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Jay North, US actor, biting into an apple in a portrait issued as publicity for the US television ... More series, 'Dennis the Menace', USA, circa 1960. The sitcom starred North as 'Dennis Mitchell'. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
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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 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.
LOS ANGELES - MAY 2: Dennis The Menace, a CBS television situation comedy. Pictured from left is ... More Sylvia Field (as Martha Wilson), Joseph Kearns (as George Wilson), Jay North (as Dennis Mitchell), Herbert Anderson (as Henry Mitchell), Gloria Henry (as Alice Mitchell. May 2, 1960. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
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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.
DEC 16 1959, DEC 20 1959; Little Jay North, who plays "Dennis the Menace," and Jeannie Russell, cast ... More as Dennis' girl next door, are two of the reasons this new comedy series has hit high ratings in its first season. Here they illustrate how the newspaper cartoon, a regular feature in The Denver Post, is used as a reference work for the series.; (Photo By The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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