Richard Nels Van Patten (born January 15, 1955), known as Nels Van Patten, is an American actor and former professional

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. He is married to actress

Nancy Valen Nancy Valen is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for portraying Captain Samantha Thomas on ''Baywatch''. Early life Nancy Valen was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Hallandale, Florida. By the time she was ...

. Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Van Patten is the eldest son of actor

Dick Van Patten Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...

and Patricia Helon "Pat ( Poole) Van Patten. He is named after the character "Nels Hansen" that his father played on the TV series ''

Mama Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places *Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement ...

''. His youngest brother,

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

, was also a tennis player and the pair won a Challenger doubles title together in Athens in 1981.

ATP Challenger titles

Doubles: (1)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Patten, Nels 1955 births Living people American male tennis players American male actors