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Although Karen Burroughs-Hannsberry's book Bad Boys says John Dall was born 26 May 1918 as John Jenner Thompson, most other sources indicate that his legal name was John Dall Thompson and that his correct year of birth was 1920. His New York Times obituary, which says he died aged 50 (not 52), gives his name as John Dall Thompson and says he used his middle name for his acting career. Searching the California Death Index database for John Dall (died 15 Jan 1971) also gives a death age of 50. His name is not listed alongside his parents and older brother Worthington in the 1920 census, which suggests he was not born until later that year. Burroughs-Hansberry says his family spent time in Panama (it appears his father, Charles Jenner Thompson, died there), and there is a 1930 passenger list for a ship from Panama to New York which includes a Mrs C.J. (Charles Jenner?) Thompson (born 24 March 1889 in Maryland) and 10 year old John Dall Thompson, born 26 May 1920 in New York.
Burroughs-Hannsberry and William Mann also say that although Dall was gay, he did have a short-lived marriage in the 1940s - is there any information about his wife? Muzilon (talk) 01:49, 4 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Rms125a@hotmail.com, I note you've changed the year of birth from 1918 to 1920 based on that 1930 New York passenger list I'd referenced in footnote 10. Are we sure that passenger list is a reliable source? It gives his mother's year of birth (Mrs C.J. Thompson) as 1889 when FamilySearch says it was 1887. I am therefore wondering if we need confirmation of Dall's birth date from a better source, e.g. New York birth indexes. Muzilon (talk) 19:37, 9 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Rms125a@hotmail.com, sorry to nitpick, but I now have to question your decision to delete his mother's name (Henry [sic] Worthington), which is a significant genealogical/biographical detail. The text now reads "Mr. and Mrs. Charles Thompson, died 1929", which (apart from being a bit sexist by today's standards!) also implies they both died the same year. I have not been able to locate a death date for Mrs. Henry Thompson (nee Worthington), born 1887, although apparently she was still alive in the 1960s. Yes, her given name actually was "Henry", according to the census records and birth records. Karen Burroughs Hannsberry comments that she was "curiously named". Also, the Margaret Herrick Library catalog says the proper form of citation is "John Dall papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." You have changed this reference to a generic "catalog.oscars.org" and noted "registration required", which does not appear to be correct. (It's a library catalog, and registration is *not* required simply to access the online catalog.) Muzilon (talk) 02:19, 10 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks ... as the death certificate says he was "never married" (not "divorced") and there seem to be no traces of his alleged ex-wife I'm wondering if the story of a "short-lived marriage" was a fabrication to cover up the fact he was gay. Raymond Burr told similar stories about being twice widowed. Muzilon (talk) 04:43, 10 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]
