Douglas Croft (born Douglas Malcom Wheatcroft, August 12, 1926 – October 24, 1963) was an American teen actor who is best remembered for being the first person to portray the DC Comics character Robin, the Boy Wonder, as well as his secret identity Dick Grayson, in the 1943 serial Batman when he was 16 years old.
His parents' divorce was a bitter one, and about the time he was born in August 1926, Stanhope Wheatcroft attempted to have Beatrice declared dead so that he could stop paying alimony.
The year 1942 also saw Croft in a substantial role as the young Lou Gehrig in The Pride of the Yankees and as Raymond in George Washington Slept Here.
[10] As of 2024, Croft remains the youngest person (aged 16) to portray Robin in live-action, who at that time was depicted in comic books as being a young teenager.
[13] Croft died on October 24, 1963, in Los Angeles of acute alcohol intoxication and liver disease, aged 37.