A Minor Consideration on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
William Paul Petersen (born September 23, 1945) is an American actor, singer, novelist, and activist.
Petersen first rose to prominence in the 1950s playing Jeff Stone on '' The Donna Reed Show'', and transitioned to a singing career in the 1960s. In the early 1980s, he had a recurring role as a police officer on ''
Petersen began his show-business career at the age of 10 as a Mouseketeer on the '' Mickey Mouse Club''. He appeared in the 1958 movie ''
He is a board member of the Donna Reed Foundation and works for the Donna Reed Festival, which takes place annually on the third week of June in Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa. He also recently served on the board of directors of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ( SAG-AFTRA), a national media performers AFL-CIO union based in Los Angeles.
A Minor Consideration
*
Paul Petersen
at AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Paul 1945 births 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male actors Living people Male actors from Glendale, California American male television actors American male child actors American child singers American trade union leaders 20th-century American memoirists American male novelists American male pop singers Colpix Records artists Motown artists Mouseketeers People from Greater Los Angeles Writers from California American male non-fiction writers Latter Day Saints from California 20th-century American male writers
Matt Houston
''Matt Houston'' was an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who decides to hold a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, i ...
'', and in the late 1990s, he played the author Paul Conway in the film ''Mommy's Day''.
In 1990, Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation, family education, and personal intervention and counseling for those in crisis.
Career
Acting
Petersen began his show-business career at the age of 10 as a Mouseketeer on the '' Mickey Mouse Club''. He appeared in the 1958 movie ''Houseboat
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. How ...
'' with Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
and Cary Grant, but achieved stardom playing teenager Jeff Stone from 1958 to 1966 on the ABC family television sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show''. Throughout eight seasons and decades of reruns in syndication, ''The Donna Reed Show'' became part of American popular culture, and in 1997, Petersen was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role on the series.
After ''The Donna Reed Show'' ended, Petersen had a small role as Tony Biddle in the 1967 musical film '' The Happiest Millionaire''. He also appeared in many guest roles, including one as a military officer in the short-lived 1967 ABC Western series '' Custer'', with Wayne Maunder
Wayne Ernest Maunder (December 19, 1937 – November 11, 2018) was a Canadian-born American actor who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.
Three television series
From September 6 to December 27, 1967, Maunder star ...
in the title role. He also made a guest appearance on '' F Troop'' as "Johnny Eagle Eye" that aired on April 12, 1966.
Singing
With the fame he achieved on ''The Donna Reed Show'', Petersen received recording offers and had hit record singles with the songs "She Can't Find Her Keys" (also introduced on ''The Donna Reed Show''), "Amy", and "Lollipops and Roses". In 1962, the sentimental teen pop song " My Dad" was performed on ''The Donna Reed Show'' with Petersen singing the tune to his on-screen father, actor Carl Betz. Released as a single in the same year, it reached number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. He also recorded forMotown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
/ Tamla throughout the 1960s releasing such singles as "Chained" and "A Little Bit For Sandy".
Writing
After his years as a child actor, Petersen attended university and obtained a degree in literature. He went on to write 16 adventure novels. Petersen's authorship began after he met David Oliphant, a New York City publisher visiting Los Angeles. His first novel concerned car racing. Thereafter, he created a Matt Helm-type hero, Eric Saveman, also known as "The Smuggler". In one year, Pocket Books published eight of his Smuggler novels, earning $75,000 for Peterson. In 1977, Petersen's autobiography entitled ''Walt, Mickey and Me: Confessions of the First Ex-Mouseketeer'' was published.Other ventures
He is a board member of the Donna Reed Foundation and works for the Donna Reed Festival, which takes place annually on the third week of June in Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa. He also recently served on the board of directors of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists ( SAG-AFTRA), a national media performers AFL-CIO union based in Los Angeles.
Activism
In 1990, following the suicide of former child star Rusty Hamer, Petersen founded a child-actor support group, A Minor Consideration, to improve working conditions for child actors and to assist in the transition between working as a child actor and adult life, whether in acting or in other professions.Personal life
Petersen has been married three times. His first marriage was to actress Brenda Benet. They married in 1967 and divorced in 1970. In 1974, he married Hallie Litman with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1988. In December 1992, Petersen married Rana Jo Platz. In addition to his two children from his second marriage, Petersen also has a daughter from a previous relationship.Discography
Studio albums
*1962: '' Lollipops and Roses'' — Colpix CP-429/SCP-429 *1963: '' Teenage Triangle'' — Colpix CP-444/SCP-444—No. 48, May 1963 ::Featuring four tracks each by Paul Petersen, Shelley Fabares, and James Darren *1963: ''My Dad'' — Colpix CP-442/SCP-442 *1963: ''Bye Bye Birdie'' — Colpix CP-454/SCP-454 ::Songs from the movie sung by Petersen, The Marcels, James Darren, and Shelley Fabares *1964: ''More Teenage Triangle'' — Colpix CP-468/SCP-468 ::Second album featuring Petersen, Fabares, and DarrenSingles
Filmography
References
External links
*A Minor Consideration
*
Paul Petersen
at AllMusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Petersen, Paul 1945 births 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male actors Living people Male actors from Glendale, California American male television actors American male child actors American child singers American trade union leaders 20th-century American memoirists American male novelists American male pop singers Colpix Records artists Motown artists Mouseketeers People from Greater Los Angeles Writers from California American male non-fiction writers Latter Day Saints from California 20th-century American male writers