Tommy Rettig was a renowned child actor who rose to fame in 1954 when he was selected from a pool of 500 candidates to portray Jeff Miller in the iconic television series Lassie. He was only five years old at the time and went on to be a part of the show for four years, making him the first boy to accompany Lassie during its 20-year run on the CBS television network. After Lassie acquired a new family, Rettig pursued various careers, including photography, tool sales, computer programming, and health club management.
Born in Queens, New York City, Rettig was the only child of Rosemary (Nibali) and Elias Rettig, a Lockheed aircraft-parts inspector. His father was of Russian Jewish descent, while his mother was of Italian heritage. Rettig's acting career began at the age of five when he was spotted by an acting coach who lived in his family's apartment building. He went on to tour with Mary Martin in Annie Get Your Gun and landed roles in movies starting at the age of nine, appearing in a total of 17 films, including River of No Return (1954) and The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953).
At the age of 12, Rettig was cast as Jeff Miller in Lassie, and he formed a strong bond with his canine co-star, who was also male. He would often take Lassie home on weekends, but this practice had to stop when the dog became confused about who to obey. Rettig's personal life was marked by struggles, including being busted in the 1970s for marijuana possession and cocaine smuggling. He was also a long-time advocate for the legalization of marijuana.
After graduating from University High in Los Angeles in 1958 and marrying 15-year-old Darlene Portwood, Rettig attempted to revive his acting career, but with limited success. He went on to try his hand at selling tools and managing a health club before founding an est-like motivation program. However, it wasn't until he started working with computers that he found his true calling.
At Ashton-Tate, Rettig was one of the designers of dBASE III and wrote a comprehensive reference book on the subject. He also developed the first add-on library for Clipper, which paved the way for public domain tools that have made a significant impact on the industry. Rettig was a prolific writer and speaker, contributing articles to Data Based Advisor and appearing on FoxPro Advisor satellite TV conferences. He was also a popular speaker at developer events, including the FoxPro DevCons.
Tragically, Rettig passed away at the age of 54 due to a heart attack. His ashes were scattered on the ocean off Marina del Rey, California, with one of Lassie's descendants present to bid him farewell. Despite his struggles and setbacks, Rettig left behind a lasting legacy as a talented actor, programmer, and entrepreneur.
