Actor John (Johnnie) Harron was born in New York City on March 31,
1903, a younger brother of silent screen star
Robert Harron. John got his first taste of
the movie business with an unbilled bit in one of his brother's many
classic films,
Hearts of the World (1918).
After all the tabloid hoopla of his brother's sudden and mysterious
shooting death in 1920 (listed as "accidental" but some claim it might
have been suicide), John was practically handed a movie career on a
silver platter.
Taking Bobby's place portraying young, innocent, wholesome romantic
leads opposite silent screen's top femme stars, John literally coasted
through hundreds of films. Although he showed major promise starring or
co-starring in such jazz-era mementos as
The $5 Baby (1922),
The Ragged Heiress (1922),
Dulcy (1923),
Die betrogene Frau (1925),
The Boy Friend (1926) and
Seidene Strümpfe (1927), he never
managed to win the kind of fame brother Bobby received. By the arrival
of sound, John had been relegated to bit and unbilled parts again in
second-string films.
Following location work on his last picture, John returned home
unusually exhausted. He traveled to Seattle for a bit of fishing and
rest and relaxation but, shortly after arriving, developed a raging
headache and went into the hospital. Diagnosed with spinal meningitis,
John died suddenly on November 24, 1939 at the hospital. He was only 36
and was survived by his wife of ten years, actress
Betty Westmore, and young daughter
Colleene.
