Jerry Maren Net Worth

What is Jerry Maren's Net Worth?

Jerry Maren was an American actor who had a net worth of $300 thousand at the time of his death in 2018.

Jerry Maren was best known for playing the green-clothed member of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 musical fantasy film "The Wizard of Oz." He appeared in numerous other films, often in uncredited parts, and was also on such television shows as "Lidsville" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman." Jerry Maren died in May 2018 at the age of 98.

Early Life

Jerry Maren was born Gerard Marenghi on January 24, 1920 in Lynn, Massachusetts as the youngest of either 11 or 12 siblings. During his adolescence, he took singing and dance lessons and toured New England with an act called "Three Steps and a Hop."

Film Career

While performing his vaudeville act, Maren was noticed by some scouts from MGM Studios seeking little people who could sing and dance. After he graduated from high school, he received a telegram inviting him to California to work on a motion picture. Maren appeared in the musical Western "The Terror of Tiny Town" and the "Our Gang" short comedy "Tiny Troubles" before he appeared in the musical fantasy film "The Wizard of Oz" in the summer of 1939. Standing at 3'6″, he played the green-clothed member of the Lollipop Guild who hands a lollipop to Judy Garland's Dorothy. Later in 1939, Maren appeared in the Marx Brothers comedy "At the Circus." He went on to appear in numerous films in the 1940s, typically in uncredited parts. These included "The Golden Fleecing," "True to the Army," "Beyond the Blue Horizon," "Silent Partner," "Bring on the Girls," "Three Wise Fools," and "Samson and Delilah." Among Maren's few credited roles was a gremlin in the 1944 romantic comedy "Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore."

Maren didn't appear much on the big screen in the 1950s or '60s, with his few credits during those decades including the 1951 superhero film "Superman and the Mole Men," the 1968 science-fiction film "Planet of the Apes," and the 1969 musical "Hello, Dolly!" He landed some credited roles in the 1970s, including Cadillac in "Little Cigars" and Page Boy in "The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." Maren also contributed stunts to various films, including "Dirty Harry," "The Apple Dumpling Gang," and "Prophecy." In the 1980s, he appeared in such films as "Where the Buffalo Roam," "Under the Rainbow," "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "The Being," "House," and "The Great Outdoors," again mostly uncredited. For the rest of his career, Maren mostly made appearances as himself in documentaries about "The Wizard of Oz." Among his final acting roles was Mime in the 2010 comedy horror film "Dahmer vs. Gacy."

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Television Career

In the 1960s, Maren appeared on such television shows as "The Beverly Hillbillies," "Bewitched," "The Wild Wild West," and "The Andy Williams Show." He also played Santa's Elf in a 1968 Bob Hope special. The next decade, Maren was in episodes of "Julia," "Get Smart," "Here's Lucy," "The Odd Couple," "When Things Were Rotten," "Switch," and "Charlie's Angels." Among his bigger roles were Dash on the satirical soap opera "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," a character he played in five episodes, and Boris and Rah-Rah on the short-lived children's show "Lidsville." Additionally, Maren concluded each episode of "The Gong Show" by dressing in a top hat and tuxedo and releasing a cataract of confetti.

In the 1980s, Maren appeared in episodes of "Lou Grant," "No Soap, Radio," and "Wizards and Warriors" and played Robot in the television film "High School U.S.A." Kicking off the 1990s, he made a return to Oz in the biographical television film "The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story." Later in the decade, Maren had a walk-on role in the famous "Yada Yada" episode of the sitcom "Seinfeld."

Other Activities

During his career, Maren served as a spokesman for some major brands. He played Little Oscar for Oscar Meyer and both Mayor McCheese and the Hamburglar in commercials for McDonald's. Maren also appeared at various Oz Festivals held throughout the United States, and appeared alongside six of his fellow "Wizard of Oz" Munchkins at the unveiling of the Hollywood Star for the Munchkins in 2007. Later, in 2013, he appeared for a handprint and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Following the passing of Ruth Duccini in 2014, Maren became the last surviving of the adult "Wizard of Oz" Munchkins.

Personal Life and Death

Maren was married to Elizabeth Barrington from 1975 until her passing in early 2011.

On May 24, 2018, Maren passed away at a nursing home in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California. He was 98 years of age.

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