Jay North, Former ‘Dennis The Menace’ Child Star, Dies At 73

Jay North, who rose to fame in the 1959 to 1963 sitcom Dennis the Menace, died Sunday after years of battling cancer. He was 73.

North’s passing was announced by Laurie Jacobson, whose husband is Lassie star Jon Provost. “Jeanne Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news. 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,” wrote Jacobson on Facebook. “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.”

Born August 3, 1951, Jay North debuted on television in an appearance on the gameshow Queen for a Day. Following guest appearances in Wanted: Dead or Alive, 77 Sunset Strip, Rescue 8, The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse and Sugarfoot, among other TV series, Jay North debuted as rambunctious Dennis Mitchell in Dennis the Menace in 1959. Based on the comic strip of the same name, the family-themed CBS comedy preceded variety hour The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday evening and ran for four seasons.

In addition to filming Dennis the Menace, North appeared as Dennis in commercials for the show’s sponsors, Kellogg’s cereals, Best Foods mayonnaise, Skippy Peanut butter and Bosco chocolate milk. He also played as Dennis in crossover appearances on ABC sitcom The Donna Reed Show and CBS variety hour The Red Skelton Show. And he recorded The Misadventures of Dennis the Menace soundtrack stories and an album of songs titled Jay North - Look who’s singing!

On the big screen, and in 1959, North appeared in western The Miracle of the Hills and crime drama The Big Operator.

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Years after Dennis the Menace concluded, North opened up about his personal struggles, claiming his aunt verbally and physically abused him when he made mistakes on the set or did not perform to her standards.

“Between the pressures of the business and Joe’s dying (Dennis the Menace co-star Joseph Kearns, who played grumpy neighbor Mr. Wilson, died in 1962), I became very serious, very morbid, and very withdrawn from the world,” said North in an interview with magazine Filmfax. “I was the antithesis of the little kid that I played on the television show."

Following Dennis the Menace, North guest-starred in Wagon Train, The Lucy Show and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and appeared in the film Zebra in the Kitchen before being cast as Terry Bowen in the action/adventure Maya in 1966. It ran for one season.

North eventually segued into a voice actor, with roles in animated entries including Here Comes the Grump, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.

Other occasional live acting appearances following, including My Three Sons, Lassie, the 1974 film The Teacher, and the 1980 TV movie Scout’s Honor. His final on camera appearance, per IMDb, was in the 2003 documentary film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in 2003.

“Just lost another old friend, Jay North - who played Dennis Mitchell on the old Dennis the Menace TV series!," wrote My Three Sons co-star Stanley Livingston. “I was up for the part of Dennis - along with Jay and another actor whose name I can no longer remember. Jay won the part - which he was perfect for. I didn’t… but Jay and I became friends for life from that moment forward. My Booby-Prize was appearing as an extra in a couple of episodes of Dennis the Menace. Later… Jay appeared in a couple of episodes of My Three Sons.”

Married three times, North is survived by his wife, Cindy, and by three stepdaughters.