PEOPLE-DICK VAN PATTEN Dick Van Patten of TV's 'Eight is Enough' dies at 86

Record ID: 152031

  • Title: PEOPLE-DICK VAN PATTEN Dick Van Patten of TV's 'Eight is Enough' dies at 86
  • Date: 23rd June 2015
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DICK VAN PATTEN WITH WIFE, PAT VAN PATTEN
  • Embargoed: 8th July 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3HE55NU43YLTRRFVE3OUEQ4U3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Dick Van Patten, who grew from a busy child actor on Broadway to be a mainstay on U.S. television as the amiable patriarch on the family show "Eight Is Enough," died on Tuesday (June 23) at age 86.
    Van Patten died at a Santa Monica, California, hospital of complications from diabetes, according to his representative, Jeffrey Ballard.
    The actor, whose career spanned about eight decades, was known for a big smile framed by prominent cheeks and an effusive personality.
    He came from a family of entertainers and got his first Broadway role at age 7 in 1935. As an adult, he became a familiar face on television shows and in films.
    Stardom came with "Eight Is Enough" in 1977 as he played Tom Bradford, a newspaper columnist who, with his wife, presided over a brood of five daughters and three sons. The show ran through 1981 and was a solid ratings performer for ABC.
    He guest-starred on "The Love Boat," "Arrested Development" and many other TV shows. His most recent TV role came in a 2011 episode of "Hot In Cleveland."
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