Dick Van Patten - #109

Dick Van Patten, 'Eight Is Enough' father, dies at 86

He is number 109 on the list.

Dick Van Patten, the seemingly ubiquitous actor perhaps best known for his starring role as the father on the 1970s series "Eight Is Enough," has died. He was 86.

Budd Burton Moss, Van Patten's longtime agent, confirmed his death.

"He had been ill for a long time," Moss said.

The actor died Tuesday morning at a Santa Monica, California, hospital, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Van Patten, a former child actor, was a familiar face on movie and TV screens for decades, going back to the late '40s show "Mama," based on the play and movie "I Remember Mama."

He was a frequent guest star and occasional regular, appearing on shows ranging from the police drama "Naked City" to the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" to the comedy anthology "Love, American Style." He appeared in three Mel Brooks movies, many commercials, had dozens of character roles and acted in such films as "Charly" (1968) and "Westworld" (1973) -- not to mention several Broadway plays.

"I've probably had more jobs than any other actor living," he told a Los Angeles site, The Pet Press, in 2006. (He was also a pet food mogul, having founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods.)

But he probably had his biggest fame with "Eight Is Enough" in which he played Tom Bradford, a Sacramento, California, newspaper columnist with eight children. The series was based on a book by Thomas Braden, a journalist and political activist who later hosted the first iteration of CNN's "Crossfire."

Though the series kept little of Braden's life, his demeanor and love for his children resonated with Van Patten.

"Tom Bradford was very much like me," he told the Academy of American Television. "His family came first. His career was second. It was the same with me."

Van Patten and his wife, Pat, had three sons, Nels, James and Vincent, all of whom went into acting. His sister, Joyce Van Patten, is also an actress, and his half-brother, Timothy, is a famed director who has overseen episodes of "The Sopranos" and "Boardwalk Empire."

"Eight Is Enough" ran for four seasons, from 1977 to 1981. During its run, Van Patten was also an occasional guest on "The Love Boat."

Director Mel Brooks was fond of Van Patten, who appeared in three Brooks film comedies: "High Anxiety" (1979), "Spaceballs" (1987) and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993). That was his second appearance in a Brooks-led Robin Hood project: He'd played Friar Tuck in Brooks' short-lived Robin Hood TV series, "When Things Were Rotten."


He appeared in many Disney films: Snowball Express, Superdad, The Strongest Man in the World, Gus, The Treasure of Matecumbe, Freaky Friday, and The Shaggy D.A.

"It's great. It's like a game," he said on working with Brooks. "It's not like work. He keeps you laughing the whole day on the set."

Van Patten published a memoir, "Eighty Is Not Enough," in 2009.

Filmography

Film

Year       Title       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         

1974      Heidi in the Mountains                  English version, Voice

1975      The Strongest Man in the World                V.P. Harry Crumply         

1976      Treasure of Matecumbe                The Gambler     

1976      Gus        Cal Wilson          

1976      The Shaggy D.A.                Raymond            

1976      Freaky Friday     Harold Jennings               

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      Body Trouble     Max      

1992      Final Embrace    Larch    

1993      Robin Hood: Men in Tights           The Abbot          

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          

2003      Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star              Himself                

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

2010      First Dog              Himself                

2012      You'll Never Amount to Anything              Grandpa Beck    Pre-production

2016      Silver Skies          Himself                

Television

Year       Title       Role       Notes

1949–1957          Mama   Nels Hansen      

1958      The Silent Service             Hadley Episode Title "Tiger Shark". Executive Officer of the subject submarine.

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       2x18 Murder for Murder              

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        Dr. Paul Hampton           

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        

1998      Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction      Chester                Segment: "The Chess Game"      

1999      Family Guy          Tom Bradford   

2002      Another Pretty Face        Levi Downs         TV movie

2002      The Santa Trap Santa Claus         TV movie

2003      Life with Bonnie                Himself                 Episode: It's a Wonderful Job

2004      7th Heaven         James Rodgers, Sr.          

2005      Arrested Development Cal Cullen            Episodes: "Spring Breakout" and "Righteous Brothers"

2011      Hot in Cleveland               Lester