Lee William Aaker (September 25, 1943 – April 1, 2021) was an American former child actor, producer, carpenter, and ski instructor known for his appearance as Rusty of "B-Company" in the 1950s television program The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. He was the final surviving cast member of the series. In 1952, Aaker appeared in Desperate Search with Howard Keel and Keenan Wynn.
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Early years
Aaker was born to DeForest LeRoy Aaker and Dorothy Dean Baker. His mother later married Myles Wilbour in Los Angeles on January 19, 1951. She was the owner of a Los Angeles dance school. (Another source says that she "ran a children's theatre academy" and that when Aaker was 4, she had him "singing and dancing at local clubs.") Lee Aaker had an elder brother, Dee Aaker (born 1941), also a child actor.
Film
Aaker appeared on television as a young child, and landed uncredited roles in motion pictures beginning at age eight, in films such as The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and High Noon (1952). He quickly moved to featured status by the end of that year. He played the kidnapped "Red Chief" in a segment of the film O. Henry's Full House (1952) and another kidnap victim as the son of scientist Gene Barry in The Atomic City (1952). In 1953, Aaker co-starred in the John Wayne western classic Hondo (1953), as the curious blond son of homesteader Geraldine Page. He also appeared in other film styles such as the film noir thriller Jeopardy (1953) with Barbara Stanwyck, the horse opera drama Arena (1953) with Gig Young, and the comedies Mister Scoutmaster (1953) with Clifton Webb and Ricochet Romance (1954) with Marjorie Main.
Television
In 1953–54, Aaker was among the many child actors who auditioned for the role of "Jeff Miller" on the original 1954 Lassie series, which later aired as Jeff's Collie. That role went to Tommy Rettig. Two weeks later, Aaker won the role of "Rusty" on The Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin, co-starring James Brown (1920–1992) as Lieutenant Ripley "Rip" Masters.
Aaker and Rettig were friends, and both shows were popular with audiences. The two actors and the two star dogs appeared together in a photograph used on the cover of the July 2, 1955 issue of TV Guide.
Later years
Aaker told a newspaper reporter that when he reached the age of 21, he was paid a $10,000 lump sum (equivalent to $103,800 in 2025) by the studio that produced Rin Tin Tin "and he spent the rest of the '60s traveling around the world 'as sort of a flower child.'" Unable to find work as an adult actor, Aaker got involved as a producer and later worked as a carpenter.
Personal life and death
In the late 1960s, Aaker was married to Sharon Ann Hamilton for two years. He resided in Mammoth Lakes, California, for many years and was the first adaptive sports instructor for Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra at Mammoth Mountain.
According to Paul Petersen, an advocate for former child actors, Aaker experienced poverty toward the end of his life, and had struggled for years with substance abuse. Petersen said Aaker had suffered a stroke and died in Maricopa County, Arizona, near the city of Mesa, on April 1, 2021, and was listed as an "indigent decedent". Petersen was arranging Aaker's burial. As a US Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War, Aaker was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.
Recognition
In 2005, Aaker won the Golden Boot Award as Kids of the West.
