FACTOID #53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
Born Trent Bernard Durkin in New York, New York, Durkin began his acting career in theater while a child. He entered films in 1930, and played the role of Huckleberry Finn in Tom Sawyer (1930), and Huckleberry Finn (1931). Under contract with RKO Studios he was cast in a series of "B" films in comedic roles that capitalized on his gangly appearance. He achieved another success in Hell's House (1932).
RKO began grooming him for a transition into more adult roles, and in his final film Chasing Yesterday (1935), he was billed as Trent Durkin.
In 1935 he was travelling with his friend, the actor Jackie Coogan, and three other people including Coogan's father, when their vehicle was involved in a road accident in San Diego, California. Coogan was the only survivor of the accident.