Claude Jarman Jr., Oscar-winning Kentfield resident, dies at 90

Claude Jarman Jr., a longtime Kentfield resident who won an Academy Award as a child actor in “The Yearling,” has died at age 90.

Mr. Jarman died on Jan. 12 at his home, where he had lived for nearly 30 years. He had a neurological condition.

“Claude was the kind of man who was friends with all different kinds of people,” said Katie Jarman, his wife of 38 years. “He didn’t care what you did for a living, what kind of money you had. He didn’t judge people on any level. If he liked them, he liked them.”

“I just loved him as a human being who was interesting and humble and fun to be with,” she said.

Mr. Jarman was born on Sept. 27, 1934, in Nashville, Tennessee. His parents were Claude Jarman and Mildred Freeman Jarman.

He spent weekends and summers at his grandparents’ farm in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and acted in school plays. In fifth grade, he was noticed by Clarence Brown, a film director for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Brown was looking for a someone to play Jody Baxter in his adaptation of “The Yearling,” a story involving a boy who raises an orphaned fawn. Mr. Jarman, 10 years old at the time, won the Academy Juvenile Award for his role as Jody. His co-stars included Gregory Peck.

Mr. Jarman’s classmates in the school at the MGM studio included Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O’Brien, Roddy McDowall and Jane Powell.

Mr. Jarman appeared in 11 films, including “Intruder in the Dust,” “Rio Grande” and “The Great Locomotive Chase.”

“He had an extremely full life at such a young age and still had a full life into his later years, and he was a very devoted dad,” said Sarah Jarman, one of his daughters. “He was extremely gentle and nurturing. I always thought a deer encapsulated his spirit.”

After his acting days, Mr. Jarman studied history at Vanderbilt University and graduated in 1956. He spent three years as a naval officer in Rhode Island, Seattle and Los Angeles. Later, he shifted to a career in public relations at John Hancock Insurance Co., and eventually started his own travel company.

In 1979, Mr. Jarman became the vice president of communications of the Shaklee Corp. It was there, in an elevator, that he met his future wife.

“He was extremely handsome, really movie-star handsome,” she said. “He had a very smooth voice, a real presence about him, a real elegance about him. He was very elegant and confident, and moved through circles smoothly. You definitely noticed him in a room.”

Despite his career change, Mr. Jarman kept one foot in the film world, working as the executive director of the San Francisco International Film Festival for 15 years.

His wife said the couple also supported small venues like the Lark Theater as much as possible by renting them out and holding fundraisers. Mr. Jarman also continued to travel to various film festivals to speak about his work.

“He didn’t seem to care how big the event was, he just liked to show up and answer all those questions that people had from years ago,” his wife said. “He loved to talk about all that. He did it as often as he could.”

Sarah Jarman said her father loved watching movies, especially outrageous and ridiculous ones like “The Man with Two Brains” and “The Jerk,” and classics like “The Pink Panther” and the Three Stooges.

“Dad especially loved comedy,” she said. “‘Laughter is the best medicine’ definitely applied to my dad. He loved the classics, but comedy really captured his heart the most, I think because he loved to be around his family when we were all laughing.”

Charlie Greene, a former Marin resident who moved to Ohio last year, had been a friend for years. Greene went to high school 30 miles away from where Mr. Jarman grew up, and they connected about their southern roots.

“I’m really going to miss him,” Greene said. “One of the coolest things, a real simple thing, we did was going to the United Market deli and get a sandwich. We’d go back to his place in Kentfield and sit on the deck and eat our sandwiches and just talk. We just laughed together and it was just a really good friendship.”

In addition to his wife and his daughter Sarah, Mr. Jarman is survived by his children Claude Jarman III, Murray Jarman, Elizabeth Suddeth, Natalie Jarman, Vanessa Getty and Charlotte Jarman; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The family planned a private burial in Nashville, with a memorial service to follow later this year.