Donald Chaffin

Donald Chaffin's entire life was spent working in motion pictures. He started out as juvenile actor in the 1930s playing kids and newsboys. It was through this he really started to establish a lot of connections with various casting directors at MGM studios. Like many extras of the day, Chaffin faced a unique problem. His natural appearance wasn't considered dignified enough to appear as a dress extra in socialite scenes but he also didn't really have an appearance that would lend himself to be cast in westerns. Through his connections with MGM, he was able to receive work as a stand-in which meant he was constantly working and he would usually be allowed to appear in the production as an extra or occasionally upgraded to a speaking role. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Chaffin's appearance led him to appear in various bartender type roles but usually he stayed attached to a production where he'd be standing in for a start. By the mid 1960s, he caught a break and became the stand-in