Full Name J.R. Smith Years active 1925-1929 | Other names Freckles "Pinky" Cause of death Murdered Name Jay Smith | |
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Died October 5, 2002(2002-10-05) (aged 87)Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | ||
Jay R. Smith (August 29, 1915 – October 5, 2002) was an American child actor who appeared in the Our Gang series during the silent Pathé era.
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Career
Smith's first film in the Our Gang series was Boys Will Be Joys in 1925. He replaced Mickey Daniels as the freckle-faced kid and continued until the silent era ended. He also appeared as himself in 45 Minutes From Hollywood (1926).
Bowing to pressure from the studio, Smith appeared in the sixth Our Gang talkie titled Moan and Groan, Inc. (1929). He was dissatisfied with his performance in the film and feared he would not have a successful career in talkies. He quit acting in 1929.
Later years
After leaving acting, Smith, a native of Los Angeles, California, eventually went into the retail paint business and moved to Kailua, Hawaii.
Murder
After retiring from the retail paint business in the early 1990s, Smith moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. In October 2002, he was reported missing. After an extensive search, his body was found on October 5, 2002, in the desert near Las Vegas. He had been stabbed to death. Charles "Wayne" Crombie, a homeless man whom Smith reportedly befriended, was eventually convicted of the crime and sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, where he died on July 17, 2014.