Jackie Moran, 67; Won Fame as Child Star in the 1930s

John Edward Moran, who achieved fame in the 1930s as child star Jackie Moran, has died at the age of 67.

Moran died Thursday of cancer at the Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Mass.

A protege of legendary actress Mary Pickford, Moran was best known for his role as Huckleberry Finn in the 1938 version of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” He was also a regular in the 1939 Buck Rogers serial “Destination Moon.”

When he outgrew his roles as a teen-ager and was unable to find work as an actor, the young adult Moran was arrested several times for petty theft, auto theft, and cashing bad checks. Later, he wrote songs and screenplays and did public relations work for the Roman Catholic Diocese in his native Chicago.

Moran moved to Massachusetts when he retired eight years ago.