Willie Aames
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willie Aames (born Albert William Upton July 15, 1960 in Orange County, California, U.S.) is an actor best known for the roles of Buddy Lembeck on Charles in Charge, the film Zapped!, Tommy Bradford on Eight is Enough and the voice of Hank on the cartoon Dungeons & Dragons. He also hosted a game show The Krypton Factor from 1990-91.
| Willie Aames | |
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| Born | Albert William Upton 15 July 1960 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Maylo McCaslin (1986-present) Victoria Averbach (1979-1984) (divorced) |
He played the character of "Robbie Hamlin" on the ABC soap opera Edge of Night. He also originated the role of Leonard Unger, the son of Felix Unger (Tony Randall), on the ABC-TV series The Odd Couple, a part that was later played by Leif Garrett.
He attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach, CA, and was in both the choir and the Madrigal Ensemble.
During the late 70s/early 80s, he formed a rock band called "Willie Aames & Paradise," where he was lead singer/guitarist. Paradise was also the name of a 1982 movie in which he appeared with Phoebe Cates. He also appeared in the films Scavenger Hunt and Zapped! (with his future Charles in Charge co-star Scott Baio).
From 1995 to 2004, he starred in a video series and annual touring performances as the Christian superhero Bibleman, although he has since retired from the role.
In 2005, he appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club 2, where he lost 19 pounds. Aames is one of the more notorious contestants to appear on the show, after a huge blow-up with the trainer, Drill Instructor Harvey Walden IV. Aames gained weight at several of the show's weigh ins, but still managed to lose 10.2% of his body weight. Since appearing on the show, Aames has found a passion for hunting, and has his own hunting program on TV. Aames started Fit Club at 187 lbs, and finished the show at 168 lbs, but, subsequently gained back all of the weight climbing to 191 lbs. Aames appeared on Celebrity Fit Club 6: Boot Camp, where he lost 26 lbs for a total of 165 lbs. He won the individual prize.
Aames struggled with drugs and alcohol for over twenty years.[1] He became a born–again Christian about three months before he married his second wife, Maylo McCaslin and purchased a house in Bolivar, Missouri.
Aames has been married twice, and currently resides in Olathe, Kansas with his second wife (actress Maylo McCaslin) (whom he married on 15 March 1986), and their daughter Harleigh Jean (born 1990). He has one son, Christopher (born 1981), from his first marriage.
He and his wife were both victims of childhood sexual abuse and both now speak and do activism relating to that cause.
Contents |
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Film roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Unwed Father (TV) | Gum |
| 1974 | Doctor Dan (TV) | Adam Morgan |
| 1975 | The Family Nobody Wanted (TV) | Donny |
| 1979 | Scavenger Hunt | Kenny Stevens |
| 1982 | Paradise | David |
| 1982 | Zapped! | Peyton Nichols |
| 1983 | The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour (TV) | Tom Swift |
| 1984 | Goma-2 | Tony |
| 1985 | Inferno in diretta | Tommy Allo |
| 1987 | Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion (TV) | Tommy Bradford |
| 1989 | An Eight Is Enough Wedding (TV) | Tommy Bradford |
| 1998 | Visual Bible for Kids (TV) |
[edit] Television roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Odd Couple | (one episode) Leonard |
| 1972 | Cannon | (one episode) Macklin Boy |
| 1971 to 1972 | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | (four episodes) Harold O'Brien; Scott |
| 1973 | Wide World Mystery | William Frankenstein |
| 1971 to 1973 | Gunsmoke | (two episodes) Tom; Andy |
| 1973 | Adam's Rib | (one episode) Boy |
| 1974 | ABC Afterschool Specials | (one episode) |
| 1972 to 1974 | Wait Till Your Father Gets Home | Jamie Boyle |
| 1974 | Benjamin Franklin | Benjamin Franklin (12 years old) |
| 1974 | The Magical World of Disney | (one episode) Jeff Peterson |
| 1971 - 1974 | Adam-12 | (two episodes) Billy Ray; Little Boy |
| 1975 | The Waltons | (one episode) Danny Comley |
| 1975 | We'll Get By | Kenny Platt |
| 1971 to 1975 | Medical Center | (three episodes) Jeff; Eric |
| 1975 to 1976 | Swiss Family Robinson | (one episode) Fred Robinson |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man - Book II | Young Wesley Jordache |
| 1977 | Little House on the Prairie | (one episode) Seth |
| 1976 to 1977 | Family | T.J. Latimer |
| 1977 | Eight is Enough | Tommy Bradford |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | (one episode) Danny |
| 1983 | The Edge of Night | Robbie Hamlin |
| 1983 to 1985 | Dungeons and Dragons | Hank the Ranger |
| 1986 | Blacke's Magic | (one episode) Eric Wilson |
| 1984 to 1990 | Charles in Charge | Buddy Lembeck |
| 1996 to 2004 | Bible Man | Bibleman |
| 2006 | Bugtime Adventures | Narrator |
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Aames, Willie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Upton, Albert William |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1960-7-15 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
