John Anthony Megna (November 9, 1952 – September 5, 1995) was an American actor, director and teacher. His best-known role is that of Dill in the film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Early life
John Anthony Megna was born in Ozone Park, Queens, New York, to Ralph W. Megna, a pharmacist,
and Eleanor McGinley, a one-time nightclub singer. He was a half-brother of
Connie Stevens[ ] through their mother, and an ex-brother-in-law of Eddie Fisher, both famous singers. He attended Holy Cross High School in Flushing, New York.
Career
At age 6, Megna made his acting debut in
Frank Loesser's Broadway musical
Greenwillow.
[ John Megna at IBDB] At 7, he starred in
All the Way Home,
[ an adaptation of James Agee's novel about the effect of a father's death on his family.]
Megna appeared in many television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s; he portrayed a near-blind child in the Naked City episode "A Horse Has a Big Head - Let Him Worry!", one of the "Onlies" in the episode "Miri", Stephan in I Spy (1967), and Little Adam in the NASA-produced animated shorts The Big World of Little Adam.
His other film appearances include Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), (1974), The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) with John Travolta, and Go Tell the Spartans (1978) with Burt Lancaster.
Later career
Megna graduated from Cornell University as a performing arts major.
As an adult, he turned to directing plays. He was the founding director of L.A. Arts, a nonprofit theater group in Los Angeles.
Personal life and death
Megna was openly gay.
Television
-
Naked City (1962) (Season 4 Episode 10: "A Horse Has a Big Head - Let Him Worry!") - Harold Denton
-
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964) (Season 2 Episode 13: "The Magic Shop") - Richard Anthony 'Tony' Grainger
-
(1966) (Season 1 Episode 8: "") - Little Boy
-
Police Woman (1975) (Season 2 Episode 2: "The Score") - Hooper
-
Police Woman (1977) (Season 3 Episode 13: "Night of the Full Moon") - Stan
-
Police Woman (1977) (Season 4 Episode 5: "Screams") - Jackson
-
Police Woman (1977) (Season 4 Episode 8: "Death Game") - Punk Leader
-
Skag (1980) (Pilot Episode)
-
The Mogul (1984)
Filmography
-
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) - Dill Harris
-
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) - New Boy
-
Blindfold (1966) - Mario Vincenti
-
The Godfather Part II (1974) - Young Hyman Roth (uncredited)
-
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) (TV Movie) - Smith
-
I Want to Keep My Baby (1976) (TV Movie) - Andy
-
Another Man, Another Chance (1977) - Loser in Saloon (uncredited)
-
Go Tell the Spartans (1978) - Corporal Ackley
-
Sunnyside (1979) - B.B.
-
(1979) - Outlaw
-
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) - P.T.
-
The Cannonball Run (1981) - Arthur Rose
-
The Ratings Game (1984) - Al
External links
