Biography johnny whitaker
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Johnny Whitaker
American actor (born 1959)
Johnny Whitaker | |
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Johnny Whitaker, c. 1972 | |
| Born | John Orson Whitaker, Jr. (1959-12-13) December 13, 1959 (age 65) Van Nuys, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1965–77, 1997–present |
| Spouse | Symbria Wright (m. 1984; div. 1988) |
| Website | johnnywhitaker.com |
John Orson Whitaker, Jr. (born December 13, 1959)[1] is an American actor notable for several film and television performances during his childhood. The redheaded Whitaker played Jody Davis on Family Affair from 1966 to 1971. He originated the role of Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital in 1965, played the lead in Hallmark's 1969 The Littlest Angel,[2] and portrayed the title character in the 1973 musical version of Tom Sawyer.
Early life
[edit]Whitaker was born in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Van Nuys, the fifth of eight children of Thelma and John O. Whitaker, Sr.[1]
Acting career
[edit]Whitaker began his professional acting career at the age of three by appearing in a television commercial for a local used-car dealer.[3] He went on to appear in advertisements f
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The burly man with graying red hair introduced himself as John Whitaker, a certified counselor at the Tarzana Treatment Centers and a leader in other San Fernando Valley-based anti-substance-abuse organizations.
Chatting about his volunteer work on the Los Angeles County homeless count one night last week, Whitaker revealed his more famous persona only after he was asked: “So, what’s your story?”
Whitaker’s reply began matter-of-factly: “Well, I grew up in San Fernando, I was a child actor …”
Forty years ago, the boy known as Johnny Whitaker had one of the most famous freckled faces in Hollywood, playing Jody on the popular sitcom “Family Affair” from 1966 to 1971 and Tom Sawyer in a 1973 movie.
The CBS-TV show was in the Nielsen ratings’ top five for three years. But the years that followed weren’t as kind to its stars.
Actress Anissa Jones, who portrayed Jody’s twin sister Buffy, died of a drug overdose at age 18 in 1976. Actor Brian Keith, who played Uncle Bill, reluctant guardian of the orphaned children, fought cancer and committed suicide at age 75 in 1997.
And Johnny Whitaker fell into drug and alcohol abuse for nine years before an intervention led him to a 12-step program. He said he
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Johnny Whitaker Biography
Dec 13, 1959Birth Place:
Van Nuys, California, USA