<Tr> <Th> Years active </Th> <Td> 1979--1982 </Td> </Tr> <P> Danny Lloyd (born October 13, 1972) is an American teacher and former actor most known for his role as Danny Torrance in the 1980 film The Shining, an adaptation of Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name . </P> <P> Lloyd's first and best - known role is that of Danny Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining . He was selected for the role due to his ability to maintain his concentration for extended periods . In the DVD commentary by Garrett Brown and John Baxter, they state that Kubrick was able to film all of Lloyd's scenes without the six - year - old actor realizing he was in a horror movie . He was led to believe that he was just acting in a drama film about a family who lives in a hotel . </P> <P> Lloyd was also interviewed in Making' The Shining' (1980), filmed by Vivian Kubrick . Despite his well - received performance in The Shining, Lloyd retired from acting after his appearance as' Young Liddy' in the 1982 television film, Will: G. Gordon Liddy . </P>

Who was the little boy in the movie the shining