Philip Anthony McKeon (November 11, 1964 – December 10, 2019) was an American child actor and radio personality, best known for his role as Tommy Hyatt, the son of the title character on the television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Alice'' from 1976 to 1985.

Early life and family

McKeon was born in

Westbury, New York The Incorporated Village of Westbury is a Village (New York), village in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is located a ...

, the son of Barbara and Donald McKeon, a travel agent. His younger sister is actress

Nancy McKeon Nancy Justine McKeon (born April 4, 1966) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as List of The Facts of Life characters#Jo Polniaczek, Jo Polniaczek on the NBC sitcom ''The Facts of Life (TV series), The Facts of Life'' and Jinny Exs ...

. (They are not related to actor

Doug McKeon Doug McKeon (born June 10, 1966) is an American actor who first achieved notability as a child actor. Early life and career McKeon was born on June 10, 1966, in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, and raised in Oakland, New Jersey, where he attended ...

.) McKeon's professional career began when he was 4 years old as a print model. His parents took him and Nancy, then age 2, to a nearby modeling audition, and he began his career as a child model, appearing in magazines, newspapers, and television commercials. Over the next several years, he landed numerous modeling stints, followed by several parts on stage and in films. McKeon played baseball with

Benoit Benjamin Lenard Benoit Benjamin e-NOYT(; born November 22, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 1985 NBA Draft. A 7'0" center from Creighton Univers ...

in 1975 in

Little League Baseball Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...

Career

McKeon's big break was when

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom '' Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the Co ...

, who played Alice, first saw him at a Broadway performance of ''Medea and Jason'' (1974), thought he was bright and talented, and recommended him for the part of Tommy on '' Alice''. ''Alice'' was the television adaptation of the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning performance by

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complicated women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Em ...

in the film ''

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore ''Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' is a 1974 American comedy drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widow who travels with her preteen son across the Southwestern United States in se ...

'' (1974), film directed by

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

and

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

Robert Getchell Robert Getchell (December 6, 1936 – October 21, 2017) was an American screenwriter. Getchell wrote the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'' and created the sitcom based on that film, '' Alice''. Getchell was also the screenwriter for ...

. After ''Alice'' ended in 1985, McKeon continued to make periodic acting appearances, including ''Sandman'' (1993) and ''Ghoulies IV'' (1994). He also produced or directed a few films, such as ''

Teresa's Tattoo ''Teresa's Tattoo'' (also known as ''Natural Selection'') is a 1994 American action comedy- crime film directed by Julie Cypher. The film stars C. Thomas Howell, Nancy McKeon, Lou Diamond Phillips, Melissa Etheridge, who also performed songs for ...

'' (1994), which starred his sister

, ''Murder in the First'' (1995), and ''The Young Unknowns'' (2000). After 2000, McKeon worked in radio, first in the news department at

KFWB KFWB (980 AM) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California. It airs a classic Regional Mexican music format. KFWB is owned by Lotus Communications. The station has a colorful history, being the radio voice of Warner Bros. Studios i ...

AM 980 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and then as co-host of morning radio show ''The Breakfast Taco'' on KWVH-LP 94.1FM in

Wimberley, Texas Wimberley is a village in Hays County, Texas, United States. It is still predominantly a ranching area outside of town. The population was 2,839 at the 2020 census. History Wimberley started as a trading post settlement near Cypress Creek in ...

Personal life and death

McKeon was named in a few magazines as a

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

. McKeon died in Texas on December 10, 2019, after a long illness. He was 55 years old.

Filmography

References

Citations

Sources

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External links

* * 1964 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male child actors American male film actors American male television actors American radio hosts Male actors from Burbank, California Male actors from New York (state) People from Westbury, New York People from Wimberley, Texas Radio personalities from Texas {{US-screen-actor-1960s-stub