Vincent Van Patten (born October 17, 1957) is an American actor, former professional
tennis player
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 cove ...
, and the commentator for the
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the fi ...
.
Personal life
Van Patten was born in
Bellerose, New York
Bellerose is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,173 at the 2020 census.
History
The village was founded by Helen Marsh of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In 1907, pla ...
, as the youngest 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 his wife, Patricia Helon "Pat" Van Patten (née Poole), a former
June Taylor
Marjorie June Taylor (December 14, 1917 – May 16, 2004) was an American choreographer, best known as the founder of the June Taylor Dancers, who were featured on Jackie Gleason's various television variety programs.
Early life and career
Taylo ...
dancer. He is of Dutch, English, and Italian descent.
He was first urged into show business at age nine by his father's agent. He appeared in more than thirty commercials, including
Colgate toothpaste
Colgate is an American brand principally used for oral hygiene products such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss. Manufactured by Colgate-Palmolive, Colgate's oral hygiene products were first sold by the company in 1873, ...
, before his father was cast in the TV series, ''
Arnie
Arnie is a masculine given name, frequently a shortened version of Arnold. It may refer to:
People
* Arnie Arenz (1911–1985), American National Football League quarterback in 1934
* Arnie Beyeler (born 1964), American minor league baseball pl ...
'', and moved his family from
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
to
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' ...
.
From his first marriage to
Betsy Russell
Elizabeth "Betsy" Russell (born September 6, 1963) is an American actress who is best known for her roles in ''Private School'' (1983), ''Tomboy'' (1985), and as Jill Tuck, one of the primary characters of the ''Saw'' film series from 2006 to ...
he has two sons: Richard and Vince. His second marriage, on April 15, 2003, was to ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...
'' actress
Eileen Davidson
Eileen Marie Davidson is an American actress, author, television personality and former model. Davidson is best known for her roles in soap operas as Kristen DiMera and Susan Banks on NBC's ''Days of Our Lives'' and Ashley Abbott on CBS's ''Th ...
; they have one child together.
Vince is related to several other well-known actors, actresses, and singers through blood and by marriage. Vince is a brother of James and
Nels Van Patten, a nephew of
Joyce Van Patten
Joyce Benignia Van Patten (born March 9, 1934) is an American film and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in films like '' The Bad News Bears'' (1976), ''St. Elmo's Fire'' (1985) (as Mrs. Beamish), and as Rob Schneider's septuagenari ...
and
Timothy Van Patten
Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed episodes of '' Perry Mason'', ''Boardwalk Empire'', '' Black Mirror'', '' Deadwood'', '' Ed'', ''Game of Thrones'', '' The Pacific ...
, and a cousin of
Talia Balsam
Talia Balsam (born March 5, 1959) is an American television and film actress.
Early life
Balsam was born in New York City on March 5, 1959, to actors Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten. Her ancestry is Russian Jewish (father) and Italian, Dutch, ...
.
Acting
As a child actor during the 1970s, Van Patten guest-starred in over three dozen classic television series, including ''
Bonanza
''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...
'', ''Gunsmoke'',''
The High Chaparral
''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions in ...
'', Nichols, ''
Medical Center'', ''
Adam-12
''Adam-12'' is an American television police procedural crime drama television series created by Robert A. Cinader and Jack Webb. The series follows Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed as they patrol the stre ...
'', ''
The Courtship of Eddie's Father
''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' is an American sitcom based on the 1963 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Mark Toby (edited by Dorothy Wilson).
The series is about a widower, Tom Corbett (played by Bill Bixby), who is a ...
'', ''
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
'', and a variety of television movies. He also had roles in the films ''
Charley and the Angel
''Charley and the Angel'' is a 1973 American Disney family/comedy film set in an unidentified small city in the 1930s Depression-era Midwestern United States and starring Fred MacMurray in one of his final film appearances and his last movie fo ...
'' (1973) and ''
Chino'' (1973).
At age 16, he was cast in ''
Apple's Way
''Apple's Way'' is an American drama television series that aired on CBS from February 10, 1974, to January 12, 1975. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr.
Premise
The Apples of Los Angeles—architect George, his wife Barbara, their children Paul ...
'', a
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
drama series, in which he played the son of an architect who leaves the big city to rear his family in rural and fictional Appleton, Iowa.
In the fall of 1975, at age 18, Van Patten appeared as John Karras in a 12-week CBS drama series ''
Three for the Road
''Three for the Road'' is a 1987 road comedy film directed by Bill L. Norton and starring Charlie Sheen, Alan Ruck, Kerri Green, Sally Kellerman and Blair Tefkin.
Plot
The film centers around Paul Tracy (Charlie Sheen), a college student and ...
''. The story line is that of a father and two sons, grief-stricken over the death of their wife and mother, who sell their house, buy a recreational vehicle, and roam throughout the United States. In 1978, he co-starred in ''The Bionic Boy'', a two-hour
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
attempted spinoff of the popular
Lee Majors
Lee Majors (born Harvey Lee Yeary; April 23, 1939) is an American actor. Majors portrayed the characters of Heath Barkley in the American television Western series ''The Big Valley'' (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin in the American television ...
vehicle ''
The Six Million Dollar Man
''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is reb ...
'', that never went to series. He made a guest appearance in the final episode of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
television
anthology series
An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...
''
$weepstake$'' in 1979.
In 1978, Van Patten starred in the
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...
classic ''
Rock 'n' Roll High School
''Rock 'n' Roll High School'' is a 1979 American musical comedy film directed by Allan Arkush, produced by Michael Finnell, and starring P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard, and Dey Young. The film featured the punk rock group Ramone ...
''. He starred in several other films in the 1970s and 1980s, including the 1979 action thriller ''Survival Run'' (aka ''Spree''), ''
Yesterday'' (1981) as a Vietnam war veteran, the slasher film ''
Hell Night
''Hell Night'' is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Tom DeSimone, written by Randy Feldman, and starring Linda Blair. The film depicts a night of fraternity hazing set in an old manor, during which a deformed killer terrorizes and mur ...
'' (1981), ''
Gidget's Summer Reunion
''Gidget's Summer Reunion'' is a 1985 American made-for-television adventure comedy-drama film produced by Columbia Pictures Television that aired in syndication on June 1, 1985. It was written by Robert Blees and George Zateslo, directed by Br ...
'' (1985), ''
The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission'' (1987), and ''
Camp Fear'' (1991). He wrote, produced, and starred in ''
The Break'' (1995), distributed by Lions Gate with
Martin Sheen
Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...
.
Van Patten co-wrote and produced ''
7 Days to Vegas
''7 Days to Vegas'' (also known as ''Walk to Vegas'') is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Eric Balfour. Vincent Van Patten is the co-writer along with Steve Alper.
The film stars Vincent Van Patten, Ross McCall, Paul Walter Hauser, Eile ...
'' (2019), based on a true story, about a bet he made in 1995 that he could walk from
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' ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, in seven days.
Tennis
Van Patten was a professional
tour
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
tennis player
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 cove ...
who in 1979 was awarded the
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. It was formed in September 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, an ...
(ATP) Rookie of the Year award. The highlight of his career came in 1981 when he defeated
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...
and two other top ten world ranked pros to win the
Seiko World Super Tennis tournament in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
. His career high ranking in singles was World No. 26, reached on February 11, 1982.
In singles, Van Patten reached the third round of the
US Open twice, in 1982 and 1983, and
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
once, in 1985. In doubles his best
Grand Slam event result was reaching the quarter-finals of the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
in 1981, partnering with
Mel Purcell
Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to:
Biology
* Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL)
* National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL
People
* Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...
. His highest doubles ranking was World No. 24, reached in September 1986.
Tennis Grand Prix Championship Series finals
Singles (1 title)
Poker
Van Patten learned to play poker at the age of 14 from from his father, 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 ...
.
In the 1990s, Vincent Van Patten put together his own Hollywood home game with famous regulars like
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.
Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...
and
Tobey Maguire
Tobias Vincent Maguire (born June 27, 1975) is an American actor and film producer. He is best known for playing Peter Parker (Sam Raimi film series), the title character from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi films, ''Spider-Man'' tril ...
.
He finished in the money at the
2010 World Series of Poker main event, finishing 481st in a pool of 7,319 entrants and received winnings totaling $27,519. (This amount was awarded to finishers in 460th through 531st place.)
Since 2003, he has been a commentator on ''
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour (WPT) is an internationally televised gaming and entertainment brand. Since 2002, the World Poker Tour has operated a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting playdown and the fi ...
.'' The first four seasons were broadcast on Travel Channel; seasons five and six on
Game Show Network
Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original and revive ...
, and, from the seventh through to the current season, it has aired on
Fox Sports Networks
Fox Sports Networks (FSN), formerly known as Fox Sports Net, was the collective name for a group of regional sports channels in the United States. Formed in 1996 by News Corporation, the networks were acquired by The Walt Disney Company on Mar ...
.
With
Robert J Randisi
Robert Joseph Randisi (born August 24, 1951) is an American author, editor and screenwriter who writes in the detective and Western genres.
Biography
Randisi has authored more than 650 published books and has edited more than 30 anthologies of sh ...
, he wrote ''The Picasso Flop,'' a novel about Las Vegas poker.
As of September, 2020, Van Patten has $104,383 in live tournament earnings from seven events.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
*
*
Van Patten profile PokerListings.com
Vince Van Patten Interview (video + transcript)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Patten, Vince
1957 births
Living people
Male actors from New York City
American people of Dutch descent
American people of English descent
American people of Italian descent
American male film actors
American male tennis players
American sports announcers
American male television actors
Poker commentators
Tennis people from New York (state)
American male child actors
American poker players
20th-century American male actors
Writers from New York City
Van Patten family