photo: http://www.nndb.com/people/341/000044209/coogan1-sized.jpg
Biography
Coogan was born in Los Angeles, California and began his acting career as an infant in both vaudeville and film, with an uncredited role in the 1917 film Skinner's Baby. Charlie Chaplin discovered him in a vaudeville house, doing the "shimmy," a popular dance at the time, on the stage. His father, Jack Coogan, Sr. was also an actor. The boy was a natural mimic, and delighted Chaplin with his abilities in this area. As a child actor, he is best remembered for his role as Charlie Chaplin's irascible sidekick in The Kid (1921) and for the title role in Oliver Twist by Frank Lloyd the following year. His scene in The Kid where he is taken away from the tramp character played by Chaplin and thrown into the back of a truck by the social service agents is one of the most famous scenes in cinema. He was also the first star to get heavily merchandised, with peanut butter, stationery, whistles, dolls, records and figurines just being a sample of the Coogan merchandise. He also travelled internationally to huge crowds. Many of his early films are lost or just unavailable, but Turner Classic Movies recently presented The Rag Man with a new score. Coogan was famous for his pageboy haircut and his The Kid (1921) outfit of oversized overalls and cap, which was widely imitated, including by the young Scotty Beckett in the Our Gang films. As a child star, Coogan earned as much as $4 million, but the money was taken by his mother and step-father. He sued them in 1935, but only received $126,000. The legal battle did, however, bring attention to child actors and resulted in the state of California enacting the California Child Actor's Bill, sometimes known as the Coogan Bill. As he grew older, Coogan's popularity as an actor waned, though he had several well-publicised love affairs with leading Hollywood starlets, including a three-year marriage to Betty Grable.
World War II
Coogan enlisted in the US Army March 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he requested a transfer to US Army Air Corps as a glider pilot because of his civilian flying experience. After graduating from glider school, he was made a Flight Officer and he volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group. In December 1943, the unit was sent to India. He flew British troops, the Chindits, under General Orde Wingate on 5 March 1944, landing them at night in a small jungle clearing 100 miles behind Japanese lines in the Burma campaign.
Jackie Coogan on the left as Uncle Fester, his most famous adult role
After the war, Coogan returned to acting, taking mostly character roles and appearing on television. His most famous TV role was as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family television series.
Death and burial
He died of heart disease in 1984 at the age of 69. He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery. He had a son, film & video writer/producer Anthony Coogan; and grandson, actor Keith Coogan.
References
Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King: A Biography of Hollywood's Legendary Child Star, Diana Serra Cary, Scarecrow Press, 2003, ISBN 0810846500
