Eugene Clair Persson, born on Jan. 12, 1934, in Long Beach, CA, had a difficult childhood. His father, Oscar, a seaman, vanished when he was 12, and his mother, Leah Krascoff, later placed him in an orphanage. There, his cute blonde, blue-eyed looks were noticed and soon he began acting in film, notably as a hick kid in the Ma and Pa Kettle series. He married Shirley Knight in 1959 and they had one child, actress Kaitlin Hopkins. The couple divorced in 1969. Mr. Persson is survived by Ms. Hopkins, his wife Ruby, and his children Lukas Persson and Markus Persson.