Ken Weatherwax: Child actor who found roles difficult to come by after playing Pugsley in the 1960s series 'The Addams Family'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ken Weatherwax was a child actor who played Pugsley, the talented but devious son of the house, in The Addams Family television series in the 1960s.
He was the son of Gomez and Morticia, patriarch and matriarch of the family of macabre oddballs in the television series, which first went out in the US from 1964 to 1966 and was an instant hit with its familiar, finger-snapping theme song.
A nephew of Ruby Keeler, who partnered Dick Powell in several successful musicals, he first appeared with the rest of the family in the 1930s in the New Yorker series of cartoons by Charles Addams, who described him as “An energetic monster of a boy … Genius in his own way, he makes toy guillotines, full size racks, threatens to poison his sister, can turn himself into a Mr Hyde with an ordinary chemical set… His voice is hoarse… he is sometimes allowed an occasional cigar.” He was less dark on TV, a jovial inventor who builds a disintegrator gun, a computer and a robot.
After the series ended in 1966 after only two seasons Weatherwax was afflicted by the curse of the child star. Typecast, he struggled to find other roles, though he appeared as Pugsley Sr in the 1977 television film Halloween with the New Addams Family.
He did eventually work in the film business, but on the other side of the camera, as a grip, or lighting and rigging technician, on the sets of several Hollywood productions, according to his half brother Joey D Vieira, a former actor himself who played the character Porky in the original Lassie series. Weatherwax, who died of a heart attack, retired a few years ago for medical reasons, Vieira said.
Kenneth Patrick Weatherwax, actor and film grip: born Los Angeles 29 September 1955; died West Hills, California 7 December 2014.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments