Jay North, who played the title role 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, after a battle with advanced cancer, said longtime friend Lori Jacobson and his booking agent Bonnie Went.
“He had a heart as big as a mountain and loved his friends deeply. He spoke to us often and ended every conversation with ‘I love you with all my heart,’” Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook.
North was 6 years old when he played the smiling troublemaker on Hank Ketchum’s popular CBS news program, set in an American suburb.
Dennis, who often wore a striped shirt and overalls, was often teased for his mischievous antics by his retired neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. Dennis’s long-suffering parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry.
The program ran on Sunday nights until its cancellation in 1963. It remained a feature in syndication for decades after that.
Later, North appeared on television in programs including “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Lucy Show,” “My Three Sons,” “Lassie” and “The Simpsons” and in films such as “Maya” (1966), “The Teacher” (1974) and “Dickie Robert: Former Child Star” (2003).
North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters.
