Jay North, Star of Original ‘Dennis the Menace' TV Show, Dies at 73
'Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home,' Jacobson wrote. 'As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life. He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours. A life-long friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.'
'Dennis the Menace,' based on Hank Ketcham's comic strip of the same name, ran for 146 episodes across four seasons. The show followed North's Dennis 'the menace' Mitchell, a young troublemaker who terrorizes his aging neighbor Mr. Geroge Wilson (Joseph Kearns) through a never-ending series of mischievous deeds. Other cast members include Herbert Anderson, Gloria Henry, Billy Booth, Sylvia Field and Gale Gordon.
After the series ended in 1963, North went on to appear in several one-off roles on TV shows like 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,' 'The Lucy Show,' 'My Three Sons' and 'Jericho.' He also did voice work for series like 'Arabian Knights,' 'Here Comes the Grumps,' 'The Banana Splits Adventure Hour' and 'The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.' His last starring role was in the 1974 erotic thriller 'The Teacher.'
North, a Hollywood native, was born Aug. 3, 1951, and was a fan of television from a young age. He started his career acting in commercials and appearing in small roles on variety shows like 'The Eddie Fisher Show' and 'The Milton Berle Show.' By the time he was six years old, he had landed the starring role in 'Dennis the Menace.'
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'90s Celebs Who Disappeared
Recently, I asked the BuzzFeed Community to share which '90s stars once seemed destined for greatness but have since faded from the spotlight — whether by choice or not. Here are 16 of their top responses: "Skeet Ulrich." —angrygoose681 Skeet was a '90s horror icon with his roles in Scream and The Craft. He continued to work steadily, but after his twins were born in 2001, he made them his priority. In 2005, he got a divorce and won custody of the kids, so he decided to be a stay-at-home single dad because he could afford it. In 2019, he told Fatherly, "Being a parent has driven me to make the decisions I've made. I did work, but I would only work in Los Angeles until Riverdale. The kids would be there with me. I hired a nanny once when I was doing the first season of Jericho. They were starting kindergarten, and I hired a nanny once more when I did Law & Order. That's it. A screaming kid is screaming for boundaries, screaming for something they know. They need a parent to step up." "Stuart Townsend, but that's his own fault because that ego is too big." —justineh4c2cc065d With his star on the rise, Stuart was set to play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings in the early '00s. However, one day before filming began, he was replaced by Viggo Mortensen. He was reportedly fired for being difficult to work with, and Ian McKellan allegedly asked him if he even wanted to be there. However, Stuart has a different opinion on what happened. In 2005, he told Entertainment Weekly, "Two weeks ago I finally read an article where the filmmakers said, ''We were totally wrong about Stuart, and we accept that it was our fault,' which was so nice because I did get shafted up the ass. I was there rehearsing and training for two months, then was fired the day before filming began. After that, I was told they wouldn't pay me because I was in breach of contract due to not having worked long enough. 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"Richard Grieco." —Jock7373 Richard is known for his roles in 21 Jump Street, Mobsters, and If Looks Could Kill. While he's done a few smaller acting roles over the years, he's also become known for his paintings. He describes his work as "Abstract Emotionalism." In 2012, he told Chron, "Dennis Hopper told me my artwork was too good to just hang on walls. He said I needed to get out and show it." "Richey Edwards." —lovelychicken23 The Main Street Preachers' lyricist and rhythm guitarist was known for his incredible talent as well as his outspokenness about social issues. However, he also very publicly dealt with mental health issues. In 1995, the day before the band's US tour was set to kick off, he disappeared. He left his hotel in London, dropped his passport, prescription, and credit card at his home in Cardiff, then drove to a service station near a bridge in the small town of Aust. The car was found at the station, but Richey was never seen again. 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You persevere because you believe you made the right decision," she said. Are there any other actors you thought would be major stars, but their careers never quite took off? Let us know in the comments (or in the anonymous comments box below)! Note: Some responses have been edited for length/clarity. Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything!
Yahoo
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