Donnie Dunagan, voice of young Bambi, dies at 92
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
Donnie Dunagan, the actor who voiced the young fawn in Disney’s 1942 film Bambi, died on 4 November 2026 aged 92 from lung cancer. A former US Marine for 25 years, he received three Purple Hearts, according to 3News.
Donnie Dunagan, a former child actor who voiced the young fawn in Walt Disney’s 1942 animated film Bambi, died on Wednesday 4 November aged 92, of lung cancer, according to 3News.
After Hollywood, he left cinema in 1952 to join the United States Marine Corps, where he served for 25 years. He received three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. He long kept his role as Bambi secret from fellow servicemen, later regretting that he had not dared to tell them.
Before Bambi, he had appeared in Son of Frankenstein and Tower of London, two horror films from 1939 alongside Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Bambi was his last film role. In 2015, he said the film was "a pure joy that children and octogenarians can share".
