Lee Aaker, best known as the 1950s child star of “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” has passed away at the age of 77. The news comes via a social media post from former child actor and activist Paul Petersen. Petersen said Aaker “died in Arizona on April 1, alone and unclaimed, listed as a ‘needy deceased.'”
Aaker was 11 when “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin” first appeared on ABC. The original Friday night run of the western lasted from October 1954 to May 1959. Aaker played Rusty, an orphaned boy in an Indian raid who was raised in Fort Apache. He played opposite James E. Brown’s Lieutenant Ripley “Rip” Masters and of course a number of German Shepherds who portrayed the titular dog.
Aaker’s career started well. Even before “Rin Tin Tin”, at the age of 8, he had no mentioned appearances in such films as “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) and “High Noon” (1952). Aaker then appeared opposite Barbara Stanwyck in director John Sturges’ noir thriller “Jeopardy” (1953). That same year, he starred in five other movies, including “Hondo” alongside John Wayne and Geraldine Page.
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But it was “Rin Tin Tin” that solidified him in the public imagination. ABC rerun the series from 1959 to 1961. It was then picked up by CBS from 1962-1964. A new series of reruns began in 1976 and continued into the 1980s.
In the early 1960s, Aaker appeared on episodes of “The Donna Reed Show”, “Route 66”, “The Lucy Show”, “Make Room for Daddy” and “The Magical World of Disney”.
His career did not continue quickly after that. By the mid-1960s, the roles had dried up.
According to Petersen, Aaker served in the Air Force but died this month “alone and unclaimed … needy.” Petersen indicated that he was doing a proper funeral, which Aaker is entitled to because of his uniformed service.