John Astin as Gomez Addams Before landing the role of the wealthy and extravagant Gomez Addams, John Astin starred alongside James Garner and Lee Remick in 1963’s The Wheeler Dealers. In a 2015 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Astin recalled that his performance in that film was well-received. “I get a call from Filmways, they produced that movie,” Astin detailed. “They said, ‘When we were previewing this movie, we got a large response on you from the people who filled out their preview cards. We want to make a deal.’” The studio presented three possible projects for Astin: movies The Americanization of Emily and The Loved One, or a TV project based off The Addams Family cartoons. Coincidentally, Astin was a “tremendous fan” of Charles Addams and had his comic panels hung up as decorations during college. Astin could only choose one project and he chose the fastest-moving one: The Addams Family. “I’m really lucky that’s what I ended up doing because many things have happened to me that are good as a result of The Addams Family,” he said. Among those “good” things are roles in Operation Petticoat, Night Court and The Frighteners (1996) alongside Michael J. Fox. Astin also reprised his role of Gomez for the TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977) and the 21-episode season of The Addams Family animated series in 1992. Astin’s latest roles include a voiceover in the animated series Justice League Action. In 2022, Astin revealed in an interview with the AV Club that he was retiring from acting and teaching at Johns Hopkins University. The 94-year-old adoptive father of Sean Astin is the final living cast member of the show. Carolyn Jones as Morticia Addams After playing Morticia Addams for two seasons, Carolyn Jones landed a role as Marsha, Queen of Diamonds on the Batman TV series. Her DC Comics roles did not end there. She also played Queen Hippolyta, the mother of Wonder Woman on the action series. Jones also appeared in the history-making mini-series Roots in 1977. After having difficulty booking roles, Jones decided to pursue another art form: writing. In 1971, she released her debut sex novel, Twice Upon A Time. Along with much of the original cast, Jones reprised her Addams Family role in the TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977). In 1981, Jones was diagnosed with colon cancer. After the cancer entered remission, Jones joined the cast of the daytime soap opera Capitol in 1982. Shortly after the start of the show, Jones' doctors discovered her cancer had returned. This resulted in a lot of pain for the actress, sometimes confining her to a wheelchair. On Aug. 3, 1983, Jones died at age 53. Ken Weatherwax as Pugsley Addams Ken Weatherwax was 8 years old and in third grade when The Addams Family began. He played the kind-hearted, lovable and chubby son of Gomez and Morticia: Pugsley. After the series finale, Weatherwax only added two more acting credits to his name. The first was a small role in the TV series Wagon Train and as Pugsley Sr. in 1977's Halloween with the New Addams Family. In 2008, Weatherwax joined Bill O’Reilly on The O’Reilly Factor to discuss his life after stardom. “[The Addams Family] didn’t have very much of an effect until after the show was over and I had to go back to public school and deal with it,” he said. “Frankly, I didn’t deal with it very well. I was kicked out of six or seven schools and ended up in the service at the age of 17.” Weatherwax said he interviewed and auditioned for more roles but believes he was “typecast” as Pugsley. From ages 10 to 16, Weatherwax was constantly recognized, but that all went away after he shaved his head as a cadet. On Dec. 7, 2014, Weatherwax died at the age of 59. His niece, Shanyn Vieira, revealed on Facebook that her uncle died from a heart attack. Lisa Loring as Wednesday Addams Starting at just 6 years old, Lisa Loring played the death-obsessed Wednesday Addams on The Addams Family. Loring was the first actress to don the iconic pigtails, black dress and white collar synonymous with the character. Following the series finale, Loring had a short stint in The Pruitts of Southampton and played Cricket Montgomery in the TV drama As The World Turns. She also appeared on iconic shows like The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Fantasy Island and Barnaby Jones. In 2022, Loring made headlines as part of Jenna Ortega’s inspiration for the famous dance scene on Netflix’s Wednesday. “I knew there were certain things that I wanted to do,” Ortega told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “I paid homage to Lisa Loring, the first Wednesday Addams. I did a little bit of her shuffle that she does. Of course, they cut [it] out of camera when I did do it, but it’s there, I know it is.” On Jan. 28, 2023, Loring died of complications from a stroke caused by high blood pressure at age 64. “She went peacefully with both her daughters [Vanessa and Marianne] holding her hands,” Vanessa Foumberg told The Hollywood Reporter at the time of her death. Ted Cassidy as Lurch With a 6-ft., 9-in., stature, Ted Cassidy was almost destined to play the Addams family’s loyal butler Lurch. The character was originally intended to remain mute; however, after Cassidy ad libbed the famous line “You rang?,” his deep and entrancing voice, along with the humorous delivery, meant more speaking parts for Lurch. Unbeknownst to many viewers, Cassidy also oftentimes played the role of Thing — a dismembered hand that assists the family. When Lurch and Thing were in a scene together, other crew members would step in, most notably Assistant Director Jack Voglin. After playing Lurch and lending a hand as Thing (literally), Cassidy went on to appear in movies like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Bionic Woman. On TV, he starred in The New Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Cassidy also made a name for himself as a voice actor for cartoons like Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle and Godzilla. He also narrated the The Incredible Hulk movie (1977) and TV series (1978). Cassidy returned to reprise his role as Lurch in the TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977) and the short-lived Hanna-Barbera animated show The Addams Family in 1973. In 1979, Cassidy underwent an open heart surgery to remove a benign tumor. During his recovery at home, complications arose. He returned to the hospital a few days later and died on Jan. 16, 1979, at age 46. Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester Jackie Coogan’s acting career started long before his role as Uncle Fester on The Addams Family. His child acting days go back to the 1920s, when he played the titular character in movies like Oliver Twist (1922) and Tom Sawyer (1930). He even starred alongside Charlie Chaplin in The Kid (1921). His first foray into a regular TV role was as Sergeant Barnes in McKeever and the Colonel. Following The Addams Family, Coogan made appearances in a variety of iconic TV sitcoms like I Dream of Jeannie, The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and more. He returned to play Uncle Fester in both the TV movie and Hanna-Barbera series. At age 69, Coogan died of heart failure on March 1, 1984, in Santa Monica, Calif. Marie Blake as Grandmama Addams Blossom Rock, who adopted the name Marie Blake for her film career, held a variety of movie roles throughout the 1930s, '40s and '50s. She starred alongside some of Hollywood’s greatest like Judy Garland, Joan Crawford and Mickey Rooney. After The Addams Family wrapped, Blake suffered a stroke in 1967 that permanently impacted her speech. This meant she could not reprise her role as Grandmama for the TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977). The next year, Blake died on Jan. 14, 1978, at age 82.