Dick Van Patten

Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten in April 2010
Born	Richard Vincent Van Patten (1928-12-09)December 9, 1928 Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Complications from diabetes
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1935–2015
Spouse(s)	Pat van Patten (m. 1954–2015) (his death) (3 children)
Children	Nels Van Patten (b. 1955) James Van Patten (b. 1956) Vincent Van Patten

Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the ABC television comedy-drama Eight Is Enough.

He began work as a child actor and was successful on the New York stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager. He later starred in numerous television roles including the long running CBS television series, I Remember Mama and Young Dr. Malone. Later, he would star or co-star in many feature films including Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Spaceballs, Charlton Heston's Soylent Green and the Academy Award–winning Charly. Van Patten was the founder of Natural Balance Pet Foods and National Guide Dog Month. He also has been a promoter for Thermal-Gard windows.

Early life

Van Patten was born in the Kew Gardens section of the New York City borough of Queens, the son of Josephine Rose (née Acerno), who worked in advertising, and Richard Byron Van Patten, an interior decorator. His mother was of Italian descent, while his father had Dutch and English ancestry. He began work as a model and actor as a child making his Broadway debut at the age of seven. He was successful on the New York stage, appearing in a dozen theatrical plays before reaching his teen years. He later moved to Hollywood and began a lengthy career in film and television.

Career

Actor

Van Patten's career in show business began as a child actor on Broadway in 1935 in Tapestry In Gray starring Melvyn Douglas. He was billed as Dickie Van Patten and went on to appear in twelve other Broadway plays as a teenager. He moved on to television with the role of Nels Hansen in the CBS series, Mama, about a Norwegian-American family living in San Francisco, California, in the early 20th century. It ran from 1949 to 1957. He was the family patriarch Tom Bradford on Eight Is Enough, which aired from 1977 to 1981 with a ten-to-eleven member cast and was loosely based on a book of the same name by the American journalist Thomas Braden.

Van Patten also appeared in episodes of Sanford and Son, Banacek, Arrested Development, The Brian Keith Show, Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Adam-12, Emergency!, and Happy Days.

Van Patten had numerous leading roles in motion pictures including Joe Kidd, The Snowball Express and The Santa Trap. He played the supporting role of Usher #1 alongside Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in the film Soylent Green (1973).

He appeared in several films directed by Mel Brooks, including High Anxiety, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, as well as cameos in the music videos for "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Bedrock Anthem" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, and on The Weird Al Show. Van Patten played the role of Jack Benson in Opposite Day (2009), his last film.

He also was a commentator for the World Series of Poker from 1993 to 1995.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame honored Van Patten November 20, 1985, with a Star of Television marker at 1541 North Vine Street. On January 12, 2008, Van Patten received a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.

On November 1, 2009, Phoenix Books published Eighty Is Not Enough!, a book co-authored by Van Patten and Robert Baer in which Van Patten shares an 80-year journey of insights and anecdotes through the entertainment industry. He discusses his journey from his humble beginning in Queens, New York; his rise as a childhood star on Broadway during the Great Depression; working as an actor on the radio; the advent of television and his role in the second-ever live situation comedy Mama; a rough period between acting gigs; a rise back to the top that led the TV icon to the lead role on the popular hit show Eight Is Enough and subsequent roles in television and movies.

Other work

Main articles: Natural Balance Pet Foods and National Guide Dog Month

An animal enthusiast, Van Patten co-founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods in 1989. Van Patten's creation of his own brand of dog food was satirized in comedian John Hodgman’s 2008 book: “More Information Than You Require,” and was re-branded as Dick Van Patten’s Hobo Chili for Dogs. He founded National Guide Dog Month which began in 2008 to raise awareness and money for non-profit guide dog schools in the United States accredited by the International Guide Dog Federation.

Personal life

Van Patten in May 2008

Family

Peggy Wood, who played Van Patten's mother in the television program Mama, congratulates Pat and Dick on their wedding, 1954.

Patriarch of a famous Hollywood family, Van Patten was the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten, the older half-brother of film director and Emmy award winning television director/producer Tim Van Patten. He was married to Patricia Poole (aka Pat Van Patten) from 1954 until he died. She was a professional dancer on Broadway and a June Taylor Dancer on The Jackie Gleason Show where the couple met. They lived in Sherman Oaks, California.

They had three sons, all actors: Vincent, Nels, and Jimmy. Nels, who is married to actress Nancy Valen, is named for the character Van Patten played on the CBS's Mama.

Dick Van Patten was related to several other actors through marriages. His sister Joyce married actor Martin Balsam; their daughter is actress Talia Balsam. Talia's first husband was actor George Clooney, and she is now married to Mad Men actor John Slattery. Van Patten's son Vince is married to Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless actress and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills regular Eileen Davidson.

Illness and death

Grave of Dick Van Patten at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.

In January 2006, Van Patten was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a diabetic stroke. Van Patten, who suffered from Type 2 diabetes, made a full recovery.

Van Patten died at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, on June 23, 2015, at age 86. Complications from diabetes were the listed cause.

Willie Aames, who played son Tommy Bradford on Eight Is Enough, called his television father "truly a gem [who] will be missed. ... As Dick always said, 'Remember our times together, gang ... Cause these ARE the good ole' days". Betty Buckley, Van Patten's co-star on the series, recalled, "Every day on the set he was a happy, jovial person, always generous and ready to play, tease, and always keep us all laughing. He was the consummate professional, a wonderful actor, master of comedy, and a kind and generous human being."

He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles.

Honors

On November 20, 1985, Dick Van Patten was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2008, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

Filmography

Television

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1949–1957	Mama	Nels Hansen
1958	Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer	Paul Sterovsky
1959	Rawhide	Matt Reston
1961	Naked City	Carhop
1961–1962	Young Doctor Malone	Larry Renfrew
1970	The Governor & J.J.	Bertrum Bannister
1970	I Dream Of Jeannie	Grocery store manager	Season 5, Episode 26; "My Master, the Chili King"; Air date: May 26, 1970; series finale
1970	That Girl	Mr. Morse
1970	Arnie	Walter Granscog / Walker
1971	Confessions of a Top Crime Buster	Sgt. Nelson Higgenbottom	TV movie
1971	Great Performances	Raymond
1971–1972	The Partners	Sgt. Nelson Higgenbottom
1971–1972	The Doris Day Show	April's Father
1971–1973	Love, American Style		Segments: "Love and the Tattoo", "Love and the Parent's Sake" (George), "Love and the Particular Girl" (Jack)
1972	Sanford and Son	Hamlin
1972	The Don Rickles Show	David
1972	Hec Ramsey	Earl Enright
1972	The Crooked Hearts	Edward, the desk clerk	TV movie
1972	Banyon	Earl Gifford
1972–1973	The Paul Lynde Show	Dr. Willis / Wollner
1972–1974	The New Dick Van Dyke Show	Max Mathias / Mr. Compton
1972–1975	Medical Center	Dr. Feldman / Dr. Whittaker / Man at Hotel
1972–1976	Emergency!	Carter Merkle / Morris Meers
1972–1976	The Streets of San Francisco	Thurman Barber / John Collins
1973	McMillan & Wife	Henry
1973	The Brian Keith Show	Jerry Mason
1973	Cannon	George Abel
1973	Thicker than Water	John
1973	Adam's Rib	Commissioner Hoyt
1973	Wait Till Your Father Gets Home
1973–1975	The Rookies	Fullmer / Waldon
1973–1983	Insight	Jerry
1974	Banacek	Donald Morgan
1974	Chopper One
1974	The Girl with Something Extra	Morgan
1974	Young Love	April's Father	TV movie
1974	Ernie, Madge and Artie		TV movie
1974	Sierra	Ed
1974	Kolchak: The Night Stalker	Alfred Brindle
1974	Adam-12	Harry Curtis
1974–1976	Barnaby Jones	Melvin Pearson / Merle Overton
1975	Hot l Baltimore	A.J. Horn
1975	Grandpa Max	Mr. Unger	TV movie
1975	Ladies of the Corridor	Mr. Humphries	TV movie
1975	When Things Were Rotten	Friar Tuck
1975–1976	The Six Million Dollar Man	Harry Green / Palmer
1976	Ellery Queen	Billy Geeter
1976	Ace	Mr. Mason	TV movie
1976	Charo and the Sergeant	Chaplain	TV movie
1976	The Love Boat	O'Neil, the Doctor	TV movie
1976	Phyllis	Walter
1976	Maude	Gordon Coleman
1976	The New Adventures of Wonder Woman	Jack Wood
1976	What's Happening!!	Mr. Claxton
1976	The Tony Randall Show	Myron C. Dobbs
1976–1977	Happy Days	Asst. Principal Marvin Conners / Hunsberger
1977	Gibbsville	Patrick Malloy
1977	C.P.O. Sharkey	Psychiatrist
1977	One Day at a Time	Frank
1977	High Anxiety	Dr. Philip Wentworth
1977–1981	Eight Is Enough	Tom Bradford
1978	With This Ring	Alvin Andrews	TV movie
1978–1984	The Love Boat	Charlie Dillinger / Congressman John Whitcomb / George Hayes
1979	Diary of a Teenage Hitchhiker	Herb Thurston	TV movie
1982	High Powder	Tom Reed	TV movie
1983	Too Close for Comfort	Arthur
1983	The Fairest of Them All	Host	TV movie
1983–1985	Hotel	Frasier Pratt / Herbert Pitts
1984	The Hoboken Chicken Emergency	Mayor	TV movie
1984	Masquerade
1984	Finder of Lost Loves	Alan Nettles
1984	The New Mike Hammer
1985	Crazy Like a Fox
1985	The Midnight Hour	Martin Grenville	TV movie
1986	Murder, She Wrote	District Atty. Fred Whittaker
1986	Picnic	Howard Bevans	TV movie
1986	Combat Academy	Principal
1987	The Facts of Life	Frank Stickle
1987	Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion	Tom Bradford	TV movie
1987	Rags to Riches	Phil Johnson
1987	A Mouse, a Mystery and Me	Santa Claus	TV movie
1987	War of the Stars
1988	14 Going on 30		TV movie
1989	Growing Pains	Nick Simpson
1989	An Eight Is Enough Wedding	Tom Bradford	TV movie
1989	Jake Spanner, Private Eye	The Commodore	TV movie
1990	McGee and Me!	Graham
1990–1991	WIOU	Floyd Graham
1993	The Golden Palace	Taylor
1993	The Odd Couple: Together Again	Roy	TV movie
1993	Diagnosis: Murder	Monty Emerson
1994	Burke's Law
1994	Baywatch	Henry / Sam
1994	Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman	Orphanage Worker / Santa
1995–1998	Touched by an Angel	Eb / Jerry
1996	Maybe This Time	Jack
1996	Boy Meets World	Amish Farmer
1997	The Weird Al Show	The Burglar
1998	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	Sid Glacken
1999	Family Guy	Tom Bradford
2002	Another Pretty Face	Levi Downs	TV movie
2002	The Santa Trap	Santa Claus	TV movie
2004	7th Heaven	James Rodgers, Sr.
2005	Arrested Development	Cal Cullen	Episodes: "Spring Breakout" and "Righteous Brothers"
2011	Hot in Cleveland	Lester

Film

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1963	Violent Midnight	Police Lt. Palmer
1967	The Secret Dream Models of Oliver Nibble	Oliver Nibble	Short film; as John Acerno
1968	Charly	Bert	as Richard Van Patten
1971	Zachariah	The Dude
1971	Making It	Warren
1972	Beware! The Blob	Scoutmaster Adleman
1972	Joe Kidd	Hotel Manager
1972	Dirty Little Billy	Berle's customer
1972	Snowball Express	Mr. Carruthers
1973	Soylent Green	Usher #1
1973	Westworld	Banker
1973	Superdad	Ira Kushaw
1975	The Strongest Man in the World	Harry
1976	Treasure of Matecumbe	The Gambler
1976	Gus	Cal Wilson
1976	Freaky Friday	Harold Jennings
1976	The Shaggy D.A.	Raymond
1977	High Anxiety	Dr. Wentworth
1979	Nutcracker Fantasy	King Goodwin (voice)
1981	Lunch Wagon	Bernie Simmons (uncredited)
1987	Spaceballs	King Roland
1988	The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking	Greg the Glue Man
1988	Going to the Chapel	Rick
1989	Dirty Tennis	Himself	Short film written by his son James
1992	Final Embrace	Larch
1992	Body Trouble	Max
1993	Robin Hood: Men in Tights	The Abbot
1994	Who Killed Skippy's Master?
1994	Guys & Dolls	Henry/Sam
1995	A Dangerous Place	Principal
1996	For Goodness Sake II	Game show host
1996	Love Is All There Is	Dr. Rodino
1998	Evasive Action	Parole Officer
1999	Angel on Abbey Street	Preacher
1999	Y2K – World in Crisis	Host	Documentary
2000	Big Brother Trouble	Captain Stacey
2000	The Road Ahead	Host	Documentary
2000	The Price of Air	Mr. Rye
2002	Groom Lake	Irv Barnett
2004	The Sure Hand of God	Jamie Denton
2004	Quiet Kill	Frank Rubin
2005	Freezerburn	Alan Merkel
2008	The Christmas Conspiracy	Narrator	Short
2009	Opposite Day	Jack Benson
2009	Sarah's Choice	Pastor Smith	Direct-to-video
2012	You'll Never Amount to Anything	Grandpa Beck	Pre-production

External links

• Dick Van Patten at the Internet Movie Database
• Dick Van Patten at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dick Van Patten interview video at the Archive of American Television
• 2007 Interview in the Sherman Oaks Sun, page 16
• Dick Van Patten; Aveleyman.com
• Dick Van Patten at Find a Grave