Support a 94-Year-Old Actor Tommy Cook's Medical Journey

I am embarrassed to be again asking for your help. I have been diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome which has landed me in the hospital several times in the last few months. Plus, adding to the many medications I already need. The cost of all of these plus my ongoing medical insurance and other living costs leaves me short every month.

This is after my medical insurance was dropped from the AFTRA-SAG health plan. I have been a member since age 8 and continue to be a part of the industry 86 years later. I was one of the actors in 1961 who waived ALL his future residuals from some 150 movies and 3000 radio shows and so much more to fund the current pension with a promise of lifetime medical coverage. Then, the Board of Trustees changed their minds and canceled the senior performers like myself. Plus, the settlement of the Ed Asner lawsuit only yielded a few HUNDRED dollars for each participant. So much less than hoped for.

And for those of you who remember me, I am now 94 and started acting well over 80+ years ago as a child actor and radio star. To name a few of my radio, TV and voiceover shows that I participated in:

I started by acting in several plays in Pasadena which lead to rolls in radio shows including ‘Little Beaver’ in the "Red Ryder". Over the years I racked up a prolific score of performances in that medium, starting with "Arch Obler's Plays", and subsequently appearing as Alexander Bumstead on "Blondie", Junior on "The Life of Riley", as well as roles on "Ozzie and Harriet", "Lux Radio Theater", "Mercury Theater on the Air", and "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". All in all I acted in nearly 3,000 radio shows.

Later, I appeared in the 12-part Red Ryder movie serial. I also appeared in other movies as in "Good Luck, Mr. Yates" (1943); "Hi, Buddy" (1943); as Kimba, the Leopard Boy in "Tarzan and the Leopard Woman" (1946) with Johnny Weissmuller and Brenda Joyce; a Filipino in "American Guerrilla in the Philippines" (1950) starring Tyrone Power; and played a lead delinquent in the film "The Vicious Years' (1950), for which I won a Photoplay Award for "Outstanding Performance." I also had and active career as a voice-over actor on animated series such as Kid Flash on "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure", Augie on "The Funky Phantom" and Biff on "Jabberjaw".

I thank you in advance for your kindness.

Tommy Cook