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Bernard Punsly, also known as Bernard Punsley (July 11, 1923 – January 20, 2004) was an American actor and physician. He was the last surviving member of the Dead End Kids.
The success of the play led to Punsly and some of its child actors being cast in a 1937 film adaptation, Dead End. In the film, which portrayed the youths as victims of society.Punsly again played Milty. After that film he appeared in the Little Tough Guys series. His other films included Angels With Dirty Faces (1938), Little Tough Guy (1938) and Hell's Kitchen (1939). He played W.C. Fields' caddy in The Big Broadcast of 1938.
At his death, the Los Angeles Times recounted that Punsly "often played the innocent youth that got hooked up with the gang," and that off-camera he was considered the "good kid" among the actors.
The success of the led to the group appearing in a series of films that featured actors from the films. He went on to appear in 18 other films. During his career he worked with stars such as Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, John Garfield, and Humphrey Bogart.
In 1994, Punsly appeared with the other last survivor of the Dead End Kids, Huntz Hall, in which the group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hall died in 1999.
Upon discharge from the Army, Punsly entered the Medical College of Georgia at the University of Georgia, obtaining his medical degree in 1949. He moved to Los Angeles and served and internship and residency at Los Angeles County Medical Center. He became an internist at Little Company of Mary Hospital. He became chief of staff at South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach in 1971. He retired in 2002.
Punsly died of cancer on January 20, 2004, at age 80, in Torrance, California. He was survived by his wife, a son, two grandchildren and a sister.
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