Freddie Bartholomew

Freddie Bartholomew

After leaving acting in 1951, Bartholomew vowed never to give any interviews about the so-called "good old days". However, he did give one interview shortly before his death in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992).

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 3, 1991-1993, pages 47-50. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001.

British-American child actor of the 1930s.

Conflicting with historical records, a New York Times obituary article published 24 January 1992 erroneously listed his birthplace as Dublin, Ireland.

Daughter with Aileen Paul, Kathleen Millicent Bartholomew, born in March 1956.



Finding it difficult to make the transition from child to adult roles, he ended up moving to television: hosting, directing, producing, and executive producing.

He studied acting at the Italia Conti school in London.

He was considered for the dual roles of Prince Edward and Tom Canty in The Prince and the Pauper (1937).

Retired in the 1980s due to emphysema.

Son with Aileen Paul, Frederick R. Bartholomew, born in 1958.

The American child actor David Holt had originally been cast as the title character in David Copperfield (1935). But the film's producer, David O. Selznick, developed misgivings about having an American boy portray a quintessentially British boy. He replaced Holt with Bartholomew.

Was abandoned by his parents when he was a baby and was raised by his aunt. After he became a successful child actor, his birth parents filed more than six years of lawsuits attempting to get a piece of his earnings.


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