What is Jay North’s net worth?
Jay North is an American actor who has a net worth of $500,000. Jay North began his acting career when he was in elementary school, with an appearance on the children’s show “Cartoon Express”. The appearance was supposed to be a one-time event, but the agent saw it and called his mother. She was hesitant at first, but eventually allowed him to begin testing projects. He continued to appear in film and television projects from the mid to late 1950s. In 1959, he was cast in the role that would make him a household name for the rest of his life, as Dennis on the live-action series, “Dennis the Menace”. He gained a large number of followers almost instantly. His time on the set was difficult, as he was verbally and physically abused by his aunt, who was there to act as his guardian. He appeared in film, television, and theater projects sporadically until the early 2000s.
previous life
North was born on August 3, 1951 in Hollywood, California to parents Jay and Dorothy North. His father was an alcoholic, which negatively affected his parents’ relationship. His parents separated when North was four, after which time North never saw his father again. His mother worked as a secretary to the director of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists throughout North’s childhood. North was a huge fan of television and was interested in appearing on some of his favorite shows.
early post
North’s mother made use of her relationships at work to arrange her son’s appearance on his favorite show ‘Cartoon Express’. A talent agent, Hazel MacMillan, liked North and called his mother the next day to offer his acting. While his mother was originally interested in getting her son involved in acting, she eventually decided to let him give him a chance.
North got his first professional acting job on the game show “Queen for a Day” hosted by Jack Bailey. He then began publishing commercials and small parts on several NBC shows such as “The George Gobel Show”, “The Eddie Fisher Show” and “The Milton Berle Show”.
Dennis the danger
In June 1958, North auditioned for Columbia Pictures’ upcoming show, “Dennis the Menace”. The studio conducted a nationwide search for the title character and Jay North beat hundreds of other boys to land the part.
Dennis the Menace premiered on CBS in October 1959 and soon became a sensation with audiences. His mother helped manage her son’s finances and hired business managers to monetize his earnings from the show, which amounted to $500 per episode. She also continued working as her son became famous and since then North has been vocal about how much he supported his mother throughout his time in the spotlight, checking that she never lived off his earnings.
However, he did not speak as much about his aunt and uncle, who became his guardians while his mother worked. Although their relationship was initially good, his aunt and uncle became increasingly dominant and North was not allowed to mingle with other cast members and was often required to seclude himself in his dressing room. North later revealed that his aunt would physically and verbally abuse him when he made mistakes on set. The pressure to be perfect coupled with age made North less enthusiastic about being a star in a hit TV show. Ratings for the show also began to decline and “Dennis the Menace” was canceled after its fourth season in 1963.
(Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)
after Denise
North then attended middle school but had a hard time keeping up with it, both academically and socially since he wasn’t allowed to socialize much on set. He also had a hard time booking other roles and felt he was cast due to the popularity of “Dennis the Menace”. However, he was eventually able to book new roles as he advanced into his teens. He booked the lead role in the movie “Maya” as well as the TV movie that followed. Then he found work as a voice actor for television animated series. He also left Hollywood in 1971 to go to Chicago to work in the theater. In 1974, North appeared in the last starring role in the adult-aged suspense thriller, “The Master”.
While North continued to take acting lessons, he eventually became disillusioned with Hollywood and drafted into the United States Navy in 1977. He served for two years before being honorably discharged in 1979, after which he returned to Hollywood. He got some minor roles in TV movies and series, but eventually decided to pursue other career options.
personal life
North has been married three times. He met his first wife, Kathleen Brucher, in January 1972. The two were working on “Butterflies Free”. They toured with the production for a year and then returned to Los Angeles to marry in July of 1973. However, their marriage lasted less than a year. They separated in April 1974 and divorced in October of that year.
In March of 1991, North married his second wife, Rosetta. They met on a blind date but broke up after only 3 months of marriage. Soon, he met Cindy Hackney at a charity event. The two began dating and married in March of 1993. Three months later, North decided to leave Los Angeles and moved to Hackney’s hometown of Butler Lake, Florida. He also became stepfather to Hackney’s three daughters. At Butler Lake, he began working as a correctional officer.
Moving to Florida marks the North’s permanent break from Hollywood. In the same year, the film “Dennis the Danger” was released, which renewed public interest in the North. He decided to reveal the various abuses he suffered as a child star. He’s primarily kept a low profile, only occasionally appearing on talk shows and documentaries. He also occasionally attends souvenir performances to meet his fans.
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