Jackie Coogan

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American actor, one of the most famous and appealing of the child stars. His first screen appearance was in "Skinner’s Baby" at the age of 18 months. He was a regular attraction by age four and Chaplain used him in two of his movies. Coogan’s salary was among Hollywood’s highest; receiving a half-million dollar bonus for transferring contracts from First National to Metro, with a salary of $1 million, plus a percentage of the profits. His parents kept the money in trust. At the height of his earning power, his income was dissipated by mismanagement and his parent's spending. By 1935 he was supposed to have received his $4 million trust fund. His father was killed and he was injured in a car crash that same year and his mother and step-father were in no hurry to part with his assets. A lawsuit was filed in 1938, dragging out for months, the assets were a mere $252,000, of which Coogan received half. The situation resulted in labor laws to protect the income of working children. During WW II, Coogan served as a flight officer and was the first glider pilot to land troops behind Japanese lines in Burma. In the ensuing years, he occasionally returned to film in character roles, but his career in television increased, with appearances in over 1,400 shows. His most noted TV character was that of the bald-headed "Uncle Fester" in the series, "The Addams Family" 1964-1966. He was married four times, once to Betty Grable, 1937-1940, actresses Flower Parry, 1941-1943 and Ann McCormick, 1946-1951, all ending in divorce. He was widowed from his marriage to dancer Dorothea Lamphere. A grandson, Keith Mitchell, also known as Keith Coogan, became a TV and movie actor. Coogan died of a heart attack on 1 March 1984, Santa Monica, California. Link to Wikipedia biography