Ken Weatherwax

Ken Weatherwax
Weatherwax in a 1964 publicity still for The Addams Family
Born Kenneth Patrick Weatherwax
(1955-09-29)September 29, 1955
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died December 7, 2014(2014-12-07) (aged 59)
West Hills, California, U.S.
Cause of death Heart attack
Resting place Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation Actor
Years active 1964–1966, 1977

Kenneth Patrick Weatherwax (September 29, 1955 – December 7, 2014) was an American child actor best known for having played Pugsley Addams on The Addams Family.

Biography

Weatherwax was born in Los Angeles, California, into a show-business family. His aunt was actress and dancer Ruby Keeler, while his half-brother, Joey D. Vieira, played "Porky" on the first three seasons of Lassie under the stage name of Donald Keeler, beginning in 1954. His uncles were Frank and Rudd Weatherwax, Lassie's trainers and owners of the first dog to play the role.[1]

Career

Weatherwax made his acting debut in the early 1960s when he was nine years old, playing a boy named "Chester" in Gleem toothpaste commercials alongside Alice Pearce.[2] He was then cast as Pugsley Addams on The Addams Family, after successfully auditioning with stars Carolyn Jones and John Astin. The program ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966. After its cancellation, Weatherwax found he was typecast as Pugsley and lost interest in acting. He entered the U.S. Army at seventeen,[3] and at the age of 21, he reprised the role of Pugsley in the 1977 reunion film Halloween with the New Addams Family. He established a career behind the camera as a movie studio grip and set builder, while making occasional appearances at Addams Family-related events with former costar Lisa Loring, who had played Pugsley's younger sister Wednesday Addams on the show.[4]

Death

Weatherwax died on December 7, 2014, of a heart attack at his home in West Hills, California, at the age of 59.[5] He was interred on October 31, 2017, at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Ken Weatherwax, Pugsley on 'The Addams Family', Dies at 59". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 9, 2014.
  2. ↑ Humphrey, Hal (January 17, 1965). "Toothpaste to Witchery". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ Barnes, Mike (December 8, 2014). "Ken Weatherwax, Who Played Pugsley on TV's 'Addams Family,' Dies at 59". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660.
  4. ↑ "Ken Weatherwax, Pugsley on 'The Addams Family', Dies at 59". Variety. December 8, 2014. ISSN 0042-2738.
  5. ↑ Parker, Ryan (8 December 2014). "'The Addams Family' star Ken Weatherwax dead at 59". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ Ken Weatherwax at Find a Grave
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