Charles Herbert

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Birth name Charles Herbert Saperstein
Nationality USA
Birth 2 december 1948 at Culver City (USA)
Death 31 october 2015 (at 66 years)

Charles Herbert Saperstein (born December 23, 1948) is an American former child actor of the 1950s and 1960s. Before reaching his teens, Herbert was renowned by a generation of moviegoers for an on-screen broody, mature style and wit that enabled him to go one-on-one with some of the biggest names in the industry, and his appearances in a handful of films in the sci-fi/horror genre have garnered him an immortality there. In six years he appeared in 20 Hollywood features.

Herbert supported his family from the age of five and went from being one of the most desired and highest paid child actors of his time to one of the multitude of performers Hollywood "discarded" upon reaching maturity. His situation and the lifetime of damage it created for him have only recently come to light.

Biography

Because of the studio attitude towards child actors of the time, Herbert has a keen interest in the child actors of today. "I lost a lot more than the financial things. Financial things are way down the list for me. The way that it’s set up in Hollywood is, I did 50 TV shows, the 20 movies, the commercials, all of that stuff... and when I turned 21, zero was put away in the bank for me. It was not that way for every (kid actor): If you signed a long-term contract, like for instance if you did Lassie or The Donna Reed Show or something, they put away like five percent for you. But if you were not on a long-term contract, ALL of the money you earned for the movies, for ALL the TV things, went to your guardians, and your guardians could do with it whatever they saw fit." The only money put away for him until age 21 from his TV and film earnings was $1,700.

Describing his studio education as "non-existent," Herbert attended public schools (Melrose, Bancroft, Fairfax High), rather than one of the private schools tailored to the unique needs of child actors. "My parents made that mistake, without malice; they were not too familiar (with the problems that child actors face)." He made up the story that he had a twin brother—-that it was not him his classmates were seeing in movies and on TV. Referencing his role in the sci-fi movie classic The Fly, he says, "Back in those days, the very few people who did know I was an actor, when they were kidding me they’d go, Help me, help me, help meeee!"...

"Herbert was always happiest and at his best when he was performing. A talented actor, he felt secure and confident when the cameras rolled, but like many child actors, he faced difficulties adjusting to the real world beyond the controlled environment inside the studio walls. The career of a child actor often creates a profoundly troubling lack of identity at a difficult time, just after he has lost his commercial value" with the onset of puberty.

Unable to transition into adult roles, Herbert's personal life went downhill as well. With no formal education or training to do anything else and with no career earnings saved, he led a reckless, wanderlust life and turned to drugs.