Pinocchio’s Voice, Richard Percy Jones, 87

Richard Percy Jones, the child actor who loaned his voice to Walt Disney’s wooden puppet who longed to be a real boy Pinocchio, died this past Monday at his home in Northridge, Calif. He was 87.

Prior to his work on Disney’s 1940 classic, Jones had a busy career in Hollywood. He had appeared as a bit player in several of Hal Roach’s Our Gang (Little Rascals) shorts and by 1939 at the age of 12 he had small supporting roles in Nancy Drew… Reporter and opposite Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. At age 15, he took over the lead role of Henry Aldrich on the popular radio comedy The Aldrich Family.

Jones continued to appear in a number of westerns, only taking some time off from his acting career to serve in the closing months of World War Two. After the war, his career continued in both film and television where he appeared on such series as The Range Rider, Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill Jr.. He retired from show business in 1965 after an appearance in the film Requiem For A Gunfighter for a career in real estate and banking