Login
Login

Eugene Jackson

{{Short description|American actor (1916–2001)}}

{{for multi|the American mixed martial artist|Eugene Jackson (fighter)|the Tuskegee airman|Eugene B. Jackson}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Eugene Jackson

| image = Pineapple Jackson.jpg

| caption = Jackson in 1924

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1916|12|25|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|10|26|1916|12|25|mf=yes}}

| death_place = Compton, California, U.S.

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1918–1991

| spouse = {{marriage|Sue Jackson
|1946}}

| children =

}}

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

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.[http://www.wildestwesterns.com/eugene_jackson/ "Eugene Jackson"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084528/http://www.wildestwesterns.com/eugene_jackson/ |date=2017-03-24 }} Wildest Westerns. Retrieved 2017-03-23.

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.See Jackson autobiography in Note 2 below

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.[http://www.addamsfamily.com/afmovie.html "The Addams Family Movie (1991)"] AddamsFamily.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23. He played a one-armed musician.

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

Death

Jackson died of a heart attack in Compton, California on October 26, 2001.[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-oct-28-me-62611-story.html "Eugene Jackson, 84; Child Actor Starred in 'Our Gang'"] Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-03-23. He was 84.[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/30/arts/eugene-jackson-84-actor-known-for-our-gang-films.html "Eugene Jackson, 84, Known For 'Our Gang' Films"] New York Times. Retrieved 2017-03-23.

Partial filmography

{{Div col}}

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

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

External links

{{Commons category}}

  • {{IMDb name|id=0413511}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Eugene}}

Category:American male child actors

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male silent film actors

Category:Male actors from Buffalo, New York

Category:1916 births

Category:2001 deaths

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:African-American male child actors

Category:20th-century African-American male actors

Category:Hal Roach Studios actors