Donnie Dunagan, who voiced young Bambi in Disney’s 1942 animated film before building a career in the U.S. Marines, died of lung cancer on November 4, 2026. He was 92, according to Yahoo News.
Dunagan began acting as a child after being spotted at a tap-dancing contest. His early screen credits included Mother Carey’s Chickens (1938), Son of Frankenstein (1939) and Tower of London (1939). His role as young Bambi was his final film performance.
He joined the Marines in 1952 and later served three tours in Vietnam. Dunagan retired in 1977 with the rank of major and received a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, according to Euronews.
A childhood career kept private from fellow Marines
Dunagan did not tell his Marine Corps colleagues about his work as a child actor, saying he did not want to be known as “Major Bambi.” In a 2015 interview with NPR, he described that silence as one of the biggest regrets of his life.
His representatives, Kris Jones and Nery Lemus of CelebWorx, said he had asked them “not to be sad due to the great life I lived.” They also remembered his encouragement, warmth and close ties with fellow veterans, fans and his wife.
Clayton Ward