Dennis the Menace actor Jay North, who brought the mischievous Dennis to life in the classic CBS sitcom, has died at 73.
North passed away on Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, following a battle with colon cancer, according to longtime friend Laurie Jacobson and booking agent Bonnie Vent.
“He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply,” Jacobson wrote in a heartfelt Facebook tribute. “He ended every call with, ‘I love you with all my heart.’”
North landed the role of Dennis the Menace at just six years old in the TV adaptation of Hank Ketcham’s comic strip. The show, which ran from 1959 to 1963, portrayed the beauty of small-town America, with Dennis from North often wearing his trademark overalls and striped shirt. Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry portrayed his devoted parents, and Joseph Kearns often showed irritation as neighbor George Wilson.
Decades of syndication made North a household name for generations, even though the program lasted only four seasons.
A Different Life From Dennis’s
Dennis the Menace actor Jay North continued his career after the show, appearing in Lassie, The Lucy Show, and The Simpsons. Among his film credits were Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), which hilariously re-examined his beginnings as a child actor, Maya (1966), and The Teacher (1974).
North’s three stepdaughters and third wife, Cindy, survive him.
Although a singular chapter in American television history comes to an end with his death, his cheeky grin as the original Dennis the Menace still endures, reminding generations of his lasting charm and legacy.
Source: ABC News
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