Dick Van Patten - Biography

Last Editor: harte17				Dick Van Patten Biography -   Name : Dick Van Patten Profession : Actor Birth Details : born December 9, 1928 in New York City Personal quotes : (On the 1981 cancellation of "Eight Is Enough" (1977)): "Nobody called me to tell me it was canceled. I read it in the paper". Spouse : Pat Van Patten (25 April 1954 - present) 3 children

Dick Van Patten Trivia -

Father of actors Nels Van Patten, James Van Patten and Vincent Van Patten. Former child and juvenile actor, still performing. Brother of actress Joyce Van Patten. They appeared together as children in Reg'lar Fellers (1941), and, decades later, in Making It (1971). Father of actor James Van Patten, with whom he appeared in Lunch Wagon (1981). He appeared in 'Weird Al' Yankovic's "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Bedrock Anthem" music videos. He was cast in "Eight Is Enough" (1977) because he was friends with the president of ABC, the network which ran the show. The producers wanted another actor for the part, but Van Patten was cast. Honorary mayor of Sherman Oaks, California, USA. [2001] Half-brother of Timothy Van Patten. Uncle of Talia Balsam. Tom Bradford, Van Patten's character on "Eight Is Enough" (1977), was ranked #33 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue]. Father-in-law of Shana Hiatt, Nancy Valen and Eileen Davidson. Ex-brother-in-law of Martin Balsam. Suffered a diabetic stroke in January, 2006.

Dick Van Patten Detailed Biography -

Dick Van Patten (born December 9, 1928 in New York City) is an American actor. He is the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten, and uncle of Talia Balsam. He has been married to the former Patricia Poole since 1954, and is the father of 3 sons, all actors -- Vincent Van Patten, Nels Van Patten and James Van Patten. Van Patten is best known for his work in both movies and in television. On television, his most famous roles were as Nels Hansen on the early television series Mama, which ran from 1949 to 1957, and as patriarch Tom Bradford on Eight is Enough, which ran from 1977 to 1981. Van Patten was in the news in early December, 2005 for lending his name to a new line of high-end dog food that is intended to be indistinguishable from stews and other dishes (or table scraps) that are normally intended for human consumption. He has demonstrated this by eating, on at least one occasion, his own brand of dog food in tandem with some pet. In January, 2006, the actor was taken to Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a diabetic stroke. Van Patten, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, sustained some speech impairment and paralysis from the stroke.