Joe Brooks
Joseph Brooks Jr. (December 14, 1923 – December 5, 2007) was an American character actor, best known for portraying Trooper Vanderbilt, the near-sighted soldier, in F Troop. During World War II, Brooks put his acting career on hold and served his country fighting in the South Pacific.
Joe Brooks

Arista Records · https: ebay.us/m/q1vjiY · Public domain
- Name
- Joe Brooks
- Birth Name
- John Joseph Brooks Jr.
- Born
- 14 December 1923
- Birthplace
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Died
- 5 December 2007
- Place of death
- California, U.S.
- Occupation
- Actor
- Spouse
- Betty Jean Davis John Joseph Brooks Jr. (December 14, 1923 – December 5, 2007) was an American character actor, best known for portraying Trooper Vanderbilt, the near-sighted soldier, in F Troop.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
Joseph Brooks Jr. (December 14, 1923 – December 5, 2007) was an American character actor, best known for portraying Trooper Vanderbilt, the near-sighted soldier, in F Troop. During World War II, Brooks put his acting career on hold and served his country fighting in the South Pacific.
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Note VALÉORINE
Joe Brooks (1923–2007) was an actor, film actor and television actor, of American nationality. The actor was born and died in Los Angeles. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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In this article
Biography
Biography
He then returned to California and continued to act, mainly as an extra and in bit parts until he was called to audition for the role of Vanderbilt. His career spanned some 22 movies and numerous television appearances over 40 years. His other credits include the films East Of Eden (1955), Tall Man Riding (1955), The Young Lions (1958), Born Reckless (1958), Flaming Star (1960), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), Batman(1968),Pursuit (1972), The Bad News Bears (1976), Gremlins (1984), and Eye of the Tiger (1986), and the TV shows Rawhide, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bewitched, The Munsters, and Cheyenne. His interment is located in Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

"You Light Up My Life" (instrumental; #2490-S), written, produced and arranged by Joe Brooks. "Instrumental side" label of the US single release (#AS 0287)
Arista Records · https: ebay.us/m/q1vjiY
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Joe Brooks • Birth Name — John Joseph Brooks Jr. • Born — 14 December 1923 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Died — 5 December 2007 • Place of death — California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1944–1986 • Spouse — Betty Jean Davis John Joseph Brooks Jr. (December 14, 1923 – December 5, 2007) was an American character actor, best known for portraying Trooper Vanderbilt, the near-sighted soldier, in F Troop. He was born and died in Los Angeles, and began his acting career after graduating from high school; he had his first speaking part in the 1944 John Wayne film, The Fighting Seabees. During World War II, Brooks put his acting career on hold and served his country fighting in the South Pacific. He then returned to California and continued to act, mainly as an extra and in bit parts until he was called to audition for the role of Vanderbilt. His career spanned some 22 movies and numerous television appearances over 40 years. His other credits include the films East Of Eden (1955), Tall Man Riding (1955), The Young Lions (1958), Born Reckless (1958), Flaming Star (1960), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), Batman(1968),Pursuit (1972), The Bad News Bears (1976), Gremlins (1984), and Eye of the Tiger (1986), and the TV shows Rawhide, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bewitched, The Munsters, and Cheyenne. His interment is located in Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1923
Joe Brooks was born on 14 December 1923.
2007
Joe Brooks died on 5 December 2007.
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Joe Brooks was born at Los Angeles.
Birthplace
Joe Brooks died at Los Angeles.
Deathplace
Los Angeles.
Birth place
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Freese, Gene. Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s–1970s: A Biographical Dictionary, 2d Ed. McFarland. 1955. April 4, 2014. 9781476614700.
- 2.Lentz, Harris. Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2007. McFarland. 46–47. May 20, 2008. 9780786434817.
- 3.John Brooks Obituary (1923-2007). Los Angeles Times. December 13, 2007.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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