Thomas Noel "Tommy" Rettig (December 10, 1941 -- February 15, 1996) was an American child actor, computer software engineer, and author. Rettig is best remembered for portraying the character "Jeff Mi
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ller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954--1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs as Jeff's Collie. He also co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow, in the mid-1960s television teen soap opera Never Too Young and recorded the song by that title with the group The TR-4...Rettig was born to a Jewish father, Elias Rettig, and a Christian Italian American mother, Rosemary Nibali, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.[1] He started his career at age six, on tour with Mary Martin in the play Annie Get Your Gun, in which he played Little Jake.
Tommy Rettig as Jeff Miller with Lassie (1955).
As Billy with Felicia Farr in The Last Wagon (1956).
He graduated in 1959 from University High School in Los Angeles. In 1964--1965, he co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow, in the ABC television soap opera for teens, Never Too Young.[2] With the group "The TR-4", he recorded the song by that title on the "Velvet Tone" label.[3] While he was the TR-4 group's co-manager, he did not sing with them. Rettig only co-wrote the song in hopes of the TV soap using it as their theme. It was not chosen..As an adult, Rettig preferred to be called "Tom." He found the transition from child star difficult, and had several well-publicized legal entanglements relating to illegal recreational drugs (a conviction for growing marijuana on his farm, and a cocaine possession charge that he was exonerated of). Some years after he left acting, he became a motivational speaker, which—through work on computer mailing lists—led to involvement in the early days of personal computers.
