Jackie Coogan
Born
October 26, 1914
Died
March 1, 1984 (69 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Los Angeles, California, USA
John Leslie Coogan, known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family. In the interim, he sued his mother and stepfather over his squandered film earnings and provoked California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child performers.
Coogan enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor that December, he requested a transfer to Army Air Forces as a glider pilot because of his civilian flying experience. Graduating the Advanced Glider School with the Glider Pilot aeronautical rating and the rank of Flight Officer, he volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group. In December 1943, the unit was sent to India. He flew British troops, the Chindits, under General Orde Wingate on March 5, 1944, landing them at night in a small jungle clearing 100 miles (160 km) behind Japanese lines in the Burma Campaign.
After the war, Coogan returned to acting, taking mostly character roles and appearing on television. From 1952 to 1953, he played Stoney Crockett on the syndicated series Cowboy G-Men. He guest-starred on NBC's The Martha Raye Show. He appeared, too, as Corbett in two episodes of NBC's The Outlaws with Barton MacLane, which aired from 1960–1962. In the 1960–1961 season, he guest-starred in the episode "The Damaged Dolls" of the syndicated crime drama The Brothers Brannagan. In 1961, he guest-starred in an episode of The Americans, an NBC series about family divisions stemming from the Civil War. He also appeared in episode 37, titled "Barney on the Rebound", of The Andy Griffith Show, which aired October 31, 1961. He had a regular role in a 1962–63 NBC series, McKeever and the Colonel. He finally found his most famous television role as Uncle Fester in ABC's The Addams Family (1964–1966). He appeared as a police officer in the Elvis Presley comedy Girl Happy in 1965.
He appeared four times on the Perry Mason series, including the role of political activist Gus Sawyer in the 1963 episode "The Case of the Witless Witness", and TV prop man Pete Desmond in the final episode, "The Case of the Final Fadeout", in 1966. He was a guest several times on The Red Skelton Show, appeared twice on The Brady Bunch ("The Fender Benders" and "Double Parked"), I Dream of Jeannie (as Jeannie's uncle, Suleiman – Maharaja of Basenji), Family Affair, Here's Lucy, and The Brian Keith Show, and continued to guest-star on television (including multiple appearances on The Partridge Family, The Wild Wild West, Hawaii Five-O, and McMillan and Wife) until his retirement in the mid 1970s.
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Known For
The Real Charlie Chaplin
2021
Showbiz Kids
Self (archive footage)
2020
Jackie Coogan: The First Child Star
Self (archive footage)
2015
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
Dr. Aranya (archive footage)
2004
Chaplin Today: 'The Kid'
Self (archive footage)
2003
Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces
Self (archive footage)
2000
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
1988
The Prey
Lester Tile
1983
Unknown Chaplin
Self · (4 episodes)
1983
The Escape Artist
Magic Shop Owner
1982
Hollywood’s Children
Self
1982
Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype
Sgt. Fleacollar
1980
The Kids Who Knew Too Much
Mr. Klein
1980
Hollywood
Self · (1 episode)
1980
Human Experiments
Sheriff Tibbs
1979
When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Self
1979
Flying High
(1 episode)
1978
Halloween with the New Addams Family
Uncle Fester
1977
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Haymarket Hotel Proprietor
1976
Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood
Stagehand 1
1976
The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery
Detective Chief Anderson
1975
Lucy Gets Lucky
Gus Mitchell
1975
The Specialists
Roger
1975
Movin' On
(1 episode)
1974
The Phantom of Hollywood
Jonathan
1974
The Addams Family
Uncle Fester (voice) · (16 episodes)
1973
Cahill: United States Marshal
Charlie Smith
1973
Police Story
(1 episode)
1973
Barnaby Jones
Phil Rooney · (1 episode)
1973
Cool Million
Merrill Cossack · (1 episode)
1972
Scooby-Doo Meets The Addams Family
Uncle Fester (Voice)
1972
The Brian Keith Show
(1 episode)
1972
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
Uncle Fester (voice) · (1 episode)
1972
Emergency!
(1 episode)
1972
McMillan & Wife
(1 episode)
1971
McMillan & Wife
Howard Sparks · (2 episodes)
1971
The Jimmy Stewart Show
(1 episode)
1971
Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law
Zigler · (1 episode)
1971
The New Andy Griffith Show
(1 episode)
1971
Alias Smith and Jones
(3 episodes)
1971
Love, American Style
Uncle Harold · (1 episode)
1969
Love, American Style
Motel Owner · (1 episode)
1969
The Brady Bunch
(2 episodes)
1969
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Vince Darrell · (1 episode)
1969
Marlowe
Grant W. Hicks
1969
Here's Lucy
Kermit Bosworth · (1 episode)
1968
Adam-12
Harry Rustin · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Horace Sibley · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Jerry Howe · (1 episode)
1968
Hawaii Five-O
Frank · (1 episode)
1968
The Outsider
Rusty · (1 episode)
1968
The Shakiest Gun in the West
Matthew Basch
1968
Rogue's Gallery
Funeral Director
1968
Ironside
(1 episode)
1967
Ironside
Buster Logan · (1 episode)
1967
Ironside
Sam McGoff · (1 episode)
1967
Clown Alley
Clown
1966
Family Affair
(1 episode)
1966
A Fine Madness
Mr. Fitzgerald
1966
I Dream of Jeannie
Suleiman · (2 episodes)
1965
The Wild Wild West
Mayor Cecil Pudney · (2 episodes)
1965
The Wild Wild West
Sheriff Koster · (1 episode)
1965
Girl Happy
Sgt. Benson
1965
John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
Father Ryan
1965
The Addams Family
Uncle Fester · (64 episodes)
1964
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
(1 episode)
1963
Burke's Law
Bert Crowley · (1 episode)
1963
Vacation Playhouse
Finnegan · (1 episode)
1963
The Lucy Show
Lieutenant Ruggles · (2 episodes)
1962
McKeever and the Colonel
Sgt. Barnes · (26 episodes)
1962
The Virginian
Bodey · (1 episode)
1962
When the Girls Take Over
Captain Toussaint
1962
The Dick Powell Show
Shopkeeper · (1 episode)
1961
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
Self (archive footage)
1961
The Andy Griffith Show
George Stevens · (1 episode)
1960
Outlaws
(2 episodes)
1960
Sex Kittens Go to College
Wildcat MacPherson
1960
Mr. Lucky
(1 episode)
1959
Hawaiian Eye
Mack Stanley · (1 episode)
1959
Lock-Up
(1 episode)
1959
The Big Operator
Ed Brannell
1959
The Beat Generation
Jake Baron
1959
Lonelyhearts
Ned Gates
1959
Night of the Quarter Moon
Desk Sergeant Bragan
1959
77 Sunset Strip
Baldy Mike Hannigan (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1958
No Place to Land
Swede
1958
Peter Gunn
(1 episode)
1958
The Space Children
Hank Johnson
1958
High School Confidential!
Mr. A
1958
Shirley Temple's Storybook
Marshal Rogers · (1 episode)
1958
Eighteen and Anxious
Harold 'Eager' Beaver
1957
The Joker is Wild
Swifty Morgan
1957
Perry Mason
Elwood P. 'Gunner' Grimes · (1 episode)
1957
Perry Mason
Pete Desmond · (1 episode)
1957
Perry Mason
Gus Sawyer · (1 episode)
1957
Perry Mason
Ron Litten · (1 episode)
1957
The Buster Keaton Story
Elmer Case
1957
Forbidden Area
The Cook
1956
The Proud Ones
Man on Make (uncredited)
1956
Matinee Theater
(2 episodes)
1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
George Bay · (1 episode)
1955
Gunsmoke
Marshal Stoudenaire · (1 episode)
1955
Escape from Terror
Agent Petrov
1955
The Wonderful World of Disney
Mr. Klein · (1 episode)
1954
The Actress
Inopportune (uncredited)
1953
Letter to Loretta
Woody Woods · (1 episode)
1953
Letter to Loretta
Snuff Carter · (1 episode)
1953
Mesa of Lost Women
Dr Aranya
1953
General Electric Theater
Marshal Stubb Snider · (1 episode)
1953
Cowboy G-Men
(39 episodes)
1952
Outlaw Women
Piute Bill
1952
The Red Skelton Show
Police Officer Hennesey · (1 episode)
1951
Varieties on Parade
Himself
1951
Skipalong Rosenbloom
Buck Lovelace
1951
Studio One
Jeffers · (1 episode)
1948
French Leave
Pappy Reagan
1948
Kilroy Was Here
Pappy Collins
1947
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Self (archive footage)
1942
Sky Patrol
Carter Meade
1939
Million Dollar Legs
Russ Simpson
1939
College Swing
Jackie
1938
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs
Self
1936
Love in September
Jackie
1936
Home on the Range
Jack Hatfield
1935
Huckleberry Finn
Tom Sawyer
1931
Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer
1930
Estrellados
Self (Guest Appearance at Premiere)
1930
Free and Easy
Jackie Coogan - at Premiere (uncredited)
1930
The Circus: Premiere
Self
1928
Buttons
Buttons
1927
Character Studies
Self (uncredited)
1927
The Bugle Call
Billy Randolph
1927
Johnny Get Your Hair Cut
Johnny O'Day
1927
Old Clothes
Timothy Kelly
1925
The Rag Man
Tim Kelly
1925
Hello, 'Frisco
Jackie Coogan
1924
Little Robinson Crusoe
Mickey Hogan
1924
A Boy of Flanders
Nello
1924
Meet Jackie Coogan
Himself
1924
Long Live the King
Crown Prince Ferdinand William Otto
1923
Circus Days
Toby Tyler
1923
Daddy
Jackie Savelli / Jackie Holden
1923
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
1922
Seeing Stars
Self
1922
Trouble
Danny, the Kid
1922
Nice and Friendly
Boy
1922
My Boy
Jackie Blair
1921
Peck's Bad Boy
Henry Peck
1921
The Kid
The Kid
1921
A Day's Pleasure
Smallest Boy (uncredited)
1919
Skinner's Baby
The Baby (uncredited)
1917