Trivia

Personally cast by Charles Laughton for the role of young John Harper in The Night of the Hunter (1955).

Brother of Lauren Chapin

Was afflicted by alcohol and drug problems while in his twenties and thirties.

Was on stage already as a toddler and made his theatrical debut properly in the 1951 play "Three Wishes for Jamie" on Broadway. For this performance he won the N.Y. Drama Critics Award as the most promising young actor of the year.

His sister, Lauren Chapin, said her brother died in poverty and didn't have enough money to pay for his own funeral. She noted that their mother was a single, alcoholic Hollywood stage mom who was more interested in promoting her children's celebrity status than they were.

In later years he suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with dementia. He was confined to a wheelchair and lived in a nursing home for several years, before dying of lung cancer.

Appeared under the direction of three Oscar winners (Richard Fleischer, Charles Laughton and Delbert Mann) and six Oscar nominees (Sam Wood, S. Sylvan Simon, Harmon Jones, Walter Lang, Henry Koster and Ray Nazarro).

Uncle of Summer-Healy Chapin

He retired from the stage in 1960.

Brother of Michael Chapin

His very first screen appearance was the uncredited role as the baby daughter in Casanova Brown (1944).