Ken Weatherwax

Kenneth Patrick Weatherwax (September 29, 1955 – December 7, 2014) was an American child actor best known for having played Pugsley Addams on The Addams Family.

Ken Weatherwax
A 1964 publicity still for The Addams Family
Born
Kenneth Patrick Weatherwax

(1955-09-29)September 29, 1955
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 7, 2014(2014-12-07) (aged 59)
West Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeValhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActor
Years active1964–1966, 1977
FamilyRuby Keeler (aunt), Joey D. Vieira (half-brother)

Biography

Weatherwax was born in Los Angeles, California, into a show-business family. His aunt was actress and dancer Ruby Keeler, while his half-brother, Joey D. Vieira, played "Porky" on the first three seasons of Lassie under the stage name of Donald Keeler, beginning in 1954. His uncles were Frank and Rudd Weatherwax, Lassie's trainers and owners of the first dog to play the role.[1]

Career

Weatherwax made his acting debut in the early 1960s when he was nine years old, playing a boy named "Chester" in Gleem toothpaste commercials alongside Alice Pearce.[2] He was then cast as Pugsley Addams on The Addams Family, after successfully auditioning with stars Carolyn Jones and John Astin. The program ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966. After its cancellation, Weatherwax found he was typecast as Pugsley and lost interest in acting. He entered the U.S. Army at seventeen,[3] and at the age of 21, he reprised the role of Pugsley in the 1977 reunion film Halloween with the New Addams Family. He established a career behind the camera as a movie studio grip and set builder, while making occasional appearances at Addams Family-related events with former costar Lisa Loring, who had played Pugsley's younger sister Wednesday Addams on the show. The two remained lifelong friends until Weatherwax's death.[4]

Death

Weatherwax died on December 7, 2014, of a heart attack at his home in West Hills, California, at the age of 59.[5] The staff at Dearly Departed Tours & Artifact Museum raised the funds to have Weatherwax interred in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood.[6] A portion of his cremains are located at Dearly Departed Tours & Artifact Museum.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1964–1966The Addams FamilyPugsley Addams64 episodes
1977Halloween with the New Addams FamilyPugsley SrTV movie (final film role)

References
  1. "Ken Weatherwax, Pugsley on 'The Addams Family', Dies at 59". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 9, 2014.
  2. Humphrey, Hal (January 17, 1965). "Toothpaste to Witchery". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  3. Barnes, Mike (December 8, 2014). "Ken Weatherwax, Who Played Pugsley on TV's 'Addams Family,' Dies at 59". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660.
  4. "Ken Weatherwax, Pugsley on 'The Addams Family', Dies at 59". Variety. December 8, 2014. ISSN 0042-2738.
  5. Parker, Ryan (8 December 2014). "'The Addams Family' star Ken Weatherwax dead at 59". Los Angeles Times.
  6. Bartlett, James (October 19, 2017). "On Halloween, a Deceased Child Star Gets the Sendoff He Deserves". LA Weekly.
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