Jackie Coogan had an interesting career, beginning his journey as a beloved child star and eventually becoming Uncle Fester in The Addams Family. Born on October 26, 1914, he was discovered by comedy legend Charlie Chaplin at a vaudeville show and was propelled into instant stardom when Chaplin cast the adorable seven-year-old in the title role of The Kid in 1921. Coogan’s heartbreaking performance made him one of Hollywood’s first major child stars. By the 1920s, he had reportedly earned millions of dollars from his film work, an unheard-of fortune for a child at the time.

However, things turned dark in 1933, when his close friend Brooke Hart was kidnapped and murdered. Reports say that Coogan joined the enraged crowd that formed and was present when a mob lynched Hart’s kidnappers in an act of vigilante justice.