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Donnie Dunagan, Original Voice of Young Bambi, Dies at 92

The voice of young Bambi in Disney's 1942 film died of lung cancer on November 4. He later kept that past secret through 25 years in the Marine Corps and retired as a major.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Donnie Dunagan, Original Voice of Young Bambi, Dies at 92
Photo: Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Donnie_Dunagan_(53472545221).jpg)

Key points

  • Donnie Dunagan, who voiced young Bambi in Walt Disney's Bambi in 1942, died on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at the age of 92.
  • Donald Roan Dunagan was born on August 16, 1934, in San Antonio, Texas.
  • Dunagan made his film debut in 1938 as Peter Carey in Mother Carey's Chickens.

Donnie Dunagan, who voiced young Bambi in Walt Disney's Bambi in 1942, died on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at the age of 92. He died of lung cancer. The Hollywood Reporter announced the death on Monday, November 9, citing author and film historian Tom Weaver, who reported it. Parade, citing The Hollywood Reporter, reported the same date and cause, and WDW News Today carried the news the same day.

Donald Roan Dunagan was born on August 16, 1934, in San Antonio, Texas. He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his parents, Warren and Louise.

A short film career

Dunagan made his film debut in 1938 as Peter Carey in Mother Carey's Chickens. In 1939 he played Peter von Frankenstein, the young son of the Baron, in Son of Frankenstein, opposite Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.

Bambi, released in 1942, was his seventh and last film. He provided the voice of young Bambi. Hardie Albright voiced the adolescent Bambi.

Walt Disney personally called Dunagan's mother with the offer. Disney said he wanted Dunagan to help his artists put a child's expression on a deer, as Dunagan explained in a 2025 interview. Dunagan then worked on the film for over a year.

Late in life, Dunagan spoke warmly about what the role meant to people who recognised it. "But let someone say, 'That dude over there was the face or voice of Bambi,' and I am an immediate adopted grandfather to them," he said, in a quote carried by The AV Club.

Major Bambi

Dunagan enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1952, at the age of 18. He served 25 years and retired in 1977 with the rank of major. His service brought the Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V.

During that service he kept his Hollywood past secret. He did not want to be known as Major Bambi. NPR used that label when it introduced him to listeners in 2015. Film historian Tom Weaver had tracked him down in 2004 for an in-depth interview in Video Watchdog, and Dunagan spoke more openly about the Bambi years after that.

Dunagan is survived by his wife, Dana. They married in September 1992.

Timeline

  1. Aug 16, 1934Donald Roan Dunagan is born in San Antonio, Texas.
  2. 1942Bambi is released. Dunagan voices young Bambi in his seventh and last film.
  3. 1977Dunagan retires from the United States Marine Corps as a major after 25 years of service.
  4. Nov 4, 2026Dunagan dies of lung cancer at 92. The Hollywood Reporter announces the death on Nov 9, 2026.

Sources