Marjoe Gortner

Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner is a controversial former evangelist preacher and actor. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him at age four to be ordained as a preacher, due to his extraordinary speaking ability he was the youngest known in that position. As a young man, he preached on the revival circuit and brought celebrity to the revival movement.

Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner was born in 1944 in Long Beach, California, into a long evangelical heritage. The name Marjoe is a portmanteau of the biblical names Mary and Joseph. His father Vernon was a thirdgeneration Christian evangelical minister who preached at revivals. His mother, who has been labelled as exuberant, was the person who introduced him as a preacher and is notable for his success as a child. Vernon noticed his sons talent for mimicry and his fearlessness of strangers and public settings. His parents claimed that the boy had received a vision from God during a bath, and started preaching. Marjoe later said this was a fictional story that his parents forced him to repeat. He claimed they compelled him to do this by using mockdrowning episodes they did not beat him as they did not want to leave bruises that might be noticed during his many public appearances.

Source: Wikipedia