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Eugene Jackson

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For the American mixed martial artist, see Eugene Jackson (fighter). For the Tuskegee airman, see Eugene B. Jackson.

Eugene Jackson
Jackson in 1924
Born(1916-12-25)December 25, 1916
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 26, 2001(2001-10-26) (aged 84)
Compton, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1918–1991
Spouse
Sue Jackson
​
​
(m. 1946)​

Eugene W. Jackson II (December 25, 1916 – October 26, 2001) was an American child actor who was a regular of the Our Gang short series during the silent Pathé era.

Career

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When he joined the gang, Jackson replaced the series' first black cast member, Ernie Morrison who was billed in the series as Sunshine Sammy, Jackson's characters nickname was "Pineapple" because of his haircut's similarity to the shape of the pineapple fruit.[1]

He played the character "Humidor" in one of Mary Pickford's most successful films, Little Annie Rooney (1925). A large film poster of the cast of Little Annie Rooney, including Jackson, hangs in the lobby of the Mary Pickford Theatre of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood.

Jackson also starred in Hearts in Dixie (1929), one of the first all-talking, big-studio productions to boast a predominately African-American cast. He was the first African-American child to have a speaking part in a major motion picture.[2]

In television, Jackson was a recurring character on Julia, the first network sitcom to have a female African-American lead, Diahann Carroll. Jackson played Julia's uncle.

Jackson's last major feature film was The Addams Family (1991) with Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd.[3] He played a one-armed musician.

Jackson wrote an autobiography in 1999 that contains pictures from his career in show business.[4]

Death

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Jackson died of a heart attack in Compton, California on October 26, 2001.[5] He was 84.[6]

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ "Eugene Jackson" Archived 2017-03-24 at the Wayback Machine Wildest Westerns. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  2. ^ See Jackson autobiography in Note 2 below
  3. ^ "The Addams Family Movie (1991)" AddamsFamily.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  4. ^ Jackson, Eugene W. II with Gwendolyn Sides St. Julian, Eugene "Pineapple" Jackson: His Own Story. Jefferson, North Carolina, U.S.A. McFarland & Co Inc Pub. 1999, 1st Edition. 0786405333 Hard Cover. Ill.: Photo Illustrated. 6.5 x 9.5 hard cover book. White lettering on the pink spine with a black-and-white photo illustrated cover. Join Eugene Jackson as he shares his life story - a story that preserves the history of vaudeville and early Hollywood, and chronicles the African American experience in twentieth-century entertainment. 223 pages.
  5. ^ "Eugene Jackson, 84; Child Actor Starred in 'Our Gang'" Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  6. ^ "Eugene Jackson, 84, Known For 'Our Gang' Films" New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-23.

Bibliography

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  • Holmstrom, John. The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995, Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, pp. 74–75.
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