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01
Van Patten founded Natural Balance, a line of dog and cat food.
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02
TV Guide ranked Tom Bradford, Van Patten’s character on Eight Is Enough, as number 33 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time in June 2004.
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03
He played tennis every Sunday with Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, and Gene Wilder.
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04
At age six, Van Patten first visited a racetrack with his father. As an adult, he owned racehorses and attended races at Hollywood Park from 1970 until his death, often sitting in the same front row section with Angie Dickinson and Telly Savalas.
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05
He was offered the role of Dr. Adam Brinker on The Love Boat but chose Eight Is Enough instead; the part went to his friend Bernie Kopell.
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06
On a 1958 episode of Young Dr. Malone, Van Patten met Diana Hyland, who later played his TV wife on Eight Is Enough; she appeared in only 4 of the first 9 episodes before her unexpected death.
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07
The April 28, 1954, edition of Variety announced his April 24 wedding in New York to Pat Poole, a marriage that lasted 61 years.
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08
Between 1958 and his retirement, Van Patten made over 90 guest appearances on television.
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09
His hobbies included spending time with family, horse racing, tennis, golf, poker, swimming, and reading.
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10
He was the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten; they appeared together in Reg’lar Fellers 1941 and Making It 1971.
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11
In 1971, Van Patten met Willie Aames on the set of To Catch a Thief, where his son Vincent appeared. Aames later replaced Chris English as Tommy Bradford on Eight Is Enough; they remained friends for 45 years.
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12
His three sons played basketball with childhood neighbor Michael Jackson.
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13
At age seven, Van Patten couldn’t read but auditioned for Tapestry in Gray at the Shubert Theatre; he repeated lines fed to him and beat out Roddy McDowall and Marlon Brando for the role.
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14
He suffered a diabetic stroke in January 2006.
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15
As a child, Van Patten wanted to own a pet shop.
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16
He met Mel Brooks on The New Dick Van Dyke Show in 1972; they remained friends until his death.
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17
He was a childhood friend of Orson Bean.
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18
Van Patten originally auditioned for Tom Bradford on Eight Is Enough but didn’t get it; after the initial filming was scrapped, ABC head Fred Silverman hired him, and the character was based on journalist Tom Braden.
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19
He began his radio career at age 12 in 1941.
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20
He met Dick Van Dyke on the set of The New Dick Van Dyke Show and they became lifelong friends for 43 years.
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21
Van Patten appeared in two of friend Weird Al Yankovic’s music videos: Smells Like Nirvana and Bedrock Anthem, and also in two episodes of The Weird Al Show in 1997.
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22
At age four, his mother enrolled him at the John Robert Powers modeling agency, where he earned $5 an hour, and he continued modeling in advertisements as he grew.
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23
His mother Josephine Rose Acerno taught in Queens public schools, and his father Richard Byron Van Patten was an interior decorator.
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24
At age 20, he became the youngest actor to film a television pilot before television existed.
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25
He appeared in 27 Broadway plays.
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26
He was godfather to Eight Is Enough co-star Susan Richardson’s daughter Sarah.
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27
He retired from acting at age 82 after a 2010 guest role on Hot in Cleveland.
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28
Like Marion Ross, Van Patten made over 100 guest appearances on episodic television between 1958 and 2011.
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29
He served as honorary mayor of Sherman Oaks, California.
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30
He was best known for playing Nels Hansen on Mama 1949 and Tom Bradford on Eight Is Enough 1977.
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31
He met his future wife Pat Poole, a dancer and actress, on the set of Mama 1949; she was two and a half years younger, and they were married for 61 years.
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32
In the 1950s, he was friends with Paul Newman, Jack Lemmon, John Kerr, and James Dean, who once temporarily replaced him on Mama during military service.
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33
He frequently attended concerts of former co-star Betty Buckley.
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34
His three sons Nels, James, and Vincent all became actors. He was father-in-law to Shana Hiatt, Nancy Valen, and Eileen Davidson, and former father-in-law to Betsy Russell.
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35
He lived in Encino from 1970 to 1979, then in Sherman Oaks from 1979 until his death.
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36
He lived near Julie London in Encino and appeared as a guest on two episodes of her series Emergency! in 1972.
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37
He was the only actor to appear on all three incarnations of The Hollywood Squares.
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38
The January 24, 1946, edition of Daily Variety first mentioned him, reporting on his role as the teenage son of Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in the play Oh Mistress Mine.
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39
He authored the autobiography Eighty Is Not Enough 2009.
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40
He also published the book Totally Terrific TV Trivia.
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41
At 15 in 1944, he appeared in the Broadway hit The Winters 90 by Ralph Nelson, who later hired him for Mama 1949.
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42
As a toddler, his mother entered him in a photogenic contest, and he appeared on the cover of Victoria Review Magazine.
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43
The only criticism he received during Eight Is Enough was that his TV house looked too perfect.
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44
He enjoyed watching former co-star Willie Aames on Charles in Charge and was proud of his success.
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45
Before television success, he worked with Elia Kazan, whom he met through Fredric March.
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46
He bore a slight resemblance to child actor Mickey Rooney.
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47
He attended the Professional Children’s School in New York City.
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48
He died June 23, 2015, at age 86, two days before actor Patrick Macnee.
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49
He was a mentor and friend to his Eight Is Enough co-stars, including Laurie Walters, Susan Richardson, and Willie Aames.
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50
He first played poker as a little boy.
