Dennis Rush, the former child actor who charmed audiences on The Andy Griffith Show and starred alongside Hollywood legend James Cagney in the classic film Man of a Thousand Faces, has died at 74 after a heartbreaking battle with leukemia.
Rush reportedly passed away Saturday while being rushed to a hospital near his home in the San Diego area. The sad news was confirmed by actor-musician Keith Thibodeaux, who appeared with him on The Andy Griffith Show.
Fans of the beloved sitcom may remember Rush as Howie Prewitt, one of Opie Taylor’s closest childhood pals on the iconic small-town comedy starring Ron Howard and Andy Griffith. Rush appeared in eight episodes between 1963 and 1965 and later called the experience “the best of the best.”
But long before Mayberry, Rush got his big break in Hollywood in unforgettable fashion — thanks to a chance encounter with Cagney himself.
According to Rush, his father worked as a film archivist at Universal Pictures, and one day while having lunch at the studio, a man approached the family searching for a young boy to play his son in an upcoming movie.
That man turned out to be James Cagney.
Rush was only 4 years old when he landed the role of young Lon Chaney Jr. in Man of a Thousand Faces, the biopic about legendary silent horror star Lon Chaney.
The actor later recalled how Cagney coached him through emotional scenes, including one heartbreaking moment where his character learns he will be sent to an orphanage.
“He had me in tears,” Rush once remembered. “We went right in and did the scene in five minutes.”
The touching bond between the veteran movie star and the child actor reportedly lasted decades, with the pair exchanging Christmas cards every year until Cagney’s death in 1986.
Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s, Rush became a familiar face on television, appearing in hit Westerns including Wagon Train, Laramie and Gunsmoke, along with appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason and The Lucy Show.
He also appeared in Disney’s Follow Me, Boys! and several other family favorites during Hollywood’s golden television era.
But like many child stars, life after fame came with painful challenges.
Rush later revealed that after serving in the U.S. Marines, he discovered the money he earned as a child actor had been spent by his parents. He eventually rebuilt his life, graduating from San Diego State University and working for years in the hotel and restaurant business.
In recent years, Rush became a fan favorite at nostalgic television conventions, especially the annual Mayberry Days festival in Mount Airy, where fans adored hearing his behind-the-scenes stories from classic TV.
Organizers remembered him as “one of the sweetest men you could ever meet.”
Rush is survived by his siblings Sally, Monica, Patrick and Megan. His brother Jack died earlier this year.
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