Pat Rosson, Kid Actor on ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘The Young Marrieds,’ Dies at 69
Pat Rosson, a son and grandson of cinematographers who appeared on The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone and the soap opera The Young Marrieds as a child actor in the 1960s, has died. He was 69.
Rosson died April 28 of a heart attack in Los Angeles, his daughter, Maria Delilah Rosson, told The Hollywood Reporter.
On “Runaway Kid,” which premiered in November 1960 as the sixth episode of CBS’ The Andy Griffith Show, Rosson played George “Tex” Foley, whose circumstances taught Opie (Ron Howard) a lesson about trust and keeping promises.
A month later, he appeared on CBS’ The Twilight Zone on the season two episode “The Night of the Meek,” which starred Art Carney as a down-on-his-luck department store Santa Claus.
On ABC’s The Young Marrieds from 1965-66, Rosson portrayed Jerry Karr, a youngster in the middle of a custody battle between his biological mother, Susan Garrett (Peggy McCay), and his adoptive mother, actress Lena Gilroy (Norma Connolly).
Rosson was born in Los Angeles on July 20, 1952. His late younger brother, Eddie Rosson (It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Camp Runamuck), was also a child actor.
Their father, Edward Rosson, served as the cinematographer on White Lightning (1973) and Love at First Bite (1979), and their mother, Lili Rosson, was an actress who had small parts in North by Northwest, Some Came Running and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
Their grandfather, Harold Rosson, was the five-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer known for his work on The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952).
Pat Rosson also teamed with Frank Sinatra (and a bunch of other kids) to belt out “High Hopes” on television in 1959 and appeared with his godfather, actor Paul Picerni, on The Untouchables in 1962.
He was also on Dennis the Menace, Ben Casey, My Three Sons, Hazel and The Munsters (with a walkie-talkie on the 1965 episode “If a Martian Answers, Hang Up”) and in the films The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm (1962) and Johnny Cool (1963).
He later participated in Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks and worked in real estate.
In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife, Ruth; sister Christa; nephews Troy and Tobey; and niece Sophie.
