She embodied the sweet innocence of childhood, and her character became one of television’s most recognizable faces.
With her blond pigtails and charming smile, Anissa Jones was catapulted into the spotlight as Buffy Davis on Family Affair. How the beloved child star spent her final days is a sobering reminder for us all.
When Family Affair premiered on CBS in 1966, audiences instantly fell in love with little Buffy Davis, the sweet, blonde-haired orphan played by Anissa Jones, and her beloved doll, Mrs. Beasley.
Buffy’s innocence and charm made her one of television’s most recognizable faces. For audiences in the late 1960s, Buffy embodied the innocence of childhood during a time of social upheaval. Entertainment historian Geoffrey Mark noted, “America was aching for gentleness then. Anissa gave them that.”
But behind the smiles and pigtails, Anissa’s life was far from the picture-perfect childhood she portrayed on screen.
A rising star
Anissa Jones was born on March 11, 1958, in West Lafayette, Indiana, a college town known for Purdue University. Her father, John Paul Jones, was an engineer and faculty board member at Purdue, while her mother, Mary Paul Tweel, was studying zoology.
The family eventually moved to Playa Del Rey, California, in 1963 when her father took a job in aerospace engineering.
Anissa began acting at a young age, appearing in commercials at just six years old. By 1966, at the age of eight, she landed her breakthrough role as Buffy Davis. Anissa was small for her age, which made it easy for her to play a six-year-old on TV, even though she was actually a few years older.
In interviews from that time, Anissa spoke with the straightforward, natural honesty only a child can have. “I like doing the show,” she told one reporter, “but I miss school sometimes. I like to be with my friends.”
A producer from Family Affair later reflected, “She didn’t act like a kid who was trying to be cute. She was just Anissa and was honest and open.”
Her performance won over audiences and opened the door to guest appearances on shows like The Hollywood Palace, The Mike Douglas Show, and The Merv Griffin Show. In 1969, she even had a small part in the Elvis Presley film The Trouble with Girls.
Yet being celebrated had its challenges.
Child actors on family sitcoms were expected to be perfect on cue — smiling, charming, and never complaining. Even when she was tired or missed her friends at school, Anissa rarely showed it. “It’s fun being Buffy,” she said, “but when people call me that on the street, sometimes I forget they mean me.”
Chest bindings on set?
A piece in The Republic of Columbus, Indiana, noted, “She had a growing frustration over the fact that she was playing younger than she really was. She was a 9-year-old pretending that she’s 6. She finds playing a mere child of 6 ‘babyish’ and quickly reveals her true age to anyone willing to listen.”
It later became clear that Anissa’s role as Buffy took a growing psychological toll on her as the series continued.
By the time Family Affair ended in 1971, she was nearly 14. At an age when most girls are beginning to explore adolescence and form new interests, she was still expected to act like a child — playing with dolls both on camera and during public appearances.
As her own personality and body were developing, she was forced into costumes and dialogue that kept her character frozen at around eight years old. According to columnist Marilyn Beck, during the show’s final season, chest bindings were reportedly used to conceal the fact that Buffy had physically matured.
Life After Family Affair
When Family Affair ended, Anissa struggled to find work.
Casting directors saw her only as Buffy, and she became frustrated with being typecast. Meanwhile, her personal life was turbulent: her parents had divorced, and she moved through a period of instability and custody battles.
By the time she turned 18 in March 1976, Anissa had inherited her earnings from the show, around $200,000, which which she reportedly spent in just a few months.
Without the structure of school or work, she began spending time with friends who introduced her to drugs. Her once-bright future dimmed rapidly, and she drifted away from the industry that had made her famous.
In the mid-’70s, people were constantly asking, “What happened to Anissa Jones?” in newspaper entertainment columns. An August 25, 1973 edition of the Pottsville Republican reported, “It may seem hard to believe of one so young, but Anissa Jones has retired. She just wants to be a plain ordinary schoolgirl these days. And — this may be hard to believe, too — but she’s now a teen-ager.”
Anissa Jones’ final hours
On August 27, 1976, Anissa went out with friends in Oceanside, California.
She was discovered dead the next day in the bedroom of her close friend Helen Hennessy’s home. Anissa was only 18 years old.
At 12:29 p.m., Helen had called for an ambulance to report a possible drug overdose. Paramedics arrived to find Anissa in an upstairs bedroom, lying on a waterbed wearing only white boxers and covered with a blanket.
She showed no signs of life. The responders moved her to the floor and performed CPR, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office later determined that she had suffered a massive drug overdose involving a combination of cocaine, PCP, Seconal, and Quaaludes. The coroner described it as “one of the most severe overdoses” they had ever encountered, and her death was officially ruled accidental.
Her doctor, Dr. Don Moshos, had prescribed Seconal, a barbiturate, to Anissa Jones, and an investigation into his medical practices had already been underway for unrelated concerns before her death.
Residents in the same building as Moshos’ office reported unusually long lines of patients waiting outside. According to a Torrance Police Department report, Moshos was issuing more than 100 prescriptions a day.
When a local KABC news team visited his office, they found it crowded with young people, some of whom had been waiting for over three hours. Reporter Wayne Staz claimed that prescriptions could be obtained for as little as $5 and “simply showing identification.”
Dr. Don Moshos, was later charged with prescribing unnecessary powerful drugs that contributed to Anissa’s death, though he died before standing trial.
The former child star’s death shocked fans and former co-stars alike. Her story is often cited as a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers child actors face when fame comes too early.
According to Scott Michaels, who runs the website Find A Death, there was no formal funeral for Anissa. Instead, she was taken to Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside and cremated. Her ashes were then scattered at sea, not far from her home.
Sadly, tragedy touched her family again when her brother died from a drug overdose in 1984. Other cast members of Family Affair also faced struggles, Johnny Whitaker battled addiction before becoming a drug counselor, and Brian Keith, who played Uncle Bill, died by suicide in 1997.
Her biggest dream
When Anissa Jones was just eight, she told Hollywood columnist and author Marilyn Beck:
“I want to grow up and be a mom with six children, and a veterinarian who takes care of puppies and kittens – because I love ‘anythings’.”
Sadly, Anissa never had the chance to see those dreams come true.
A few years later, she shared another dream she held:
“I want to see God, because everyone always talks about him, but no one has seen what he looks like. I bet he’s got blue eyes and is bald-headed and is a big, big man who looks just like Yul Brynner.”
Perhaps, in some way, she did get to experience that dream.
Anissa Jones’ life remains a cautionary tale of early fame, lost innocence, and the fleeting nature of stardom. From her days as Buffy Davis, beloved by millions, to her untimely death, her story continues to resonate as both a celebration of her talent and a warning about the pressures of child celebrity. RIP Anissa!
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