Black and white photo of Jay North as Dennis the Menance, holding a slingshot, next to an man wearing glasses

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Jay North Dies at 73: All About the Late ‘Dennis the Menace’ Actor

North played the mischievous Dennis Mitchell for four seasons.

by Megan Elliott

Published on April 7, 2025

2 min read

Jay North said he wasn’t like the mischievous Dennis the Menace

North was just six years old when he landed the lead role in Dennis the Menace. The show focused on his character’s well-meaning but mischievous antics, which were particularly vexing to his neighbor, George Wilson (Joseph Kearns). Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry played Dennis’ parents. After Kearns’ died, Gale Gordon stepped in as George’s brother, John.

As Dennis, North’s life was all fun and games. But things were not always pleasant for him behind the scenes. His aunt acted as his guardian on set, and she was abusive, North later said, isolating him from the rest of the cast and berating him when he make mistakes. By the time the show ended in 1963, North had little in common with his character.

“Between the pressures of the business and Joe’s dying, I became very serious, very morbid and very withdrawn from the world. I was the antithesis of the little kid that I played on the television show,” he said in a 1993 interview (via The Hollywood Reporter).

He later served in the Navy

After Dennis the Menace ended, North appeared in episodes of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show, Wagon Train, My Three Sons, and other TV shows. He was also seen in the movies Zebra in the Kitchen and Maya. The latter was spun off into a TV show, which also starred North. He also did voice work on animated series like The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and Here Comes the Grump.

While North continued to work as an actor after Dennis the Menace was canceled, he eventually left Hollywood. In 1977, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1979. He later worked as a correctional officer in Florida. In 2003, he appeared in the movie Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.

He worked to help other child stars

North’s time as a child star gave him a unique perspective, which he put to use working with A Minor Consideration. The organization was established by another child actor, Paul Peterson of The Donna Reed Show, following the deaths of several actors, including Rusty Hamer of Make Room for Daddy. It aimed to help former child actors deal with the challenges they faced.

Peterson paid tribute to North in a Facebook post.

“JAY NORTH, RIP. A flickering light has gone out. Dennis the Menace has shed his mortal coil,” he wrote. “Goodbye, my friend. You left a mark as our first formal rescue.”

What was Jay North’s net worth?

Dennis the Menace became a TV icon thanks to frequent reruns and syndications. But North’s childhood fame didn’t bring him great wealth. His estimated net worth at the time of his death was $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.