Dick Van Patten

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Dick Van Patten (born December 9, 1928) is an American actor.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Career 1.3 Personal life 2 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Van Patten was born in New York City, New York to Josephine Rose Acerno, an Italian American, and Richard Byron Van Patten, who had distant Dutch ancestry from a great-grandfather.[1] He is the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten and uncle of Talia Balsam. He has been married to the former Patricia Poole since 1954 and is the father of three sons, all actors: Vincent Van Patten, Nels Van Patten and James Van Patten.

[edit] Career

Van Patten started his career in showbiz as a child actor on Broadway in 1937's The Eternal Road as Dickie Van Patten, appearing in 12 more Broadway shows while still in his teens. He moved on to television and movies with the 1949 TV series I Remember Mama which ran from 1949 to 1957, and as patriarch Tom Bradford on Eight is Enough, 1977 to 1981. His most famous film role is King Roland in the Mel Brooks Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs.

[edit] Personal life

Van Patten was in the news in early December 2005 for lending his name to Natural Balance, a line of high-end dog food that is intended to be indistinguishable from stews and other dishes (or table scraps) that are normally intended for human consumption. He has demonstrated this by eating, on at least one occasion, his own brand of dog food in tandem with some pet.

In January 2006, the actor was taken to Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering a diabetic stroke. Van Patten, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, sustained some speech impairment and paralysis from the stroke.

[edit] External links

• Dick Van Patten at the Internet Movie Database
• Dick Van Patten at the Internet Broadway Database
• Natural Balance Pet Foods presents food as ready-to-eat, at least by Van Patten