Jay North, young star of the new 'Dennis the Menace' series (right) attempts to handcuff Dean Martin (centre) as they play with a stuffed toy with Tony Curtis on Sept 15, 1959. Photo: AP
Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV's Dennis The Menace for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73.
North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, and had colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent.
"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,’” Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook.
North was six when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's popular comic strip that took place in an idyllic American suburb.
Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis’ mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. After Kearns died, Gale Gordon played Wilson’s brother. Dennis' patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry.
The show ran on Sunday nights until it was cancelled in 1963. After that it was a fixture for decades in syndication.
Later, North appeared on TV in shows including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, Lassie and "The Simpsons,” and in movies like Maya (1966), The Teacher (1974) and Dickie Robert: Former Child Star (2003).
North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters. – AP
