Claude Jarman Jr., acclaimed for his performance in the 1946 film “The Yearling,” passed away from natural causes in Kentfield, California on January 12, 2025. He was 90.
Jarman, born in Nashville, Tennessee on September 27, 1934, was discovered by director Clarence Brown in his fifth-grade classroom during a talent search for “The Yearling” in 1945, while he was just 11 years old and the son of a railroad accountant.
In a 2016 interview, Jarman recalled how he was informed of his selection for the film: “Next thing, they called three days later and said, ‘Get ready to leave for Hollywood in a week.'”
The filming of “The Yearling” in Florida was a two-year effort with demanding requirements – one scene with a deer took 115 attempts. Promoting the film, Jarman walked a deer on a leash down Fifth Avenue in New York City.
“The Yearling,” an adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, saw Jarman portraying Jody Baxter, a young boy maturing on a Florida farm post-Civil War. Despite the challenges of illness, heat, and uncooperative animals during the film’s production, Jarman’s performance won him the Juvenile Academy Award, presented by Shirley Temple at the 1947 Academy Awards. He joined a select group of previous recipients, including Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.
While the film was a critical and commercial success, its elevated production costs resulted in only modest profits. Gregory Peck, who played Jody’s father, Penny Baxter, received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Jane Wyman played Jody’s mother, Ora.
After “The Yearling,” Jarman acted in ten additional films in the 1940s and 1950s, including “High Barbaree,” “The Sun Comes Up,” “Roughshod,” and “Intruder in the Dust,” the last reuniting him with director Clarence Brown. In 1950, he starred in “Rio Grande” with John Wayne. He also appeared in TV series like “Wagon Train” and the 1978 miniseries “Centennial,” featuring Raymond Burr.
Upon completing his pre-law studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Jarman spent three years as a U.S. Navy officer. He returned to Hollywood in 1959, but found no acting opportunities, leading him to transition to public relations for the Armed Forces in Los Angeles, California, where he was involved in creating films about the U.S. Navy.
Jarman’s career post-acting was varied and successful. He was the executive director of the San Francisco International Film Festival from 1965 to 1980 and significantly influenced the city’s cultural scene as its director of cultural affairs. He produced a documentary on rock promoter Bill Graham and the Fillmore Auditorium. In 1986, he established Jarman Travel Inc., which he led for 25 years.
Later in life, Jarman stayed connected to Hollywood, attending the 70th and 75th Academy Awards telecasts as a special guest. He published his memoir, “My Life and the Final Days of Hollywood,” in 2018, offering a glimpse into his experiences during Hollywood’s golden era and his viewpoint on the industry’s transformation.
Jarman was married three times and is survived by his wife Katie of 38 years, seven children, and eight grandchildren. A memorial service is planned in San Francisco, California, and he will be laid to rest in Nashville, Tennessee, his birthplace.
