Frank Coghlan, Jr.

Frank Coghlan, Jr.
Coghlan circa 1927
Born	(1916-03-15)March 15, 1916 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	September 7, 2009(2009-09-07) (aged 93) Saugus, California, U.S.
Resting place	All Souls Cemetery, Long Beach, California
Other names	Junior Coghlan
Years active	1920–1969
Spouse(s)	Betty Corrigan (1943-1974) (her death) (4 children) Letha Schwarzrocks (?-2001) (her death)
Children	Pat Coghlan, Libbey Gagnon, Cathy Farley, Judy Coghlan

Frank Coghlan, Jr. (March 15, 1916 – September 7, 2009) also known as "Junior Coghlan", was an American actor who later became a career officer in the United States Navy and a Naval Aviator. He appeared in approximately 129 films and television programs between 1920 and 1974. During the 1920s and 1930s, he became a popular child and juvenile actor, appearing in films with Pola Negri, Jack Dempsey, William Haines, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney, and Bette Davis. He appeared in early "Our Gang" comedies, but he is best known for the role of Billy Batson in the 1941 motion picture serial Adventures of Captain Marvel. Coghlan later served 23 years as an aviator and officer in the U.S. Navy, from 1942 to 1965. After retiring from the Navy, he returned to acting and appeared in television, films, and commercials. He published an autobiography in 1992 and died in 2009 at age 93.

Coghlan was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but his parents moved to Hollywood when he was still a baby. His father was a doctor, and in "Who's Who on the Screen" for 1932 he hoped to be a doctor, too, when he grew up. Coghlan began appearing in motion pictures in 1920 as an extra and worked his way up to more important roles. He later boasted that he had been gainfully employed since age three. The freckle-faced Coghlan was billed as "Junior Coghlan" and became one of Hollywood's most popular child stars. Film historian Leonard Maltin said, "He was one of the busiest child actors of the late '20s and 1930s. He was a fresh, freckle-faced boy with great All-American-type appeal."

Coghlan began his acting career in 1920, appearing with Jack Dempsey in Daredevil Jack. In 1922 he co-starred with Brownie the Dog in a film called Rookies, and in 1923 he played a small role in the Pola Negri film The Spanish Dancer. He also appeared in early "Our Gang" films, including the 1923 Hal Roach short "Giants vs. Yanks," in which the gang, after having a baseball game called off, gets stuck in an elegant home, which they destroy. In 1924 Coghlan was again cast opposite Jack Dempsey in Winning His Way.