Todd Bridges
| Todd Bridges | |
|---|---|
 Bridges in 2017 | |
| Born |
Todd Anthony Bridges May 27, 1965 San Francisco, California, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse(s) | Dori Smith (1998-2012) |
| Children | 2 |
Todd Anthony Bridges (born May 27, 1965) is an American actor and comedian.[1] He is known for his role as Willis Jackson on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, for his recurring role as Monk on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, and as a comedic commentator, from 2008 to 2013, on the television series TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest....
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Personal life[edit]
Bridges was born May 27, 1965, in San Francisco, California. He is the son of Betty Alice Pryor, an actress, director, and manager, and James Bridges, Sr., a talent agent.[2] Bridges' brother Jimmy Bridges, nieces Penny Bridges, Brooke Bridges and Rachel Bridges, and sister Verda Bridges are all actors. Bridges' son, Spencir Bridges (born July 15, 1998), with his now ex-wife Dori Bridges (née Smith), is also a former child actor who appeared in the film Daddy Day Camp and an episode of iCarly. Bridges has a daughter, Bo Bridges, from a previous relationship.[3]
During a 2010 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Bridges revealed that he had been sexually abused at age 11 by a publicist who was also a family friend.[4]
Legal issues[edit]
During his 20s, Bridges battled a crack cocaine addiction. In 1989, he was arrested and tried for the attempted murder of Kenneth "Tex" Clay, a Los Angeles-area drug dealer who, prosecutors argued, had been shot by Bridges. Bridges pleaded not guilty to the charges and was represented by the high-profile defense attorney Johnnie Cochran. Cochran argued that Bridges was an abused minor who had been driven to drugs by an exploitative entertainment industry and was now being unfairly framed. A witness finally testified that Bridges was not present at the time of the shooting. Bridges was acquitted of all charges by a jury.[5]
Career[edit]
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Television[edit]
Bridges appeared on The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, and the landmark miniseries Roots, and was a regular on the Barney Miller spinoff Fish. But it was playing Willis Jackson, on the long-running sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, that made him a household name, along with those of fellow co-stars Conrad Bain, Charlotte Rae, Dana Plato, and Gary Coleman. With Rae's death in 2018, Bridges became the last surviving original castmember.[6]
Bridges defeated Vanilla Ice on a 2002 episode of Celebrity Boxing. In 2006, Bridges appeared as a contestant on a celebrity episode of Fear Factor but was eliminated after the first stunt.
Also in 2006, he appeared as a contestant on the Fox reality show Skating with Celebrities but was eliminated on the second episode of the show, because he was using roller skates instead of ice skates.
In January 2007, he appeared as a member of the "mob" on the US version of the game show 1 vs. 100. In the November 14, 2007, episode of the MyNetworkTV show Decision House, titled "Burned Bridges", he appeared with his wife, Dori Bridges. He also had a recurring role on the UPN/The CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.
In March 2008, Bridges appeared on TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest...; he continues to appear as a frequent commentator. That same year in October, he debuted as one of the contestants on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, on the CMT Network. He was a member of Team Beefcake (coached by former wrestler Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake). On the show, Bridges' wrestling persona was the character "Mr. Not So Perfect." In one episode, he put the smackdown on Tonya Harding, with a lead pipe. The judges praised him for his athleticism and his cunning at defeating Harding. After reaching the finals along with Butterbean and Dustin Diamond, Bridges was defeated by Dennis Rodman.
In 2015, Bridges was the host of a live game show, Lovers or Losers: The Game Show, at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Music videos[edit]
Bridges has appeared in a few music videos. His first music video appearance was in Penny Ford's single "Change Your Wicked Ways" (1984).[7] Almost 15 years later, he made a cameo in Moby's 2002 music video for "We Are All Made of Stars". In 2011, he appeared in the video for The Black Keys single "Howlin' for You".
Lifesavers[edit]
In 1998, Todd Bridges and his brother James Bridges were credited with saving the life of Stella Kline, a 51-year-old paraplegic woman. The woman nearly drowned when her wheelchair rolled into a lake while she was fishing. Kline said, "I was thanking God that he was there, and you know, everybody's been saying nothing but bad stuff about Todd Bridges on the news and in the papers... He has a heart of gold." Bridges remarked on the rescue, "We felt God put us there at the right time to save this lady's life, because there was no one else around."[8]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | She's Out of Control | Water Man | Ind. film starring Tony Danza |
| 1992 | The Sounds of Silence | Joe Goodman | Ind. film, co-starring Dana Plato |
| 1992 | Homeboy | Johnny Davis | Ind. film, co-starring David Garrison |
| 1996 | Gangstaz | Tyrone | Ind. film |
| 1997 | The Girl Gets Moe | Dr. Glick | Ind. film starring Tony Danza |
| 1997 | Hoover Park | Ind. film co-starring Laura Harring | |
| 1998 | The Waterfront | Directed by John M. Sjogren | |
| 1999 | Flat Out | Dr. Acosta | Directed by John M. Sjogren |
| 2000 | The Thief & the Stripper | Burn | Directed by John M. Sjogren & co-starring Michael Madsen |
| 2002 | The Beach House | Todd | |
| 2002 | The Climb | Eddie | |
| 2002 | Welcome to America | Easy T | Directed by John M. Sjogren, co-starring Michael Madsen |
| 2002 | Scream at the Sound of the Beep | Lamar | |
| 2002 | Pacino is Missing | Harrison Dodge | Ind. film, co-starring Dana Plato |
| 2002 | Baby of the Family | Ted | |
| 2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Cameo | |
| 2003 | Ghost Dog: A Detective Tail | Power Plant Guard | starring Jack Wagner |
| 2003 | Dumb Luck | Lincoln | |
| 2004 | Land of the Free? | Alex | |
| 2004 | Curse of the Maya | Ruben Herardo | |
| 2005 | Treasure N'Tha Hood | Henry Nails | Ind. film, directed by Greg Carter |
| 2005 | Issues | Carson | Ind. film, co-starring Laz Alonso |
| 2005 | I Got Five on It (film) | ||
| 2007 | Frankie D | Frankie D | Ind. film |
| 2008 | Darkroom | Charles the Barkeep | Ind. film, directed by Iosua Tai Taeoalii |
| 2009 | See Dick Run | ATM | Ind. film, co-starring Kel Mitchell and Page Kennedy |
| 2009 | I Got Five on It Too | Jimmy | Ind. film |
| 2009 | The Jerk Theory | Waiter (uncredited) | Starring John Henderson |
| 2010 | Big Money Rustlas | Scruffy Scrub #3 | |
| 2010 | The Apparition of Roxanne | Officer Johnston | |
| 2010 | Do Me a Solid | Maurice | Short Film, co-starring Brent Huff |
| 2011 | King of the Underground | Todd | Co-starring Paula Jai Parker and Malcolm-Jamal Warner |
| 2012 | That's My Boy | Himself | Cameo |
| 2012 | Turning Point | Marvin | |
| 2014 | Monsters on Main Street | Larry Goleman | Ind. film |
| 2014 | College Friday Night | Ind. film, co-starring Sara Fletcher | |
| 2016 | Dependent's Day | Hank Wright | Ind. film |
| 2016 | Precious Mettle | Sam | Ind. film |
| 2016 | The White Sistas | Bishop Wilkins | Post-Production, directed by Paula Jai Parker |
| 2016 | Dead Ringer | Detective Billington | Post-Production, directed by Johnny Kearns |
| 2016 | Bar Chronicles | The Customer | Post-Production, Ind. film |
| 2016 | Nightblade | Detective Francesco | Post-Production, directed by Jim O'Rear |
| 2016 | Renaissance Man | Todd | Ind. film, screenplay by Kenneth del Vecchio |
| 2016 | Hospital Arrest | Prosecutor Denuyl | Ind. film, screenplay by Kenneth del Vecchio |
| 2017 | The Deaf Kid | Harold | Pre-Production, Ind. film |
| 2017 | Nat Turner: Story of A Prophet | Jack Waller | Pre-Production |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Barney Miller | Truman Jackson | 1 episode |
| 1975 | The Orphan and the Dude | Leonard Brown | TV Movie, directed by James Frawley |
| 1975 | Katherine | Robert | TV Movie |
| 1976 | Police Story | Little Walter | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Roots | Bud | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Little House on the Prairie | Solomon Henry | 1 episode |
| 1977 | A Circle of Children | Todd | TV Movie, directed by Don Taylor |
| 1977 | A Killing Affair | Todd York | TV Movie |
| 1977-1978 | Fish | Loomis | Main role, 35 episodes |
| 1977-1978 | The Waltons | Josh Foster | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Michael Jr. | 1 episode |
| 1978-1986 | Diff'rent Strokes | Willis Jackson | Main role, 169 episodes |
| 1979 | The Return of Mod Squad | Jason Hayes | TV Movie |
| 1979 | CHiPs | Todd Bridges (uncredited) | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Hello, Larry | Willis Jackson | 3 episodes |
| 1979-1981 | The Facts of Life | Willis Jackson | 2 episode |
| 1980-1981 | Here's Boomer | Turk/Benny | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | High School U.S.A. | Otto Lipton | TV Movie, directed by Rodney Amateau |
| 1988 | Twice Dead | Petie | TV Movie |
| 1991 | The New Lassie | Deputy Kirby | 1 episode |
| 1992 | The Ben Stiller Show | Todd Bridges | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Circle of Pain | TV Movie, co-starring Rosalind Cash | |
| 1997 | L.A. Heat | Trevor | 1 episode |
| 2000 | The Darkling | Baron | TV Movie, directed by Po-Chih Leong |
| 2001 | Son of the Beach | Todd Bridges | 1 episode |
| 2002 | The Rerun Show | T.J. Davis | 1 episode |
| 2002 | The Young and the Restless | Juice | 8 episodes |
| 2004 | Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't | The Man | TV Movie |
| 2005 | Alien Express | Peter | TV Movie |
| 2007-2009 | Everybody Hates Chris | Monk | 17 episodes |
| 2012 | World's Dumbest | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Hotel P | Bryce | 1 episode (pilot) |
| 2015 | Roommates on Elm Street | The Landlord | 3 episodes |
Video games[edit]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Tesla Effect | Mantus |
| 2016 | 2064: Read Only Memories | Hayden Webber |
Memoir[edit]
Bridges wrote a book, Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted (2008), discussing his childhood sexual abuse, drug addiction, criminal charges, and efforts to establish a public identity independent of the character, "Willis," he portrayed.[9] He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 28, 2010, to discuss the troubled past he chronicles in his memoir.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Todd Bridges". nytimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "Todd Bridges Biography (1965-)". filmreference.com. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Zap, Claudine (29 May 2012). "'Diff'rent Strokes' Star Todd Bridges Divorcing". yahoo.com. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Okura, Lynn (August 20, 2013). "Todd Bridges, 'Diff'rent Strokes' Star, Talks About Healing From Sexual Abuse". www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- ^ "PLUS ENTERTAINMENT". highbeam.com. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ 'Diff'rent Strokes': Todd Bridges is now the last living member of the core cast.
- ^ Kantor, Justin. "Interview: Penny Ford – The Power of Experience". Blogcritics Magazine. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ^ Silverman, Stephen M. (April 9, 1998). "Bridges's Latest Strokes". People. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ Bridges, Todd & Tomlinson, Sarah (December 2008). Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group. ISBN 9781439148983.
- ^ "Former Child Star Todd Bridges' Darkest Days". Oprah.com. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
External links[edit]
- Todd Bridges on IMDb
- Todd Bridges at AllMovie
