Donnie Dunagan: The Voice of Bambi Who Became a Decorated Marine

Growing up, everyone loved Bambi. It was one of those movies that stuck with you as a kid. The quiet forest and the characters' innocence. A movie that, when rewatched, gives you that nostalgic feeling.

Almost no one thinks about the voice behind characters, especially Bambi, as it’s a very old film. Most definitely, no one would expect that Bambi’s voice belonged to someone who would later spend decades in the United States Marine Corps.

You read that right! The voice behind Bambi grew up as a decorated U.S. Marine. He didn’t stay in Hollywood. Rather, Donnie Dunagan built a career that extended beyond his Disney beginnings.

Donnie Voiced Walt Disney’s Bambi

Donnie Dunagan was a kid who worked in Hollywood during the late 1930s and early 1940s. At first, he was just taught to tap dance by a neighbor. After that, he entered a talent contest at the Orpheum Theatre and won a $100 prize.

Luckily for him, he caught the attention of a movie talent scout in the audience, who also arranged for Donnie’s family to come to Hollywood by train. From there, his Hollywood era started!

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Dunagan’s film debut was in "Mother Carey's Chickens" in 1938, followed by a role as the son in "Son of Frankenstein" (1939). His most memorable work as a child actor came a few years later, when he voiced young Bambi in the 1942 animated classic.

His voice carried some of the film’s unforgettable lines, especially during its most vulnerable moments, when the audience was emotionally invested in the character.

However, Hollywood can be a little complicated, especially for kids growing out of roles that made them popular in the first place. Therefore, Dunagan’s career didn’t offer long-term stability, as with many child actors of that era. As he grew up, the voice of Bambi followed him, even though he would go on to live a life far from Hollywood.

Don’t Call Him Major Bambi

As Donnie grew up, he joined the Marine Corps and became the youngest ever drill instructor after completing an assignment at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. During his service, he received 13 promotions in 21 years. He didn’t just make history in Hollywood, but also in the military!

He had to keep a secret for a very long time. That is, he was the voice for young Bambi. He didn’t even tell his wife, Dana.

“I never said a word to anybody about Bambi, even to you,” Dunagan told Dana on a 2015 visit with NPR’s StoryCorps in San Angelo, Texas.

“When we first met, I never said a word about it. Most of the image in people’s minds of Bambi was a little frail deer, not doing very well, sliding around on the ice on his belly.”

Donnie, responsible for hundreds of recruits, didn’t want his secret revealed openly, as he didn’t want anyone mocking him or calling him “Major Bambi.” For years, he kept his secret and mouth shut!

One day, Dunagan was working with a Marine, and he recalls,

“I go in his office, and he says, 'Dunagan! I want you to audit the auditors.’”

At the time, he was swamped with other duties, and so Dunagan respectfully asked him, "General, when do you think I'm going to have time to do that?”

He remembers,

"He looked at me, pulled his glasses down like some kind of college professor. There's a big, red, top-secret folder he got out of some safe somewhere with my name on it. He pats this folder, looks me in the eye, and says, ‘You will audit the auditors. Won't you, Maj. Bambi?’"

Just like that, all the years of keeping it, his secret was revealed. However, Donnie openly embraced it years later.

"I love it now. When people realize, 'This old jerk, he's still alive and was Bambi.' And I wouldn't take anything for it, not a darn thing for it."

People loved Bambi, and will continue to love Bambi.

"I think if I could have been appointed as the aide-de-camp in the White House, it wouldn't have made any difference. It's Bambi that's so dear to people," said Donnie.

Bambi remains one of the most special parts of Donnie’s life.

Donnie Dunagan’s Decorations

Donnie Dunagan wasn’t just a former Marine; he was highly respected and had a long list of decorations. Over 25 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, he earned multiple awards that reflect his leadership and service, including during the Vietnam War.

His awards included the following:

1. 3 Purple Hearts
2. The Bronze Star
3. The Navy Presidential Unit Citation with 1 service star
4. The Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V
5. The Navy Meritorious Unit Citation
6. The National Defense Service Medal with 1 service star
7. The Vietnam Service Medal with 3 service stars

These decorations represent the years of his responsibility and service. It’s easy to get caught up in the story of his early life, the idea that Bambi became a Marine. But his decorations tell us an important story. Dunagan didn’t just serve. He earned his place and proved himself over time.

Even though his childhood in Hollywood lacked long-term stability, he built a career that stood on its own, completely separate from it. Everything he earned in the Corps, he earned the hard way.