Beloved “Lassie” Star Joey D. Vieira Dies At Age 80

Joey D. Vieira, The Young Actor Who Played “Porky” On Lassie, Has Died

Joey D. Vieira, who rose to fame as one of the stars of the Lassie TV series, passed away on Monday (April 7). He was 80 years old.

Vieira, who acted under the stage name Donald Keeler when he was young, played farm boy Sylvester “Porky” Brockway in the first four seasons of CBS’ Lassie TV series from 1954 to 1957.

Porky was one of Jeff Miller’s best friends (with Jeff being played by Tommy Rettig).

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Porky’s signature accessory was a beanie hat, and he was often seen with his own dog, a basset hound named Pokey. Vieira, who was 10 years old when he was cast in Lassie, played Porky in a total of 91 episodes.

While Vieira’s time on Lassie ended after 1957, the show continued into the 1970s. It entered different “eras” as it focused on new characters, with the 17th season featuring no human leads at all.

Other than Lassie, Vieira made appearances in TV shows such as My Three Sons, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and Shirley Temple’s Storybook. He also starred in films such as The Private War of Major Benson and The Patriot and worked as a record producer, director, and composer.

According to Vieira’s IMDB page, his last credited role was as a voice actor in the 2014 animated movie Dwegons and Leprechauns.

Lassie Star Jon Provost Mourns Vieira

Jon Provost, who played Timmy Martin on Lassie, shared the news about Vieira’s death on Facebook. Provost wrote:

“What a h— of a week it’s been. An original Lassie cast member, Joey Vieira, ‘Porky’, passed last night. I received a call from his daughter Shanyn that he entered hospice a couple days ago. [I] met Joey when I was seven years old, when I started lassie, we hit it off and remain[ed] friends forever. Joey was a great guy, a talented actor and even a successful record producer. Joey has joined his son Beau in heaven.”

Provost’s wife, Laurie Jacobson, also mourned Vieira’s death in a post she shared on Facebook. She wrote:

“He wore a lot of hats in his 50+ years in the business; but the most important ‘hat’ for us was that of dear friend. He passed at 11:52 last night [Monday, April 7] after a lengthy illness. His devoted daughter, Shanyn, was by his side. He suffered the loss of his sweet and wonderful son, Beau, to cancer close to 2 years ago. I know Beau will be the first to greet him with Tommy [Rettig] right behind. Dear Joey, you were one of a kind and we will miss you so much. Eee-ya- keee, Porky! RIP.”

Vieira died just one day before his 81st birthday. His survivors include his daughter, Shanyn. Our hearts go out to her and to all of Vieira’s loved ones during this difficult time.