreyfus's son in *The Life of Emile Zola* (1937).[2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) His favorite role, he said, was Gary Cooper's younger brother in Howard Hawks's *Sergeant York* (1941).[2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html)
In *Miss Annie Rooney* (1942), made when he was 16, he gave the 14-year-old Shirley Temple her first screen kiss, an experience he described as traumatizing because it was also the first time he had kissed any girl.[2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) • [10](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/peter-ibbetson-1935-2/)
## Adolescence, war, and a late film career
Like many juvenile performers, Moore found roles drying up as he grew out of childhood cuteness. After Army service in World War II, during which he was a correspondent in the Pacific for the Armed Forces newspaper *Stars and Stripes*, he used GI Bill benefits to study journalism at Los Angeles City College.[2](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore)
He returned to acting for one of his most admired parts, the deaf and speech-impaired gas station assistant called simply The Kid in Jacques Tourneur's film noir *Out of the Past* (1947), who saves [Robert Mitchum](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-mitchum)'s character from a killer.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dickie-moore/) In 1949 he produced and starred in *The Boy and the Eagle*, a live-action short about a disabled young man who nurses a wounded eagle, which received an Academy Award nomination.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) His last film work came in the early 1950s, including *The Member of the Wedding* (1952), and he appeared on Broadway as Brother Martin Ladvenu in [George Bernard Shaw](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-bernard-shaw)'s *Saint Joan* (1956–57) with Siobhán McKenna.[12](https://secondsightcinema.com/a-dickie-moore-primer-1925-2015/) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore)
## Public relations and the child-star book
Moore's post-acting life was steadier than that of many former child stars. [Ralph Bellamy](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-bellamy), with whom he had worked as a child, drew him into [Actors' Equity Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/actors-equity-association), where he became public relations director and editor of the union's magazine, before founding his own New York firm, Dick Moore and Associates, in 1966; some sources give 1964.[12](https://secondsightcinema.com/a-dickie-moore-primer-1925-2015/) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dickie-moore/) The firm served arts groups and trade unions, including AFTRA, and he ran it until 2010.[13](https://www.altfg.com/dickie-moore/) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore)
In the early 1980s he began interviewing former child stars to make sense of his own childhood, and the result was *Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (But Don't Have Sex or Take the Car)* (1984), built on interviews with 31 one-time child actors including [Mickey Rooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rooney), Natalie Wood, Shirley Temple, Jackie Coogan, and [Jane Withers](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-withers).[6](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/dick-moore/twinkle-twinkle-little-star-but-dont-have-sex-o/) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) The book examined misappropriated earnings, faded careers, and troubled adult lives; Moore found that over half of his subjects had struggled with serious problems such as alcoholism.[6](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/dick-moore/twinkle-twinkle-little-star-but-dont-have-sex-o/) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dickie-moore/) While interviewing for the book he met the MGM musical star Jane Powell; they married in 1988 and remained together until his death.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore) • [8](https://ahcwyo.org/2015/10/05/in-memoriam-dick-moore-september-12-1925-september-7-2015/)
## Death
Moore died on September 7, 2015, in a Connecticut hospital, five days before his 90th birthday, after suffering from dementia; the Television Academy obituary gives September 10 as the date.[4](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dickie-moore-20150912-story.html) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore) • [12](https://secondsightcinema.com/a-dickie-moore-primer-1925-2015/) His death came days after that of fellow *Our Gang* alumnus Jean Darling.[14](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/dickie-moore-child-star-of-the-1930s-dies-at-89/)
## References
1. [Dickie Moore obituary, The Guardian (Ronald Bergan, 2015)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/15/dickie-moore)
2. [Dickie Moore: Child star who made more than 100 films, The Independent (2015)](https://www.the-independent.com/news/people/dickie-moore-child-star-who-made-more-than-100-films-played-marlene-dietrich-s-son-and-gave-shirley-temple-her-first-screen-kiss-10506555.html)
3. [Dickie Moore, Television Academy bio](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dickie-moore)
4. [Dickie Moore dies at 89, Los Angeles Times (David Colker, 2015)](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dickie-moore-20150912-story.html)
5. [Dickie Moore Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601129/bio/)
6. [Review of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Kirkus Reviews (1984)](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/dick-moore/twinkle-twinkle-little-star-but-dont-have-sex-o/)
7. [Obituary: Dickie Moore, Irish Independent / Telegraph](https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-news/obituary-dickie-moore/31541853.html)
8. [Living the Reel Life: The Journey of Child Actor Dick Moore, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming](https://ahcwyo.org/2015/10/05/in-memoriam-dick-moore-september-12-1925-september-7-2015/)
9. [Dickie Moore, Rotten Tomatoes celebrity page](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/dickie_moore)
10. [Peter Ibbetson (1935) film notes, Toronto Film Society](https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/peter-ibbetson-1935-2/)
11. [Dickie Moore, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dickie-moore/)
12. [A Dickie Moore Primer (1925–2015), Second Sight Cinema](https://secondsightcinema.com/a-dickie-moore-primer-1925-2015/)
13. [Dickie Moore: Shirley Temple First Kisser, Alt Film Guide](https://www.altfg.com/dickie-moore/)
14. ["Little Rascals" actor Dickie Moore dies at 89, CBS News/AP](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/dickie-moore-child-star-of-the-1930s-dies-at-89/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Child and young film performers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license