Jackie Coogan Cried the First Time He Saw Himself as Uncle Fester
With his bald head, lack of eyebrows, and dark circles framing his large, haunting eyes, Jackie Coogan made an unforgettable impression as Uncle Fester, the delightfully macabre, electricity-loving uncle whose gleeful morbidity became one of The Addams Family‘s most iconic trademarks. His performance balanced menace and mischief in equal measure, turning what could have been a grotesque caricature into a beloved figure of darkly comic charm.
But did you know that he cried when he saw himself for the first time in his iconic makeup?
Jackie Coogan’s grandson, actor Keith Coogan, best known for his roles in Adventure in Babysitting and Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, took to Reels to answer a few fan questions and shared a few interesting tidbits about his beloved grandfather, who passed away in 1984.
Everett Collection
The clip began with another fascinating morsel of trivia: there were other Festers. Well, at least at the audition.
“Did you know that when my grandfather, Jacke Coogan, auditioned for the final round of auditions for Uncle Fester on The Addams Family, that there were other Uncle Festers?,” asked the actor.
“Other Uncles Festers auditioned, but they got bald caps and put, like, wax over their eyebrows. My grandfather went whole hog,” explained Coogan. “He shaved his eyebrows. Shaved his hair. What was left of it. And my grandmother was sitting there watching him in the mirror, crying.”
Courtesy Everett Collection
“She goes, ‘What’s wrong?,’ and he goes, ‘I used to be the most beautiful child star and now I’m this hideous monster’,” recalled Coogan of his grandfather’s reaction to seeing himself as Fester for the first time. “But I think Uncle was beloved by all The Addams Family.”
Jackie Coogan played Uncle Fester for the entire original run of The Addams Family, from 1964 to 1966, appearing in both seasons for a total of 64 episodes. Despite the blow to his ego, he became a celebrated figure in pop culture with a lasting cultural legacy that led to a career revival. We hope he didn’t feel bad for too long.
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