Martin Spellman

{{Infobox person

| name = Martin Spellman

| image = Spencer Tracy and Martin Spellman in Boys Town (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Spencer Tracy and Spellman in Boys Town (1938)

| birth_name = Martin Spellman IV

| birth_date = {{birth date|1925|10|8}}

| birth_place = Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|5|6|1925|10|8}}

| death_place = Vancouver, Washington, U.S.

| occupation = Child actor

| years_active = 1938–1957

}}

Martin Spellman IV (October 8, 1925 – May 6, 2020) was an American child actor active in films during the 1930s and 1940s.

Career

Martin Spellman IV was born in 1925 in Des Moines, Iowa. After his family moved to California, at the age of 9 he first entered the MGM studios not as a prospective actor but as a newsboy.Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 154.

Spellman became such a familiar figure at MGM that for Christmas 1937, they decided to give him a very special Christmas present. Clark Gable invited him to work as an extra for a few days on the film Test Pilot where he had an uncredited role. After that, he played Skinny in the 1938 film Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/136084494|title=Martin includes 'Daisy'|publisher=Oakland Tribune|date=April 28, 1940|accessdate=March 4, 2017}} In 1939, he co-starred in Streets of New York with Jackie Cooper.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1963821|title=Jackie Cooper and Friend|publisher=The Bakersfield Californian|date=July 8, 1939|accessdate=March 4, 2017}} The following year he had another leading role in Son of the Navy with Jean Parker and James Dunn.

Spellman's film career ended in 1941. He then enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. Returning to civilian life, he spent 27 years in the business world, and then switched to automobile finance and insurance.{{cite web|url=http://www.mar-ken.org/biossz/spellmanm.html|title=Martin Spellman|publisher=Mar-Ken School/Lawlor Professional School|accessdate=August 25, 2014}}

Spellman died in Vancouver, Washington in May, 2020, at the age of 94.[https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/martin-spellman-obituary?pid=196167018 Martin Spellman IV], legacy.com; accessed June 20, 2020.

Filmography

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Role
rowspan=5\|1938 \|Test Pilot \|Kid
Boys Town \|Skinny
Sharpshooters \|Prince Michael Martin
Santa Fe Stampede \|Billy Carson
I Am a Criminal \|Bobby
rowspan=5\|1939 \|Let Us Live \|Jimmy Dugan
Beau Geste \|Digby Geste as a child
The Streets of New York \|William McKinley 'Gimpy' Smith
Law of the Wolf \|Johnny
Fangs of the Wild \|Buddy Brady
rowspan=2\|1940 \|Son of the Navy \|Tommy
Hold That Woman! \|Mike Mulvaney
rowspan=2\|1941 \|Meet the Chump \|Champ
Confessions of Boston Blackie \|Jimmy Parrish

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Role

rowspan=5|1938

|Test Pilot

|Kid

Boys Town

|Skinny

Sharpshooters

|Prince Michael Martin

Santa Fe Stampede