Eugene Jackson

Actor

Buffalo, New York, USA

December 25, 1916

Biography

Eugene Jackson gained fame as Farina's older brother, Pineapple, in six of Hal Roach's "Our Gang" serials - "The Mysterious Mystery", "The Big Town", "Circus Fever", "Dog Days", "The Love Bug" and "Shootin Injuns". Besides films he sang and danced on the vaudeville circuit - billed as "Hollywood's most famous colored kid star". Most of his film roles were bit parts, most uncredited. He did appear as Diahann Carroll's Uncle Lou on TV's "Julia" and Redd Foxx's friend on "Sanford and Son". In later years he taught dance at studios he started in Compton and Pasadena. He trained several performers in the 1959 film Porgy and Bess. His work was featured in a dance retrospective for the 1993 Los Angeles Festival.