Dick Van Patten Net Worth

Dick Van Patten's 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.
• [on his longest-running acting career]: It was fun doing this and going through my life. I've had a great life. It was exciting. I worked with the most interesting people, and I traveled all over the country
• [Of Adam Rich's drug/alcohol abuse]: There are many child actors, including myself, who never fell into these types of problems. If you're a child actor who can't make the transition (to more adult roles), you can't baby yourself and get involved with dope. Adam was wildly popular (on Eight Is Enough). He was the best part of the show, and then he had a lot of trouble getting roles. He's short, he's in that awkward stage where he's not as cute as he used to be, so he's difficult to cast.
• [Who recalled about his father taking him to different pet stores around New York City]: One week we'd go to Brooklyn; the next week to the Bronx; the next week to Manhattan. Every week I'd buy a different pet. The whole third floor of our house was my menagerie. I had my own little pet shop up there. Everything- snakes, turtles, horned toads and more. In the back yard I had rabbits and a goat. And of course, there was Skippy the dog and Beauty the cat.
• [In 2010]: If a man sits next to you and feels your leg, say loud and clear, 'Stop what you are doing immediately!' And he will stop.

Interesting Facts about Dick Van Patten

1. Father of actors Nels Van Patten, James Van Patten and Vincent Van Patten (full name at birth: Richard Byron Vincent Van Patten III). Father-in-law of Shana Hiatt, Nancy Valen and Eileen Davidson. Ex-father-in-law of Betsy Russell.
2. Older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten. They appeared together, as children, in Reg'lar Fellers (1941), and, decades later, in Making It (1971). Half-brother of Timothy Van Patten. Ex-brother-in-law of Martin Balsam. Uncle of Talia Balsam. Grandfather of Duke Van Patten and Vince Van Patten.
3. Honorary mayor of Sherman Oaks, California, USA. [2001]
4. 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].
5. Suffered a diabetic stroke in January, 2006.
6. Was offered the co-starring role of Dr. Adam Brinker on The Love Boat (1977), opposite Gavin MacLeod, but had already decided to star on Eight Is Enough (1977), instead. The role ultimately went to Bernie Kopell, a friend of Van Patten.
7. Founder of "Natural Balance" dog and cat food.
8. Best known by the public for his role as Nels Hansen in Mama (1949) and for his starring role as Tom Bradford on Eight Is Enough (1977).
9. Release of his book, "Totally Terrific TV Trivia". [2007]
10. Co-host, with Tiran Zaken, of an infomercial for "The Zaken Corp". [2008]
11. Acting mentor of and friends with: Laurie Walters, Susan Richardson, Dianne Kay, Grant Goodeve, Lani O'Grady, Connie Needham, Willie Aames and Adam Rich.
12. His publicist was Jeff Ballard.
13. After his role on Hot in Cleveland (2010), he retired from acting at age 82.
14. In order for Van Patten to read the part of [Melvyn Douglas]'s son, in Tapestry in Gray, he went to the Shubert Theatre; at the time he was only 7, and didn't know how to read. They told young Van Patten what to say, the director in the audience (of an empty theater) had told Van Patten what to say and it paid off and he got the role, after he beat out 2 young, unfamiliar actors: [Roddy McDowall] and [Marlon Brando].
15. Actress Peggy Wood, with whom he had appeared as a child actor on Broadway in "I Remember Mama", took him under her wing and became his mentor.
16. Before he was a successful actor on television, he used to work with Elia Kazan, whom he knew through famed actor Fredric March.
17. His parents, Josephine Rose Acerno Van Patten, was a public school teacher in Queens, New York and his father, Richard Byron Van Patten, was an interior decorator. He was of Dutch and English ancestry on his father's side, and of Italian descent on his mother's side. Richard Byron Van Patten died on May 4, 1985, aged 77. Josephine Rose Acerno Van Patten died on May 17, 1976, aged 68.
18. Before he was a successful actor, he began his career, as a radio actor, in 1941. He was only 12.
19. He was the youngest actor ever to film a pilot of a show, before television had existed. He was 20.
20. From 1958 until his retirement, Van Patten made more than 90 guest appearances on television shows.