Jackie Coogan: The Original Child Star
Born in 1914, Jackie Coogan became the first ever child star in 1921 when he was only six years old.
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Coogan starred alongside superstar Charlie Chaplin that year in the beloved film “The Kid,” and his life changed forever.
Jackie Coogan Became Widely Famous at Only 6 Years Old
After “The Kid” was released, Coogan immediately landed his next big role in “Oliver Twist,” and the rest, as they say, was history.
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Young Coogan’s face was plastered on lunch boxes, pencil cases, and Coogan were dolls sold at every store. Over the next 15 years, Coogan remained one of the most popular young actors in Hollywood, making millions of dollars for his work. But sadly, he would never see that hard earned money.
What Happened to Jackie Coogan’s Fortune?
In 1935, Jackie Coogan turned 21, which meant by law, he was finally eligible to receive the millions of dollars he made over his 15-year-long career on the big screen.
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But sadly, by that time,Coogan’s mother Lillian and his stepfather Arthur Bernstein had effectively spent his entire fortune on an unnecessarily luxurious lifestyle, including experience jewelry, clothes, and even a Rolls Royce.
The California Child Actors’ Bill Was Passed, Thanks to Jackie Coogan
While it may seem unbelievable, at that time, what Coogan’s parents did was completely legal. His stepfather told Time in 1938, “The law is on our side. Lawyers tell his mother and me that every dollar a kid earns before he is 21 belongs to his parents.”
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Coogan decided to sue his mother and stepfather for spending his money, and the court actually agreed with him. Coogan’s case led to the passing of the California Child Actors’ Bill, sometimes called the Coogan Law. The legislation required parents to save at least 15% of earnings in a trust fund only accessible to the child once they came of age.
The Law Wasn’t Enough to Protect the Earnings of Hollywood’s Next Child Stars
Sadly, because most parents were the self-appointed managers of their children, the law did little to protect their earnings.
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Diana Serra Cary, more commonly known as “Baby Peggy” when she was young, wrote in her biography of Jackie Coogan, “Parents and larcenous managers still found ways to rob an unprotected minor’s trust.”
Many More Child Stars Fell Victim to the Law’s Loopholes
Over the next several decades, several more child stars experienced the same loss of earnings as Diana Serra Cary and Jackie Coogan.
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Judy Garland’s mother directly stole money from her wildly successful daughter, and Shirley Temple’s inheritance was all but gone by the time she came of age, thanks to mismanagement by her parents.
Some Children Fought for Emancipation
For some child stars, the situation with their parents was so toxic that the kids filed for emancipation in order to be in control of their own careers and finances.
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In the 1980s and 90s, stars like Corey Feldman and Jena Malone did exactly that. And while, in some ways, emancipating was beneficial, it also put an incredible amount of pressure on these kids to make decisions like adults.
Decades Passed Before Further Action Was Taken to Protect the Financial Earnings of Child Stars
Even though those in the industry were well aware of this common problem for decades, it wasn’t until 1990 that further action was taken to protect the earnings of children in Hollywood.
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That year, Paul Peterson, who became famous in the 1950s as a child star in The Donna Reed Show, started the non-profit support group A Minor Consideration. The group attempted to revise the original Coogan Law to do away with the many loopholes it contained. However, the new law did not pass until 2000.
Child Stars Often Struggled to Continue Their Career into Adulthood
It’s important to understand that, aside from being unjust, the practice of essentially stealing money young child stars earned was also extremely detrimental to their long term financial situations.
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And that is because many child actors struggled to find success as adult actors and desperately needed the money they made while young to survive later in life.
Jackie Coogan Is the Perfect Example of a Child Star Who Truly Needed His Earnings
Cinema buffs can tell you that the vast majority of child stars don’t do well as adult actors, and Jackie Coogan is a great example of this truth.
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As a child, he was the most beloved actor in the industry, but by 1964, when Coogan was 50 years old, he landed very few roles, one of which was as a “monster.” After playing Uncle Fester in “The Addams Family,” Coogan told his friend Cary, “I used to be the most beautiful child in the world, and now I’m a hideous monster.”
Jackie Coogan’s Complicated Time in the Spotlight
When Jackie Coogan sued his mother for his earnings, the vast majority of people felt sympathy for the young actor, though there were a few who argued that he was simply ungrateful.
Today, it’s strange to think that Coogan got his big break acting in a film that portrayed how an adult can care so deeply for a child, when in his real life, he was betrayed by every adult in his life, including by his parents. Sadly, that seems to have become the norm for almost every Hollywood child star in history.