Jackie Coogan Biography

Fast Facts

• Enlisted in the Army in 1941 and later requested a transfer to the Air Force after the attack on Pearl Harbor, where he became a Flight Officer
• Led a "Children's Crusade" to raise funds and donations for the Near East Relief organization, which aided the refugees and orphans of the Armenian Genocide during World War I
• Attended the Urban Military Academy, the University of Southern California, and Santa Clara University
• Began performing in vaudeville and film as an infant, starting with an uncredited role in the 1917 film "Skinner's Baby․"
• Quote: "(On his extreme popularity in the 1920s): "I had the flu in New York, and it pushed the President of the United States off the front pages․""
• Best known for his child roles in 1920s silent films, including "Oliver Twist" and "The Kid," as well as for the role of Uncle Fester in "The Addams Family․"
• The loss of most of his earnings due to a California law stating that the parents of child actors had full control of their finances prompted the creation of the California Child Actor's Bill, which prevents this situation from happening again
• Discovered by Charlie Chaplin while he was performing onstage at a vaudeville house at the age of 4