Lee Aaker, Child Actor on ‘The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,’ Dies at 77
He was not on the list.
Lee Aaker, a child actor in the 1950s who starred as the orphan Rusty alongside a German shepherd on ABC’s The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and in films including Hondo and The Atomic City, has died. He was 77.
Aaker had suffered a stroke and died April 1 near Mesa, Arizona, Paul Petersen, the former Donna Reed Show star who serves as an advocate for former child actors, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Aaker had battled drug and alcohol abuse during this life and was alone with one “surviving relative that could not help him,” Petersen said, adding that Aaker’s death certificate lists him as an “indigent decedent.” He was helping him get a proper burial.
For Petersen, it marked another sad end to the life of a Hollywood child actor. “You are around just to please everyone,” he said, “and when there’s nothing left, they are done with you.”
On The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, which ran on Friday nights for five seasons (1954-59) and 164 episodes, Aaker starred as Rusty, a youngster being raised by U.S. Cavalry soldiers (including James Brown as Lt. Rip Masters) at Fort Apache after his parents were killed by Native Americans.
Earlier, Aaker portrayed the kidnapped son of a nuclear scientist (Gene Barry) in The Atomic City (1952), the son of an Arizona homesteader (Geraldine Page in her film debut) in the John Wayne-starring Hondo (1953) and the son of a desperate woman (Barbara Stanwyck) trying to save her trapped husband (Barry Sullivan) in Jeopardy (1953).
Aaker was born on Sept. 25, 1943, in Inglewood, California. His mother owned a dancing school, and he and his brother had a song-and-dance act. Director Fred Zinnemann spotted him on a live KTLA program one Saturday night and cast him as the title character in Benjy (1951), which won the Oscar for best documentary short.
In 1952, Aaker appeared in uncredited roles in Zinnemann’s High Noon, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth and Charles Vidor’s Hans Christian Andersen and was billed above Marilyn Monroe in O. Henry’s Full House — just four of the nine movies he was in that year.
His credits around that time also included the films Arena (1953), Mister Scoutmaster (1953), Ricochet Romance (1954) and Destry (1954) and the TV series The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and The Lone Ranger.
In a 2011 interview, Aaker said he got $250 an episode to start with on Rin Tin Tin, with his salary growing to $500 per installment during the final season.
After Rin Tin Tin, he guest-starred on The Donna Reed Show, Route 66 and The Magical World of Disney and appeared in Bye Bye Birdie (1963) as acting jobs increasingly became scarce.
He left Hollywood before he was 20, then worked as a carpenter for two decades and taught skiing to underprivileged children and people with disabilities at Mammoth Mountain in California, living on his $1,500 a month SAG pension.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1951 Benjy Benjy
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth Boy Uncredited
1952 Something to Live For Alternate Boy Uncredited
1952 My Son John Boy Scenes deleted
1952 No Room for the Groom Donovan
1952 High Noon Boy Uncredited
1952 The Atomic City Tommy Addison
1952 O. Henry's Full House J. B. Dorset aka Red Chief (The Ransom of Red Chief)
1952 Desperate Search Don Heldon
1952 Hans Christian Andersen Little Boy Uncredited
1953 Jeopardy Bobby Stilwin
1953 Take Me to Town Corney Hall
1953 Arena Teddy Hutchins
1953 Mister Scoutmaster Arthur
1953 A Lion Is in the Streets Johnny Briscoe Uncredited
1953 Hondo Johnny Lowe
1954 Ride Clear of Diablo Boy Uncredited
1954 The Raid Larry's Friend Uncredited
1954 Her Twelve Men Michael Elliott Uncredited
1954 Ricochet Romance Timmy Williams
1954 Destry Eli Skinner
1954 Black Tuesday Little Boy Uncredited
1957 The Challenge of Rin Tin Tin Rusty
1963 Bye Bye Birdie Student leader
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1952 Your Jeweler's Showcase Episode: "Teacher of the Year"
1953 Fireside Theatre Sandy Episode: "The Boy Down the Road"
1953–1954 The Ford Television Theatre Tony Evans / Joey 3 episodes
1953–1955 Letter to Loretta Jimmy Preston / Myron 2 episodes
1954 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Episode: "Pearl-Handled Guns"
1954 General Electric Theater Tim Kelly Episode: "Wild Luke's Boy"
1954–1959 The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin Rusty 164 episodes
1955 The Adventures of Spin and Marty on Walt Disney Presents Russell
1955 The Lone Ranger Tommy Righter Episode: "The School Story"
1955 Screen Directors Playhouse Cowhide Episode: "The Brush Roper"
1956–1957 The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (two Christmas episodes, with Rin Tin Tin)
1957 Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers Govinda Episode: "The Glass Necklace"
1959 The Millionaire Tommy Spencer Episode: "Millionaire Henry Banning"
1959 Rescue 8 Billy Episode: "Runaway"
1959–1961 The Donna Reed Show Walter the Wizard / Kenny 2 episodes
1959–1962 Disneyland Willy / Chuck Taylor 4 episodes
- The Mooncussers: Wake of Disaster (1962) ... Willy
- The Mooncussers: Graveyard of Ships (1962) ... Willy
- Moochie of the Little League: Wrong Way Moochie (1959) ... Chuck Taylor
- Moochie of the Little League: A Diamond Is a Boy's Best Friend (1959) ... Chuck Taylor
1960 Make Room For Daddy Charles Crane Episode: "Rusty Meets Little Lord Fauntleroy"
1963 The Lucy Show Cadet Blake Episode: "Lucy and the Military Academy"
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