Teddy Infuhr (November 9, 1936 – May 12, 2007), bornTheodore Edward Infuhr, was an Americanchild actor.
Missouri-born child actor Teddy Infuhr, youngest of four, moved with his family toLos Angeles when he was three and was initially prodded into acting by his mother. A young student at the Rainbow Studios, he was spotted by a talent agent and booked the very first film he went out on withThe Tuttles of Tahiti (1942) at the age of five. Throughout the rest of the 1940s he would find steady roles as mean-spirited tykes, trouble-makers or bullying types, never settling down to one specific studio.
A good portion of his work was noticeable yet he also appeared unbilled much of the time. Unable to move into the major child star leagues, he was cast in some of the biggest picturesHollywood had to offer includingA Tree Grows in Brooklyn,Spellbound andThe Best Years of Our Lives. In the latter, Infuhr played a drugstore brat chided byDana Andrews' character, Fred Derry. One of his more oddball roles included the role of Gale Sondergaard's fly-catching nephew inThe Spider Woman.
Ted found a recurring role in the "Rusty" canine adventure series, beginning withThe Return of Rusty and finishing withRusty's Birthday. He was also one of the bucolic brood in theMa and Pa Kettle series that was introduced with the classicThe Egg and I. He appeared more times in that series than any other of the regular child stars. After the war, he had larger parts inThe Boy with Green Hair,Fighting Fools,West of El Dorado andBlondie's Hero and appeared withGene Autry a few times.
Teddy was one of the few child actors thatNatalie Wood's mother allowed her to socialize with on the set.
For his role inThe North Star, Teddy had to shave his head bald. The embarrassed 7-year-old returned to school wearing a hat and refused to remove it to the dismay of his teachers until they found out the reason.
Unfortunately, he did not survive the transition from awkward adolescent to adult, ending his career unbilled as a troubled teen inBlackboard Jungle. Luckily, Teddy played it smart, and found a vocation, graduating from chiropractic school in 1958. Long married to wife Rita, with whom he had two sons, he has had no qualms or regrets about leaving show business. Until his death inThousand Oaks on May 12, 2007, he attended nostalgia conventions.
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