Fester? I Barely Knew Her!

Jackie Coogan
October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984
Jackie Coogan was a child actor discovered by Charlie Chaplin in 1917 and he made millions from his movie roles. Unfortunately, all his earnings were spent by his mother and stepfather on cocaine and heroin. He sued them, only to get about $125,000 back. The legal battle resulted in legislation called The California Child Actor's Bill, or The Coogan Act, that specified that 15% of a child actor's earnings be set aside by the employer in a trust.

Coogan served in World War II as a Flight Officer and requested hazardous duty with the 1st Commando Air Group, where he flew British troops hundreds of miles behind Japanese lines. After the war he resumed his acting career and appeared in many films and TV series until his retirement in the mid-1970s.

Of course he's best remembered as Uncle Fester on The Addams Family TV series of the '60s. In the TV series Fester was Morticia's uncle, but in the 1991 movie he was Gomez's brother. My contention is that he was both, because they're both creepy and kooky. The Uncle Fester character was played by a badly miscast Christopher Lloyd in the 1991 film and its sequel, and Ron Jeremy played the part in the XXX-rated parody The Maddams Family. Not that I've seen that, of course. Okay, I'm lying. I have.

Jackie Coogan died of a heart attack at age 69 on Mar. 1, 1984. His grandson is actor Keith Coogan, who starred in Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.