Jay North, who played the titular troublemaker in the 1959-1963 CBS series Dennis the Menace as a child actor, has died after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 73.
North died at the age of 73 Sunday morning at his home in Lake Butler, Fla.
Jeannie Russell, who played Margaret Wade on Dennis the Menace, said the actor had been battling colon cancer for several years.
North only occasionally acted as an adult, including appearances as himself in a 1999 episode of The Simpsons and the 2003 film Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.
North served in the U.S. Navy and spent time as a corrections officer. He said in a 2017 interview with The Washington Times that inmates would occasionally recognize him from TV."Lot of the inmates that I've guarded remember the show," he said. "Many of them grew up watching the show. Some the first time out, others in reruns."
North's death was also mourned on social media by fellow former child star Butch Patrick, who played Eddie on The Munsters.
North told the Los Angeles Daily News in 1993 that his aunt, who served as his guardian while filming Dennis the Menace, was abusive toward him.
"If it took me more than one of two takes, I would be threatened and then whacked," he said. "Even if a delay wasn't my fault, she would find a way to blame me and punish me. She was also very possessive and isolated me from the rest of the cast. I couldn't even eat lunch with everybody else. She made me eat it in the dressing room by myself."
North worked together with another contemporary, Paul Petersen (The Donna Reed Show), in the organization A Minor Consideration, which provides guidance for children who grew up in the spotlight.
North is survived by his third wife, Cindy.
