Biography for
Dickie Moore More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

12 September 1925, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name

John Richard Moore Jr.

Mini Biography

Former child and then juvenile actor, always to be remembered for bestowing on a 14-year-old Shirley Temple her first screen kiss - in 'Miss Annie Rooney' (1942). Has been a public-relations executive since the 50s, currently (1995) based in New York City.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Bill Takacs <kinephile@aol.com>

Mini Biography

Dickie Moore made his acting and screen debut at the age of 18 months in the 1927 John Barrymore film The Beloved Rogue (1927) as a baby, and by the time he had turned 10 he was a popular child star and had appeared in 52 films. He continued as a child star for many more years, and became the answer to the trivia question, "Who was the first actor to kiss Shirley Temple on screen?" when that honor was bestowed upon him in 1942's Miss Annie Rooney (1942). As with many child actors, once Dickie got older the roles began to dry up. He made his last film in 1950, but was still in the public eye with the 1949 to 1955 TV series "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" (1949). He then retired from acting for a new career in publicity. He currently produces industrial shows.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Keith Burnage webmaster@sgt-york.com

Spouse

Jane Powell	(21 May 1988 - present)
Eleanor Donhowe Fitzpatrick	(8 November 1959 - ?)
Pat Dempsey	(? - ?)

Trivia

Born at 3:15am-PDT

In 1957 he accepted the newly designed post of public relations director of Actors Equity. In 1964 he left to form his own public relations firm, Dick Moore Associates.

Did not meet Jane Powell, his future wife, until 1981 when he was researching his book on child stars, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

One of the Little Rascals for just a year (1932-1933), his closest friend on the set was Stymie. He left the Rascals at age 8 to seek greener pastures--feature films.

Quit acting at the age of 29 after making over 100 movies. He became involved with Actors Equity and became editor of their magazine and eventually became a part of the public relations counsel. In later years he formed his own public relations office and edited the journal of AFTRA, producing industrial shows and supervising other accounts.

Served in World War II and attended college majoring in journalism.

Co-produced and co-directed and acted in a two-reel short subject called Boy and the Eagle (1949) that earned an Oscar nomination.

He recalled that the much-publicized scene in Miss Annie Rooney (1942) in which he kisses Shirley Temple was extremely embarrassing for him, inasmuch as it was the first time he had ever kissed any girl; conversely, in her autobiography, Temple cheekily pointed out that it most certainly wasn't her first time, and that she breezed through the scene with her customary professional aplomb.

Author of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (But Don't Have Sex or Take the Car)" in which he interviewed 31 ex-child actors, more than half of whom fund their adult lives beset by alcoholism, nervous breakdowns, or failed first marriages. [1984]

Personal Quotes

There was a time when I bridled whenever a fan bothered me for an autograph or someone started with the jokes about dimples, but now I'm rather pleased that someone remembers.

[on working with Cecil B. DeMille in The Squaw Man (1931)] He was a complete and total egotist who didn't give a damn about anyone but himself. He hit me. I was a five-year-old kid and he hit me!

People have a tendency to remember you as you were. Unless you're careful, you have a tendency to remember you as you were, too.

I think performers have a real need to be made aware of the fact that their gifts and talents have a residual use. I'm always interested in anybody's story where they have managed to beat the odds and come out doing something they want to do, and still be able to utilize their backgrounds. It's worked for me.