Jackie Condon Biography

John Michael "Jackie" Condon (March 25, 1918 – October 13, 1977) was an American child actor who was a regular in the Our Gang short series from 1922 until 1929, during the Pathé silent era.

Early life and career

Condon was born in early 1918 in Los Angeles, California. At age three, he appeared in his first film Jinx. By 1922, he was appearing in more films and starred as Jackie in the 1922 short One Terrible Day. He was a regular actor in Our Gang, which is a short film series. He was a regular during the Pathé silent era. He appeared in every one of the 66 Pathé shorts. He also appeared in 12 MGM shorts before leaving for a short time in 1928. He returned for his final short in 1929, which was Election Day. Some people say his final appearance as a regular cast member was the 1928 film Growing Pains. He appeared in 78 shorts over seven years.

While he was in Our Gang, Condon was known for his mischievous behavior and wild, unruly hair that looked like it had been combed with an eggbeater. Although he was popular during his seven year run, he was never a standout regular member like Farina or Spanky. Despite that, he was the fifth regular member in the gang to appear in the most shorts (78). The first was Farina (Allen Hoskins), who appeared in 105 shorts over ten years (1922–31). The second was Spanky (George McFarland), who appeared in 95 shorts over eleven years (1932–42). The third was Buckwheat (Billie Thomas, who appeared in 93 shorts over eleven years (1934–44) until the series' end. The fourth was Joe (Joe Cobb), who appeared in 86 shorts over seven years (1923–29).

He left the gang in early 1928 and left show business. He tried to comeback in the 1950s without much success. He appeared in an Our Gang short reunion on television with fellow co-stars Farina, Joe, Mickey Daniels, and Johnny Downs. He also appeared in another Our Gang reunion in 1936 with fellow co-stars Farina, Joe, Mary Kornman, and Johnny.

Later years and death

After he left Our Gang, Condon went back to public school and graduated in 1936. He later worked at Rockwell International with fellow Our Gang alumni and co-star Joe Cobb. In 1977, Condon died at age 59 from cancer. He was a good guy and was missed by everyone. He was later cremated, and his ashes scattered.

Filmography

• Jinx (1919) - uncredited
• Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921) - boy at opening scene w/hat
• One Terrible Day (1922) - Jackie
• The Champeen (1923) - Jackie
• Tire Trouble (1924) - Jackie
• The Big Town - Jackie
• Good Cheer (1926) - Jackie
• Bring Home the Turkey (1927) - Jackie
• Barnum & Ringling, Inc. (1928) - Jackie
• Election Day (1929) - Jackie