Running from 1966 to 1971, Family Affair charmed audiences with its heartwarming premise: bachelor Bill Davis embracing his role as guardian to his orphaned nieces and nephew. This classic CBS sitcom, spanning 138 episodes, introduced the world to Buffy Davis, the adorable and precocious younger niece, brought to life by child actress Anissa Jones. While Family Affair offered viewers a comforting portrayal of family, the reality behind the scenes, particularly for young Anissa Jones, was far more complex and ultimately tragic. Like many child stars in Hollywood history, Anissa’s journey was marked by exploitation, immense pressure, and a heartbreakingly premature end.
Actress Anissa Jones, known for her role as Buffy on Family Affair, strikes a thoughtful pose in a 1969 portrait, capturing the introspective nature described by those who knew her.
In 1966, the Independent Star-News captured a glimpse into the young actress’s personality, describing Anissa Jones as “an imaginative, introspective little girl.” Even at a young age, she possessed a remarkable ability to convey a wide range of emotions on screen. Viewers were captivated by Buffy’s portrayal of “pride, rejection, fun, sadness, wish to be loved and stubbornness”—a testament to Anissa’s talent, even within a single half-hour episode of Family Affair. This ability to connect with audiences would make Buffy Davis a beloved character, but it also blurred the lines between Anissa’s real life and her on-screen persona, a confusion that would plague her as she grew older.
Anissa Jones’s path to becoming Buffy from Family Affair was indirectly paved by her parents’ divorce. Born on March 11, 1958, in Lafayette, Indiana, Anissa spent her early years in Charleston, West Virginia. The family’s move to California in 1959 coincided with her parents’ separation. As her mother, Mary Jones, sought employment, a neighbor suggested acting, having witnessed success with their own child in television commercials. This chance suggestion proved pivotal. After appearing in four commercials, Anissa’s natural talent shone through, leading to her being signed for the role of Buffy Davis in Family Affair. In a sense, the family sitcom that depicted a newly formed family unit was born out of the fragmentation of Anissa’s own family, a poignant irony that underscores the complexities of her early life in Hollywood.
In a heartwarming scene from Family Affair in 1967, actress Diane Brewster is pictured attempting to connect with the child stars, Anissa Jones as Buffy, Kathy Garver as Cissy, and Johnny Whitaker as Jody, highlighting the familial atmosphere both on and off-screen.
The production of Family Affair, while seemingly idyllic on screen, presented a challenging work environment, especially for its young stars. To accommodate lead actor Brian Keith’s schedule, reminiscent of Fred MacMurray’s arrangement on My Three Sons, all of his scenes were filmed within a concentrated period. This meant that while Keith had limited working weeks, the child actors, including Anissa Jones, faced a demanding and unconventional shooting schedule. Producer Geoffrey Mark explained that while Brian Keith and Fred MacMurray enjoyed abbreviated work years, “the same wasn’t true of the children.” Due to child labor laws restricting their working hours, Anissa and her co-star Johnny Whitaker endured a more grueling process. Kathy Garver, playing Cissy, faced a different set of demands, as she could work longer hours once she turned 18. This production model placed significant pressure on the young cast, requiring them to maintain their performance levels despite the unusual and potentially exhausting filming schedule.
Beyond the demanding filming schedule, Anissa Jones experienced further pressures stemming directly from the immense popularity of Family Affair and her character, Buffy. The “Mrs. Beasley” doll, Buffy’s constant companion on the show, became a massive merchandising success. However, this also meant Anissa was inextricably linked to the doll, often required to carry it in public, a demand that grew increasingly embarrassing as she matured. Furthermore, Anissa was constantly subjected to media attention, thrust into the spotlight to answer questions from reporters. In 1967, The Los Angeles Times described her public persona: “Every Monday night, little Anissa Jones enters the wonderful world of make believe for half an hour to play Buffy. But away from the series, the studio and her ‘career,’ Anissa could pass for a typical 9-year-old.” Despite attempts to portray her as a normal child, the reality was that Anissa’s life was far from typical. The constant public appearances and media scrutiny blurred the lines between her identity and the Buffy character, contributing to her growing unease with being perpetually identified as the younger niece from Family Affair.
The original cast of Family Affair in 1966, featuring Brian Keith as Uncle Bill, Sebastian Cabot as Mr. French, Kathy Garver as Cissy, Anissa Jones as Buffy, and Johnny Whitaker as Jody, in a promotional shot that captured the family dynamic of the beloved sitcom.
In a 1967 interview with The Los Angeles Times, a glimpse of Anissa’s childhood spirit shone through despite the pressures of fame. She spoke of her 54 pets, including a forgetful bird, and her preference for swimming pools over the unpredictable ocean. This anecdote offers a brief respite from the narrative of pressure and exploitation, revealing a child still capable of finding joy in simple things. However, even this seemingly innocent detail is juxtaposed against the backdrop of her unusual life as a working child star. Another anecdote, also shared with the LA Times, further illustrates the complex reality of Anissa’s childhood. She described her “perfume business,” concocted from stolen flowers from neighbors’ yards, bottled and sold for ten cents. While seemingly a charming childhood venture, the detail about sourcing flowers from neighbors’ yards, being “careful not to sell the flowers to the lady we pick them from,” hints at a resourcefulness born perhaps out of a less-than-conventional upbringing.
As Family Affair progressed, Anissa Jones began to grapple with her identity, increasingly frustrated by the public’s perception of her solely as Buffy. Her mother, Mary Jones, acknowledged this struggle, telling the media that Anissa would correct people who called her Buffy, preferring to be addressed as Anissa. Despite this, the association was inescapable. By October 1967, Anissa’s frustration became more pronounced. The Republic of Columbus reported her expressing annoyance at playing a “babyish” six-year-old when she was, in reality, nine. This growing disconnect between her real age and her on-screen persona fueled her desire to be seen as Anissa Jones, not just Buffy from Family Affair. This yearning for individuality, for recognition beyond her child star role, became a central theme in her young life.
Anissa Jones and Johnny Whitaker, the child stars of Family Affair, pictured together in 1966, embodying the youthful innocence and camaraderie that characterized their on-screen sibling relationship.
The demands on Anissa Jones extended far beyond filming. Even when Family Affair was not in production, her schedule remained packed with promotional appearances. By 1970, at the age of twelve, Anissa was spending every other weekend traveling to different cities to promote the show. The San Bernardino County Sun highlighted the unnaturalness of this situation, lamenting that “She should be allowed to stay at home and play during her out-of-school and off-the-set hours.” Anissa herself expressed a desire to “retire when I’m 14,” a sentiment met with a chillingly dismissive comment from someone in the crowd: “Over her mother’s dead body.” This anecdote underscores the lack of agency Anissa had over her own life, her career trajectory seemingly dictated by external forces, particularly her mother. Geoffrey Mark further elaborated on the relentless pressure, stating that child actors were contractually obligated to production companies and networks, their time “belonged” to them, encompassing talk shows, publicity stunts, and sponsor meetings. This constant demand, coupled with a turbulent family life – her parents’ divorce and her mother’s perceived “pushy stage mother” tendencies after her father’s death – created a perfect storm of stress and instability in Anissa’s formative years.
When Family Affair was canceled in 1971, it ostensibly offered Anissa Jones a chance to reclaim her life. The Sacramento Bee optimistically declared that “The show’s cancelation represented a chance for its then 14-year-old leading lady to finally be herself, free from the psychological burden of submerging her personality inside a screen character who never grew older.” However, the transition out of the spotlight proved to be far more challenging than anticipated. The identity that Anissa had struggled to define outside of Buffy Davis was now further complicated by the loss of the role that had defined her for so long.
A 1971 portrait of Anissa Jones, taken the year Family Affair concluded, captures a more mature and contemplative demeanor, hinting at the personal transitions and challenges she faced as she stepped away from her iconic child star role.
The limitations imposed by the Buffy persona became starkly apparent as Anissa attempted to transition to more mature roles. She auditioned for The Exorcist but was rejected by director William Friedkin, and while Martin Scorsese considered her for Taxi Driver, Anissa had become disillusioned with Hollywood. Seeking normalcy, she enrolled at Westchester High School in Los Angeles. However, normalcy remained elusive. Geoffrey Mark described a downward spiral, fueled by a bitter custody battle between her parents, which her father ultimately won, followed shortly by his death. Becoming a ward of the court rather than living with her mother further destabilized her life. Mark suggests that those familiar with drug use would have recognized the signs of Anissa’s struggles: erratic job behavior, petty theft, eating disorders, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. Upon turning 18, Anissa received approximately $200,000 in savings, which she reportedly depleted within a few months, a stark indicator of her troubled state.
Tragically, Anissa Jones’s life was cut short on August 28, 1976, at the age of 18. She died of a drug overdose after a night of partying. The coroner’s report revealed a cocktail of Quaaludes, cocaine, PCP, and Seconal in her system. Her doctor, Carlos Moshos, who had prescribed the Seconal, was arrested and charged with manslaughter, but he died before facing trial, effectively closing the case. Following a private service, Anissa Jones was cremated, and her ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean, a poignant and final farewell to a life that had begun and ended in the glare of the California spotlight.
Geoffrey Mark poignantly summarized Anissa’s internal conflict: “Any child would agree that when you’re being treated like a little baby when you’re in the midst of puberty is confusing, embarrassing and frustrating. So she was unhappy at home and, at work, feeling undervalued and overworked. It seems like she had no port in the storm and the storm finally overtook her — literally — at the beach.” Anissa Jones’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the dark side of child stardom, the pressures of Hollywood, and the tragic consequences of losing oneself in the pursuit of fame.
Even after her death, the association with Buffy Davis continued to overshadow Anissa Jones’s true identity. Blogger Brian Keith O’Hara, a friend of Anissa’s mother, emphasized that Anissa actively disliked being linked to Family Affair. According to O’Hara, mentioning the show or calling her “Buffy” was a surefire way to end a conversation with Anissa. Instead, she sought intellectual connection, preferring discussions about poetry, literature like Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and a wide range of other subjects. O’Hara described her as “as smart as anyone you ever met,” highlighting the intellectual depth that was often overlooked in favor of her child star image. Anissa Jones was far more than just Buffy from Family Affair. Her story is a complex and ultimately heartbreaking narrative of a young girl struggling to find herself under the immense weight of fame, a struggle that tragically ended far too soon.
