Thu Oct 22, 2009

Dick Van Patten is the guest with Bob on this week's show.

Richard Vincent "Dick" van Patten (born December 9, 1928) is an American actor.Van Patten was born in New York City, the son of Josephine Rose (née Acerno), who worked in advertising, and Richard Byron Van Patten, an interior decorator. He is the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten and film Director Tim Van Patten and the uncle of Talia Balsam. He has been married to Patricia Poole (aka Pat Van Patten) since 1954. They have three sons, all actors: Vincent Van Patten, Nels Van Patten, and James Van Patten. Nels is named for the character Dick played on the CBS TV series Mama. Van Patten started his career in showbiz as a child actor on Broadway in 1937 in The Eternal Road as Dickie Van Patten; he went on to appear in twelve other Broadway plays as a teenager. He moved on to television and movies with the 1949 TV series Mama which ran from 1949 to 1957, and as patriarch Tom Bradford on Eight is Enough, 1977 to 1981. Patten also appeared in episodes of Sanford and Son, Arrested Development, The Brian Keith Show, and Happy Days. He has appeared in several Mel Brooks films, including High Anxiety, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, as well as cameos in the music videos for "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Bedrock Anthem" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, and on The Weird Al Show. Van Patten co-founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods in 1989. He also was a commentator for the World Series of Poker from 1993 to 1995.