The Addams Family
ABC (ended 1966)
Cast & Crew
EDIT
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Carolyn Jones
Morticia Addams
Trained at the Pasadena Playhouse, Texas-born Carolyn Jones supported herself as a radio disk jockey when acting jobs were scarce. She entered films as a bit player in 1952, attaining prominence for a role in which (for the most part) she neither moved nor spoke: the waxwork Joan of Arc -- actually one of mad sculptor Vincent Price's many murder victims -- in 1953's House of Wax. In 1957, Jones was Oscar-nominated for her five-minute role as a pathetic "good time girl" in The Bachelor Party; two years later, she stole the show in Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head as Frank Sinatra's bongo-playing girlfriend. During the early 1960s, Jones was married to producer Aaron Spelling, who frequently cast her on such TV series as The Dick Powell Show and Burke's Law. In 1964, Jones achieved TV sitcom immortality as the ghoulishly sexy Morticia Addams on the popular series The Addams Family. Though her TV and movie activities were curtailed by illness in her last decade (she died of cancer in 1983), Carolyn Jones continued making occasional appearances, notably a return engagement as Morticia in a 1978 Addams Family reunion special.moreless -
John Astin
Gomez Addams
John Astin was born to a father who had a knack for numbers (his father was the Director of the National Bureau of Standards). Astin thought he would follow in Allen Astin's footsteps. He majored in mathmatics at Washington and Jefferson College. When he transferred to John Hopkins, he was still a math major. Then, he appeared in a school production and he was hooked on acting. He switched his major to acting and graduated in 1952 with a B.A. in drama. After graduation, John attended the University of Minnesota. He completed some coursework towards his graduate degree before dropping out. With only $100 in his pocket, John traveled to New York. There, he worked as a janitor in several theaters until he earned an off Broadway role. He found some success in Broadway productions (Threepenny Opera, Major Barbara and Tall Story). John began working steadily (on stage and in film); although, none of the parts were huge. Eventually, he landed a part on the sit-com I'm Dickens, He's Fenster. After that role came John's stand out role as Gomez Addams on The Addams Family. Although the show only lasted 2 seasons, it has been seen around the world through re-runs. John has had numerous recurring roles on TV. He became known as perennial guest star, appearing on many popular sit-coms throughout his career. He has also been active in film--mostly playing small character roles. In 1969, he was nominated for an Oscar for a short film he wrote and directed. John has been married 3 times. He had 3 sons with his first wife, Suzanne Hahn (m. 1956, d. 1972). He had 2 sons (both arguably successful actors) with actress Patty Duke(m. Aug 5, 1972, d. 1985). In 1989, he married his 3rd wife, Valerie Ann Sandobal.moreless -
Jackie Coogan
Uncle Fester
Jackie Coogan was born October 26, 1914 in Los Angeles, California. His birth name is John Leslie Coogan Junior. His father, John H. Coogan was a dancer. His mother, Lillian Dolliver Coogan had been a child star on the stage. Shortly after Jackie's birth the Coogans moved to New York. Jackie Coogan began his acting career as an infant. He has an uncredited role in the 1917 film Skinner's Baby. Jackie's first acting appearance was at age four in the theater. At age five he began touring with his family in vaudeville shows. While performing in an Annette Kellerman revue, he was spotted by Charlie Chaplin. Charlie had been looking for the right child to star next to him in the movie The Kid. To test for the role Jackie was given a small role in the film A Day's Pleasure in 1919. Jackie proved his stage presence and they starting filming Chaplin's The Kid in 1921. The movie was a success. It lead to numerous roles for Jackie. He toured with his father on stage. Jackie's career and stardom were heavily promoted during that time. By 1923 when he made Daddy, he was one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood. He left First National and received a $500,00 for signing with MGM. He was given $1,000,000 a year plus a percentage of profits in the first two years. In 1923, they put him into Long Live The King. At a news making hair-cutting ceremony when he was 12, his famous rumpled haircut was clipped and MGM took advantage of the publicity to make Johnny Get Your Haircut. This movie showed Jackie before and after the haircut. He earned millions for the studios that hired him. He had his own production company set up by his parents called Jackie Coogan Productions. He is the youngest self made millionaire in history. In 1927, at age 13, Coogan's career was starting to wind down. He made the sound versions of Tom Sawyer in 1930 and Huckleberry Finn in 1931. Though the books were popular, the movies were not bringing in the audiences. His personal life was not going well either. His parents had divorced. His mother re-married Arthur Bernstein. Arthur became Jackie's business manager. In 1936, at age 21, he tragically lost his father and best friend, actor Junior Durkin. They were both killed in an auto accident. Though Jackie was badly injured in the car crash, he was the sole survivor. At this time he requested from his mother and step-father the money he had earned as a child star. They refused to give him a penny. Jackie filed suit for the four million dollars that they owed him. Under California state law, he had no rights to the money because he made it as a child. He eventually won the suit in 1939. He was awarded only $126,000. The public was outraged. Jackie decided that no other child actor should have to go through this type of financial abuse. He used his money to get the California Legislature to pass what is known as the "Coogan Act", which mandates that a child actor should have a trust fund set up to protect their earning. In March of 1941, during World War II, Jackie enlisted in the U.S. Army. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he requested a transfer to the U.S. Army Air Corps. As he had been a civilian pilot, his request was approved. He went to glider school and upon graduation was a Flight Officer. As a glider pilot he volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group. In December of 1943, the unit was sent to India. He flew British troops, the Chindits, under General Orde Wingate. On March 5, 1944, he landed at night in a small jungle clearing 100 miles behind Japanese lines in the Burma campaign. He returned home a war hero, but broke and unable to restart his career. He started appearing in small budget movies getting bit parts. In the 1950's he turned to television and started getting minor roles. By the 1960's he was in two television Series, McKeever and the Colonel (1962-1963), where he played Sgt. Barnes in a military school; and The Addams Family, where he played Uncle Fester opposite Gomez and Morticia from 1964-1966. The Addams Family gave new energy to his career. After that, he never had difficulty getting a role again. The proudest day of Jackie Coogan's life was in March of 1972. Charlie Chaplin was returning to the United States after two decades of exile to receive both the Handel Medallion in New York City and a special lifetime achievement Oscar in Hollywood. Jackie was at the Los Angeles International Airport when Chaplin arrived. Charlie immediately recognizing Coogan and warmly embraced him, saying, "You know, I think I would rather see you than anybody else". Chaplin told Coogan's wife, "You must never forget that your husband is a genius". Jackie continued appearing on a number of television shows, commercials and even a handful of movies until his death in Santa Monica, California on March 1, 1984. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Los Angeles, California. His headstone reads: John Leslie Coogan, Humanitarian - Patriot - Entertainer, Forever In Our Hearts. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of 1654 Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Blvd.moreless -
Ted Cassidy
Lurch
Ted Cassidy was born on July 31st 1932. He was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA. His birthname was Theodore Crawford Cassidy. By the time he was in the third grade he was 6 years old. By the time he was 11 he was in the freshmen class at the height of 6'1". He was on the football and basketball team. He was offered a singing job with Paul Whitemen, but chose to be a radio announcer. His first role as Lurch when he was returning to acting. He also supplied the voice of THING, for the morning cartoon series of the Addams Family. He also acted and supplied the voice for Injun Joe in The Adventures of Huck Finn, The Fantastic Four, he also played as Harvey Logan in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.moreless -
Blossom Rock
Grandmama
Credited as Blossom Rock and Marie Blake, Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald (August 21, 1895 - January 14, 1978) was an American actress and the older sister of late actress/singer Jeanette MacDonald. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In her youth, she performed on the vaudeville stage with Jeanette, and later with her husband, Clarence Rock, whom she married in 1926 (he died in 1960); they had no children. She later performed on Broadway, in movies, and on television. Today, she is probably best remembered for the role of Grand-mama, mother of Gomez Addams, on the cult American TV series The Addams Family. She died from natural causes on January 14, 1978, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 82.moreless -
Ken Weatherwax
Pugsley Addams
Ken Weatherwax was born on September 29, 1955. Ken got his start in show biz in early in the 1960s with Gleem Toothpaste commercials as a child called Chester. He had a brief, but memorable acting career. In fact, the only acting part he has had with Pugsley. He got the part because he is the nephew of actress Ruby Keeler, and half-brother of Donald Keeler. Donald is the actor who played Porky Brockway on Lassie. His Uncle, Rudd Weatherwax was Lassie's trainer. With all these connections around him, he got to screen test for the part of Pugsley Addams on "The Addams Family." The connections may have gotten the interview, but his talent won him the part of Pugsley. He did such a good job on the original television series, that he received the roles in three versions of the series. In 1973 he was the voice of Pugsley in the 1973 animated version. In 1977 provided the voice of Pugsley again in "The All New Addams Family Halloween" cartoon special. Ken has actually felt more comfortable behind-the-scenes vocation as a grip for TV shows including long stints on "The A-Team" and "Full House."moreless -
Lisa Loring
Wednesday Addams
Lisa Loring is most commonly remembered as Wednesday Addams on the original "The Addams Family". Unfortunately her personal life has been more colorful than the character of Wednesday. Lisa was a navy brat born February 16, 1958 in the Pacific island of Kwajalein. In 1960 her parents divorced and she moved with her mother to Los Angeles. She was modeling at age three and even starting appearing in episodes of television shows like "Dr. Kildare." In 1964 she had her big break and won the role of Wednesday Thursday Addams. She could not even well enough to read the script, but the part was hers. When the Addams Family ended, Lisa's life went down hill. She was married to Farretll Foumberg in 1973. In 1974 she had given birth the first her two daughters, (Vanessa and Marianne). 1974 was a difficult time in Lisa's life. She became a single divorced mother. Her own mother would not be able to help her out. Her mother had a long history of alcoholism. That year her mother passed away from complications this chronic problem. In 1981, Lisa began to turn things around. She joined the cast of "As The World Turns" and played Cricket Montgomery for four years. At that time she met her second husband, Doug Stevenson. That married ended in divorce in 1983. Lisa frustrated with her career turned for a brief time to the porn industry. This was to head her into her darkest period. During this time she met her third husband Paul Siederman (Jerry Bulter (porn star) on the set of Traci's Big Trick (1987). They were married that year 1987 and divorced in 1992. The industry exposed her to drugs and she became addicted. After her divorce from Paul, she examined her life carefully. She was exactly the age of her mother when her mother died as a result of drug abuse. She did not want to follow her mother's steps. She entered rehab and cleaned herself up. As of 2002, Lisa is healthy, and happy reportedly working in public relations for a hotel chain. She sometimes gets time to tour the United States for "The Addams Family" conventions where she enjoys signing autographs and meeting fans across the country.moreless -
Felix Silla
Cousin Itt
Felix Silla was born on January 11, 1937 in a small village outside Rome, Italy. Felix is a midget and stands full grown at 3 feet and 11 inched. When he was 10 years old, he started working as a circus performer. His circus career would shape his later life. While in the circus he learned to ride bareback. He was also trained as a trapeze artist and tumbler. He later used these talents to become a stuntman. In 1955 when touring with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Show, he performed in Hollywood area. This introduced him to connections that later enable him to receive his first Hollywood performance as a stunt man in "A Ticklish Affair", starting with the Gig Young-Shirley Jones. Hollywood fell in love with the little stunt man and soon realized that not only could he do stunts but he was a wonderful actor. His parts have varied from the maniacal, miniature Hitler who menaces George Segal in "The Black Bird" to the enduring and lovable Cousin Itt on the long-running TV series, "The Addams Family." His size allowed him to double for children. He has done work in such memorable hits as "The Towering Inferno," "The Hindenberg," and "Battlestar Galactica." When not doing movies, he can be seen in Las Vegas and Reno night clubs with his own musical combo, "The Original Harmonica Band." Felix and wife Susan, a "little person," has been happily married since 1965. They have two children, Bonnie and Michael.moreless -
Carolyn Jones
Ophelia Frump
Trained at the Pasadena Playhouse, Texas-born Carolyn Jones supported herself as a radio disk jockey when acting jobs were scarce. She entered films as a bit player in 1952, attaining prominence for a role in which (for the most part) she neither moved nor spoke: the waxwork Joan of Arc -- actually one of mad sculptor Vincent Price's many murder victims -- in 1953's House of Wax. In 1957, Jones was Oscar-nominated for her five-minute role as a pathetic "good time girl" in The Bachelor Party; two years later, she stole the show in Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head as Frank Sinatra's bongo-playing girlfriend. During the early 1960s, Jones was married to producer Aaron Spelling, who frequently cast her on such TV series as The Dick Powell Show and Burke's Law. In 1964, Jones achieved TV sitcom immortality as the ghoulishly sexy Morticia Addams on the popular series The Addams Family. Though her TV and movie activities were curtailed by illness in her last decade (she died of cancer in 1983), Carolyn Jones continued making occasional appearances, notably a return engagement as Morticia in a 1978 Addams Family reunion special.moreless -
Parley Baer
Arthur J. Henson
PARLEY was a radio star in the 40's and 50's. During the years 1955-61, he was the radio voice for Dodge City Deputy, CHESTER PROUDFOOT. He married circus performer ERNESTINE CLARK in 1946. She died August 5, 2000. They had two children. He has appeared in over 150 TV shows, most notably as MAYOR STONER in THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.
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Pearl Shear
Mrs. Page
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Parley Baer
Lafferty, Boss Crook
PARLEY was a radio star in the 40's and 50's. During the years 1955-61, he was the radio voice for Dodge City Deputy, CHESTER PROUDFOOT. He married circus performer ERNESTINE CLARK in 1946. She died August 5, 2000. They had two children. He has appeared in over 150 TV shows, most notably as MAYOR STONER in THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.
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Parley Baer
Louie The Louse, Boss Crook
PARLEY was a radio star in the 40's and 50's. During the years 1955-61, he was the radio voice for Dodge City Deputy, CHESTER PROUDFOOT. He married circus performer ERNESTINE CLARK in 1946. She died August 5, 2000. They had two children. He has appeared in over 150 TV shows, most notably as MAYOR STONER in THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW.
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Peter Bonerz
Mr. Boswell
Actor and director Peter Bonerz was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduating from Marquette University Bonerz tried his hand at stand up comedy and found he had a talent for improvisation. He worked with improv groups in New York and San Francisco before moving to Los Angeles to try his hand at acting. He became a household name when he was cast as Jerry in The Bob Newhart Show in 1972. Bonerz showed talent behind the camera, directing 29 episodes of The Bob Newhart Show. Since the show ended in 1978 Bonerz has done little acting, but has become a prolific director, working behind the camera on television and in feature films.moreless -
Meg Wyllie
Myrtle Mae Dragwater
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Vito Scotti
Mikey
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Vito Scotti
Miri Haan
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Vito Scotti
Professor Altshuler
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Vito Scotti
Sam Picasso
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Hal Smith
Judge Harvey Stephens
Besides being an actor for 50 years, and a writer in the 1940's and 50's, Hal did voice acting on cartoons for 30 years - such as The Flintstones, FrankensteinJr. and The Impossibles and DuckTales. He was the voice of Goofy in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983). He was the voice of Elmer Fudd on The Bugs Bunny Show - as well as many other shows with the "wascally wabbitt". But for all that, Hal Smith is probably best known for playing Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show from 1960-1966 - despite claiming that he never had a drink in his life.moreless -
Jonathan Hole
Professor Simms
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Jack Collins
Dr. Bird
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John Lawrence
Jason
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Hazel Shermet
Cousin Melancholia
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Henry Darrow
Pancho Addams
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Allyn Joslyn
Sam Hilliard
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Madge Blake
Miss Comstock
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Rolfe Sedan
Mr. Briggs (the postman)
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Rolfe Sedan
Mr. Briggs (the postman)
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Nydia Westman
Miss Morrison
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Categories
Comedy
Themes
Ensemble Cast, Friendly Monsters, Laugh Track, Mad Scientists, Outrageous Situations
