Keith Coogan's grandfather Jackie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) began his film career as a child actor in silent films.
Charlie Chaplin's film classic The Kid (1921) made him one of the first child stars in the history of Hollywood.
He later sued his mother and stepfather over his squandered film earnings and provoked California to enact the first known legal protection for the earnings of child performers, the California Child Actors Bill, widely known as the Coogan Act.
Coogan continued to act throughout his life, later earning renewed fame in middle age portraying Uncle Fester in the 1960s television series The Addams Family.
Jackie's father was an actor, as was his younger brother, Robert.
In one popularity poll of the 1920s, he topped Rudolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks, according to the New York Times.
He was one of the first stars to be heavily merchandised.
Estimates vary but during his eight-year run of success as a child star, Coogan earned somewhere between $4 million-$8 million.
Although he eventually reconciled with his mother and stepfather after the lawsuit over his earnings, things were never the same, and his advice to future child stars was "stay away from mothers."
He married first wife, Betty Grable in 1937, and the couple divorced two years later.
He appeared with then-wife Betty Grable in College Swing, a 1938 musical comedy starring George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye and Bob Hope.
Always considered his proudest moment his 1972 reunion with Charles Chaplin. After two decades of exile from the United States, Chaplin returned in March of that year to receive the Handel Medallion in New York City and a special lifetime achievement Oscar in Hollywood. Coogan was one of several people on hand to greet Chaplin when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. After greeting the other members of the party with perfunctory handshakes, Chaplin, immediately recognized Coogan (whom he hadn't seen in decades), warmly embraced him, saying, "You know, I think I would rather see you than anybody else." Chaplin later told Coogan's wife, "You must never forget that your husband is a genius.".
When he was cast as Uncle Fester on The Addams Family (1964), Coogan was 49 years old and nearly broke. After the series ended in 1966, he never lacked work again, with numerous television and film appearances, although most of these were only small parts.
He appeared as a police officer in the Elvis Presley comedy Girl Happy in 1965.
Retired from acting in 1980 after filming The Escape Artist. His last released film The Fury had been filmed in 1979.
In the big screen version of The Addams Family (1992), a hardware shop was named "Coogan's" in his honor.
Trivia items from IMDB
Listen to Keith Coogan discuss his grandfather Jackie in Episode 5 - HERE
