Jackie Coogan

Jackie Coogan (October 26, 1914 - March 1, 1984) was an actor burried at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Coogan began his acting career as an infant in both vaudeville and film, with an uncredited role in the 1917 film Skinner's Baby. As a child actor, he is best remembered for his role as Charlie Chaplin's irrascible sidekick in The Kid (1921) and for the title role in Oliver Twist by Frank Lloyd the following year. As a child star, Coogan earned as much as $4 million, but the money was taken by his mother and step-father. He sued them in 1935, but only received $126,000. The legal battle did, however, bring attention to child actors and resulted in teh state of California enacting the California Child Actor's Bill, sometimes known as the Coogan Bill.

As he grew older, Coogan's popularity as an actor waned, though he had several well-publiciozed affairs with leading Hollywood starlets, including a three-year marriage to Betty Grable. He left film entirely for several years, beginning in 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War I to serve as a flight officer in the Airforce. He served in Asia, and flew as a wingman with Orde Wingate and the Chingits in the Burma Campaign.

After the war, Coogan returned to acting, taking mostly character roles and appearing on television. He is best remembered today for his role as Uncle Fester in the Addams Family television series.

He died in 1984.