Tommy Rettig, the first boy to play Lassie's master on television, was found dead in his home in Marina del Rey on Thursday. He was 54. Tommy Rettig Born December 10, 1941 in Queens, New York, USA Died February 15, 1996 in Marina del Rey, California, USA (heart attack) Birth Name Thomas Noel Rettig Height 5' 4" (1.63 m) Tommy was a successful child actor in 1954 when he was chosen out of a field of 500 to play Jeff Miller in the TV series Lassie (1954). Mr. Rettig remained a staunch advocate of recreational drug use throughout his adult life and in 1983 championed a proposed California initiative to legalize marijuana. On February 15, 1996, Rettig died of a heart attack at his Marina Del Rey home. Tommy Rettig was a fresh-faced, cheerful and clean-cut kid who found solace in drugs when adulthood destroyed his celebrity status. He was with the show for four years, after which Lassie acquired a whole new family. Weatherwax, 77, … He has light brown hair. Be­fore his fa­mous role as Jeff Miller in the first Lassie tele­vi­sion se­ries, Ret­tig also ap­peared in about 18 fea­ture films, in­clud­ing So Big, The 5,000 Fin­gers of Dr. T (writ­ten by … His ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, near his place in Marina Del Ray. Tommy Rettig is straight. He stayed with the collie for four years, ultimately handing the pet over to Jon Provost as Timmy and a whole new family in 1958. He was 54. David Shipman Thomas Noel Rettig, actor: born Jackson Heights, New York 10 December 1941; died Marina del Rey 15 February 1996. Tommy Rettig was much better, as was the direction of that show. 1977, two sons) Son: Tom Jr. Rudd Weatherwax, who trained the dogs used in the “Lassie” motion picture and television series, died Monday afternoon of a respiratory ailment. The updated series featured appearances from Lassie veterans Roddy McDowall, who had starred in Lassie Come Home in 1943, the first feature-length Lassie film, and June Lockhart, who had starred in the 1945 sequel film Son of Lassie. by Anonymous: reply 62: 01/14/2009 ^^ Those two Lassie shows were like night and day. He was with the show for four years, after which Lassie acquired a whole new family. His best remembered movie role is as Robert Mitchum's son in River of No Return (1954), fording the rapids with Marilyn Monroe. When Fox wasn't using Rettig he was loaned out - for instance, to Universal to play Patricia Neale's offspring in Weekend with Father (1951) and to Warner Bros to be Jane Wyman's son in So Big (1953). On the show, farm dog Lassie was owned by a young lad named Jeff, played by Tommy Rettig. In 1950 Elia Kazan cast him as the son of Richard Widmark and Barbara Bel Geddes in Panic in the Streets; 20th Century-Fox signed him to a contract. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Tommy Rettig (10 Dec 1941–15 Feb 1996), Find a Grave Memorial no. When Rettig became too old, he was replaced by young Jon Provost. Tommy Rettig Celebrity Profile - Check out the latest Tommy Rettig photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at Rotten Tomatoes! Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Rettig, the only child of Elias Rettig, a Lockheed aircraft-parts inspector, and his wife, Rosemary, began his career at … Later he was a computer programmer and drug-counsellor. Tommy was a successful child actor in 1954 when he was chosen out of a field of 500 to play Jeff Miller in the TV series Lassie (1954). Tommy was a successful child actor in 1954 when he was chosen out of a field of 500 to play Jeff Miller in the TV series Lassie (1954). Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Genealogy profile for Elias Rettig Elias Rettig (1913 - 1981) - Genealogy Genealogy for Elias Rettig (1913 - 1981) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of … Rettig was found dead … Death Valley Days is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Please support TCMDB by adding to this information. If you like him, just say it: I Ain't Ashamed of My Man Crush. Life as a child actor was regimented. In his six years in pictures Rettig had leading roles in 14 films. Born: 10-Dec-1941 Birthplace: Queens, NY Died: 15-Feb-1996 Location of death: Marina del Rey, CA Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Crema. The programmer's ashes got scattered at sea, and one of Lassie's descendants was there to say goodbye. Birthday: December 10, 1941 Enjoy the best Tommy Rettig Quotes at BrainyQuote. He began his career at the age of six, as Annie Oakley's kid brother in Annie Get Your Gun. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. He also appeared with Richard Widmark in "The Last Wagon," with Jane Wyman in "So Big," and perhaps most memorably as a boy with a vivid imagination in "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.". In 1954 he began a weekly television series with Lassie. Tommy Rettig : biography December 10, 1941 – February 15, 1996 Later years and death Rettig made a guest appearance in an episode of the later television series The New Lassie, with Jon Provost, which aired on October 25, 1991. Tommy Rettig Birthday and Date of Death Tommy Rettig was born on December 10, 1941 and died on February 15, 1996. Jeff’s mother, a widow, was played by Broadway musical comedy star Jan Clayton, and Grandpa by George Cleveland. Tell us "why you have a crush on him" Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. In 1990, Rettig was invited to make a showbiz comeback as director of the syndicated TV series The New Lassie -- which co-starred his successor on the old Lassie, Jon Provost. Jan Clayton, who played Tommy Rettig's mother in the original ''Lassie'' television series, died of cancer and other diseases Sunday at her … An already established child star, he was chosen from over 500 other bo… Best known as Jeff Miller, the star of the TV series “Lassie,” Queens native Tommy Rettig was a child actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows in … AKA Thomas Noel Rettig. Tommy Rettig. Jan Clayton, Tommy Rettig, and Donald Keeler, circa 1950s | Photo: Wikimedia Commons The actress married Robert Lerner, a lawyer, three years after her daughter’s death. Already an established child star in 1954, Mr. Rettig was chosen over 500 other boys to play the 11-year-old Midwestern farm boy Jeff Miller when "Lassie" premiered on CBS that Sept. 12. He was arrested in 1972 at age 31. He was 54. Tommy Rettig, 54, the first boy who tagged after Lassie during the famous collie's 20 years on the CBS television network, was found dead Feb. 15 at his home in Marina del Rey, Calif. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. Ret­tig was born to a Jew­ish fa­ther, Elias Ret­tig, and a Chris­t­ian Ital­ian-Amer­i­can mother, Rose­mary Ni­bali, in Jack­son Heights in the Queens bor­ough of New York City. Mr. Rettig was the first boy who tagged after Lassie during the famous collie's 20 years on the CBS television network. Rettig with Robert Mitchum in River of No Return | Photo: Wikipedia The "Annie Get Your Gun" child star didn't have any more productions after that, and in February '96, he was found dead in his California home from a heart attack. He is sexy and many gay men wish he was gay. Tommy Rettig died in his Marina del Rey home of unknown causes at the age of 54. He was with the show for four years, after which Lassie acquired a whole new family. That was dropped on appeal, but he was indicted again in 1980 for drug offences. He was put into The Jackpot, in which he and Natalie Wood had James Stewart and Barbara Hale for parents. He landed his first screen role at age 9 and made 17 films, starring with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum in "River of No Return." Rettig made a guest appearance as a grown-up Jeff Miller in an episode of the television series The New Lassie with Jon Provost that aired on October 25, 1991. Tommy Rettig, the first boy who tagged after Lassie during the famous collie’s 20 years on television, has died. found: IMDb, April 20, 2017 (Tommy Rettig (1941-1996); actor; born Thomas Noel Retting on 10 December 1941 in Queens, New York; died 15 February 1996 in Marina del Rey, California; Tommy was a successful child actor in 1954 when he was chosen out of a field of 500 to play Jeff Miller in the TV series Lassie (1954); he was with the show for four years; in the early 1980s, having … Rettig went on to work as a computer programmer and drug addiction counselor and periodically popped up in specials about grown-up child stars and profiles of Lassie until his death in 1996. Then came "Lassie," and after that came a troubled life filled with failure to land adult roles, arrests and convictions for growing marijuana and for importing cocaine, bankruptcy, divorce and a string of jobs including photographer, tool salesman, computer programmer and health club manager. His most important role was in the bizarre The 5,000 Fingers of Dr T (1953), as a boy forced to stay indoors to practise piano; he imagines himself into a horrific new land lorded over by Dr Terwilliker (Hans Conreid), whose fortress contains 500 boys playing scales and, in the dungeons, moulding creatures who had dared play other instruments. also latest information on Tommy Rettig cars, Tommy Rettig income, remuneration, lifestyle.Based on Online sources ( Wikipedia,google Search,Yahoo search) Tommy Rettig estimated net worth is under review will post Net worth here soon, and Primary income from Movie actor,actor. Desktop notifications are on   | Turn off, Get breaking news alerts from The Washington Post, Tommy Rettig, 54, the first boy who tagged after Lassie during the famous collie's 20 years on the CBS television network, was found dead Feb. 15 at his home in Marina del Rey, Calif. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office attributed the death to "natural causes.". Share with your friends. He and his wife moved to a California farm, where he cultivated marijuana; he was sentenced to two years' probation in 1972, but in 1975 was ordered to serve five years for running cocaine. "With Lassie, I'd gladly work for free!" Yet he was one of the most friendly, accessible people you'd hope to meet.At the end of Tommy's life, he was again reunited with Lassie, as his ashes were spread off the coast of Marina del Rey onboard the LaSea, with Lassie present to say goodbye Tommy Rettig is a member of Actor Miss Clayton was replaced by June Lockhart and Hugh Riley as Jon’s parents. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. She had also co-starred on the television series, portraying Timmy's mothe… He said he continued to use marijuana in middle age but gave up stronger drugs when he became a vegetarian. Thomas Noel Rettig, actor: born Jackson Heights, New York 10 December 1941; died Marina del Rey 15 February 1996. 2 Ways to Vote him Up! Tommy Rettig, Actor: The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.. Tommy was a successful child actor in 1954 when he was chosen out of a field of 500 to play Jeff Miller in the TV series Lassie (1954). 8329, ; Maintained by Find A Grave Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea, who reports a Ashes Scattered at Sea. by Anonymous: reply 63: 01/14/2009: What sane person would turn down a free boning from Sal Minio? Thomas Noel Rettig, known as Tommy Rettig (December 10, 1941 – February 15, 1996), was an American child actor, computer software engineer, and author.Rettig is remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954 to 1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs as Jeff's Collie.He also co-starred with … He played Jeff Miller, the collie's master, till 1958. Movies were awash with youngsters, and the industry had realised that the public preferred the natural to the cute. Tommy was 54 years old at the time of death. They produced two daughters and a son before their marriage ended in 1958. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. Agree that the first was best. Midpoint in the season, George Cleveland died and the show was completely revamped with Provost becoming the primary human star after the departures of Rettig … Father: Elias Rettig (aircraft parts inspector, d. 1980) Mother: Rosemary Nibali (d. 1971) Wife: Darlene Portwood (m. 1959, div. Quotations by Tommy Rettig, American Actor, Born December 10, 1941. Thomas Noel Rettig, who was born in Jackson Heights, N.Y., made his acting debut at age 6 in a touring company of "Annie Get Your Gun" starring Mary Martin. When show-business lost interest he tried various jobs, including photography and selling tools. Hit the "Tweet" button at the top ↑ 2. Mr. Rettig declared when he got the job. He joined the show at the top of the fourth season as co-star with Tommy Rettig, Jan Clayton, and George Cleveland. “Lassie” actor Thomas “Tommy” Rettig left the TV show in 1957, when he was in his mid-teens. He started his ca­reer at the age of six, on tour with Mary Mar­tin in the play Annie Get Your Gun,in which he played Lit­tle Jake. Scroll down and check out his short and/or medium light brown hairstyles & haircuts. The dog, actually a series of male collies, had three families and three forest rangers during two decades of televised adventures. Tommy Rettig Net Worth: Check how rich is Tommy Rettig in 2019? 1.