Jay North’s net worth, confirmed

Jay North became an icon of the small screen at an incredibly young age when he took the role of Dennis the Menace. North passed away on Sunday at the age of 73, but he left behind a memorable legacy despite his relatively short run in Hollywood.

Jay North’s career

North appeared in a couple of shows in the late fifties before starring in what would come to be his most fondly remembered role — Dennis the Menace. He was the original actor who brought the popular comic strip character to life over the course of four seasons which aired between 1959 and 1963. Since then there have been other iterations of the character, but North will always be remembered as the first.

After the popular show came to an end he struggled to find work in Hollywood as North himself revealed he felt he was being typecast in roles. North also revealed that he experienced abuse that was going on behind the scenes while he was working on the show. 

As a result the child star ultimately made the decision to step back from the industry and settle down in Florida. According to his friend and fellow actor, Butch Patrick, “The business was tough on Jay.” In a Facebook post celebrating North’s life, Patrick wrote, “He seemed happy in Florida and I’m glad he’s at peace. I can’t imagine the workload that being Dennis put on him. It definitely wasn’t a good time.”

Speaking to The Washington Times in 2017 North revealed that the lack of work inspired him to take his life in a new direction. He joined the military in 1977 and was honorably discharged in 1979. Afterwards he found work in the health food industry before becoming a corrections officer in Florida. According to his close friends, he was happy with the life he had made for himself.

What was Jay North’s net worth?

Considering North went on to live a relatively normal life his net worth is still pretty impressive. According to Celebritynetworth.com, North had a net worth of around $500,000 at the time of his death. No doubt his recognizable acting roles helped him to accumulate some of that wealth, but his job as a corrections officer also added significantly to that.

North did occasionally lend his acting talents to other projects, appearing in a handful of TV series and TV movies throughout the seventies and eighties. He even voiced himself in an episode of The Simpsons. His last appearance on television was on Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star in 2003 according to IMDb.