Lauren Chapin, the Youngest Kid on ‘Father Knows Best,’ Dies at 80 — lauren chapin remembered
lauren chapin, the child actress best known as Kathy “Kitten” Anderson on Father Knows Best, has died at 80 after a battle with cancer. Her son, Matthew, wrote on Facebook that she died on Feb. 24 and described her death as occurring "Tuesday" after a battle with cancer.
Lauren Chapin death and cause
Chapin died on Feb. 24 after a battle with cancer, her son, Matthew, wrote on Facebook. Another account in the material described the timing as "Tuesday" after a battle with cancer; her son Matthew shared the news on Facebook.
Career and Father Knows Best
Following appearances on a 1952 episode of CBS’ Lux Video Theatre and in the Judy Garland–starring A Star Is Born, Chapin was hired for Father Knows Best when she was 9. She played Kathy "Kitten" Anderson on the iconic 1950s TV series. Norma Jean Nilsson had played the part on the preceding NBC Radio version.
Her older TV siblings on the show were Betty "Princess" Anderson (Elinor Donahue) and James "Bud" Anderson Jr. (Billy Gray), and their mother was Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt). Robert Young played Jim Anderson, an insurance salesman. Father Knows Best ran for six seasons, from October 1954 through May 1960, with two stints at CBS sandwiched around one at NBC. Reruns then aired for another couple of years in primetime on ABC and for decades in syndication, and the cast reunited for a pair of TV specials in 1977.
Early life and training
Chapin was born in Los Angeles on May 23, 1945. Her older brothers, Billy Chapin (The Night of the Hunter) and Michael Chapin (It’s a Wonderful Life), were child actors as well. She was signed to a contract at Columbia Pictures and studied with choreographers Gower and Marge Champion and famed French mime Marcel Marceau.
Abuse, addiction and legal fights
Chapin said she was molested as a child and that, when she was about 6, her mother, Marguerite, whom Chapin said was an alcoholic, took her brother Billy to New York to build his stage career and left her with her father, William, whom she said molested her. She said the trauma led to severe struggles: by age 11 she said she had a "manic depressive personality" and once attempted suicide.
After her show ended, Chapin said she faced drug abuse, jail sentences, several miscarriages and divorce. She dropped out of Pasadena High School as a junior. On the Regis and Kathie Lee program she said she got married at 16 and divorced at 18; another marriage was annulled after she discovered her husband was still married. She said another man turned her into a call girl and introduced her to heroin, which she said she used for seven years until she was 25. Along the way, she lost eight children to miscarriages.
Chapin said she had to sue her mother to claim a portion of the money she had earned from Father Knows Best. Separately, Kathy Garver wrote that Chapin’s own mother sued her when the former child star became eligible for $90, 000 in trust fund money.
Hiatus, recovery and later roles
Five months after Father Knows Best ended, Chapin appeared on an installment of General Electric Theater alongside Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows; that appearance marked her final acting role for 16 years. After achieving sobriety in the 1970, Chapin worked as a minister and as a talent manager. Garver’s account and other material note that Chapin’s dark path — including drug addiction, prostitution and time in jail — ended when she became a born-again Christian and turned her life around.
Kathy Garver’s tribute and book
Kathy Garver, who played Cissy Davis on the CBS series Family Affair from 1966 to 1971, shared a series of photos of Chapin in a Feb. 25 Facebook post and wrote: "My lifelong friend Lauren Chapin known to millions as Kathy 'Kitten' Anderson on the beloved classic TV show Father Knows Best has passed away. I first met Lauren on the set of Father Knows Best and we became instant friends. " Garver, 80, noted that she and co-writer Fred Ascher wrote about the "ups and downs" and "challenges" that Chapin faced following her fame as a child star in the book X Child Stars: Where Are They Now?
Garver wrote that "Lauren showed courage and care as she found solace in faith and inspired others with her heartfelt story. " She added, "RIP dear Lauren and please keep my husband David company up in Heaven. " Garver appeared in the 1957 Father Knows Best episode titled "Kathy’s Big Chance, " which means she was about 10 years old when she met Chapin.
Garver has faced losses in the past year: her husband of more than 30 years, David Travis, died in August, and Garver lost her sister, Beverly Adams, in October. In her book, Garver also wrote about other child-star tragedies, including Anissa Jones, Garver’s Family Affair co-star, who died in 1976 at age 18 from a drug overdose.
Last public comments and views
Chapin once told Revue that it was "very rare" that child actors go on to become adult actors. "They need to be prepared to have another career, " she added. "I just do not think children should be actors. " In a 1989 appearance on Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee she said, "It was very difficult to understand how Kathy Anderson could be loved and protected and Lauren Chapin lived a whole different kind of life. I didn’t understand how God could let me suffer. "
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section.
Chapin’s life — from a Los Angeles birth on May 23, 1945, through child stardom, deep personal crises and later ministry and management work — was marked by both tragedy and renewal. Friends and co-stars have paid tribute to the actress and lifelong friend.
