Dick Van Patten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dick Van Patten | |
 |
|
| Born | Richard Vincent Van Patten December 9, 1928 New York City |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | Pat Van Patten (1954 - present) married 55 years 3 children |
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten (born December 9, 1928) is an American actor.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
Van Patten was born in New York City, the son of Josephine Rose (née Acerno), who worked in advertising, and Richard Byron Van Patten, an interior decorator.[1] He is the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten and film Director Tim Van Patten and the uncle of Talia Balsam. He has been married to Patricia Poole (aka Pat Van Patten) since 1954. They have three sons, all actors: Vincent Van Patten, Nels Van Patten, and James Van Patten. Nels is named for the character Dick played on the CBS TV series "Mama".
In January 2006, Van Patten was taken to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a diabetic stroke. Van Patten, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, made a full recovery.
[edit] Career
Van Patten started his career in showbiz as a child actor on Broadway in 1937 in The Eternal Road as Dickie Van Patten; he went on to appear in twelve other Broadway plays as a teenager. He moved on to television and movies with the 1949 TV series Mama which ran from 1949 to 1957, and as patriarch Tom Bradford on Eight is Enough, 1977 to 1981. Patten also appeared in episodes of Sanford and Son, Arrested Development, The Brian Keith Show, and Happy Days.
He has appeared in several Mel Brooks films, 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.[2]
Van Patten co-founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods in 1989. Other business ventures include a chain of lo-calorie steak kiosks, a North Dakota Eggbread Factory, and the Grant Goodeve Memorial Museum of Modern Art.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 2007 Interview in the Sherman Oaks Sun, page 16
