Dick Van Patten Net Worth

What was Dick Van Patten's Net Worth?

Dick Van Patten was an American actor and comedian who had a net worth of $50 million at the time of his death. Dick Van Patten was best known for playing family patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom "Eight is Enough." He also had major roles on such shows as "Mama," "The Partners," and "WIOU," and appeared in such films as "Charly," "Freaky Friday," "Spaceballs," and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights."

Outside of acting, he co-founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods. In 2013, he sold Natural Balance to Del Monte for several hundred million dollars. He made SIGNIFICANTLY more money during his lifetime from the pet food business than his acting career.

Early Life

Dick Van Patten was born on December 9, 1928 in the Queens borough of New York City to Josephine and Richard. He has a younger sister named Joyce who also became an actor, as well as an older half-brother named Tim who became an award-winning director, producer, and screenwriter.

Career Beginnings

Van Patten began his career in show business as a child. At the age of seven in 1935, he made his Broadway debut in the play "Tapestry in Gray." He appeared in a number of other Broadway shows after that, including "The Skin of Our Teeth."

Television Career

Van Patten made his television debut in 1949 as Nels Hansen on the CBS show "Mama." Based on the novel "Mama's Bank Account" by Kathryn Forbes, the show focused on a Norwegian family living in San Francisco in the 1910s. It was a hit, running for eight seasons until 1957. After the end of "Mama," Van Patten had guest roles on such shows as "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer," "Rawhide," and "Naked City." From 1961 to 1962, he played Larry Renfrew on the television adaptation of the radio soap opera "Young Doctor Malone." Following a break from television, Van Patten returned in the early 1970s with guest roles on "The Governor & J.J.," "That Girl," and "Arnie." Subsequently, from 1971 to 1972, he played Sergeant Nelson Higgenbottom on the short-lived sitcom "The Partners." Around this time, Van Patten had guest roles on numerous shows, including "The Doris Day Show," "Love, American Style," "The Paul Lynde Show," "Medical Center," "Emergency!," and "The Streets of San Francisco."

In 1973, Van Patten made his first of multiple appearances on the anthology series "Insight." He went on to appear in episodes of such series as "Banacek," "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," "Barnaby Jones," and "The Six Million Dollar Man." Van Patten also starred on Mel Brooks's short-lived ABC sitcom "When Things Were Rotten," a parody of the Robin Hood legend. In the latter half of the 1970s, he appeared in episodes of "Ellery Queen," "Maude," "Happy Days," and "One Day at a Time," among other shows. Van Patten began his longest-running role in 1977, as family patriarch Tom Bradford on the sitcom "Eight is Enough." The show ran for five seasons through 1981. After that, Van Patten made multiple guest appearances on "The Love Boat" and acted in the television films "High Powder" and "The Hoboken Chicken Emergency." He was also in episodes of "Hotel," "Masquerade," "Finder of Lost Loves," and "The New Mike Hammer."

In 1985, Van Patten had a supporting role in the ABC television film "The Midnight Hour," and the following year he was in the NBC television film "Combat Academy." He ended the decade with a part in the television film "Jake Spanner, Private Eye." Kicking off the 1990s, Van Patten had a main role on the short-lived CBS show "WIOU." He followed that with guest roles on such shows as "The Golden Palace," "Diagnosis: Murder," "Burke's Law," "Baywatch," and "Touched by an Angel." In the second half of the decade, Van Patten appeared in episodes of "Boy Meets World," "The Weird Al Show," "The Love Boat: The Next Wave," and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." He was less prolific in the 21st century, with his handful of credits including guest roles on "Life with Bonnie," "7th Heaven," "Arrested Development," and "That '70s Show." Van Patten had his final television role in 2011, playing Lester in an episode of the sitcom "Hot in Cleveland."

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Film Career

On the big screen, Van Patten made his debut in the 1963 exploitation slasher film "Violent Midnight." Toward the end of the decade, he appeared in the Academy Award-winning film "Charly," based on the book "Flowers for Algernon." Van Patten was in a greater number of films in the 1970s, starting with "Zachariah" and "Making It" in 1971. His subsequent credits included "Beware! The Blob," "Snowball Express," "Westworld," "Superdad," and "The Strongest Man in the World." In 1976, Van Patten was in four Disney films: "Treasure of Matecumbe," "Gus," "The Shaggy D.A.," and "Freaky Friday." The next year, he played Dr. Wentworth in "High Anxiety," his first film with writer-director Mel Brooks. A decade later, Van Patten played King Roland in Brooks's "Spaceballs," and in 1993 he was the Abbot in Brooks's "Robin Hood: Men in Tights." Between those two films, he appeared in "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking" and "Final Embrace." Van Patten's later credits include "Groom Lake," "Quiet Kill," "Opposite Day," and "Sarah's Choice."

Pet Food Brand

In 1989, Van Patten co-founded Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods, a brand of health food for dogs and cats. It was created to provide quality pet food devoid of filler, wheat, corn, and soy. The company merged with Del Monte Foods in 2013 in an equity transaction worth "hundreds of millions of dollars." Dick had at least one co-founder at the time of the sale and a venture private equity partner called VMG Partners. In 2014, Del Monte rebranded its entire pet food division as Big Heart Brands. In 2015, Big Heart was acquired by the J.M. Smucker Company for $5.8 billion.

Personal Life and Death

In 1954, Van Patten married professional dancer Pat Poole. They had three sons together named Vincent, Nels, and Jimmy, all of whom became actors.

In early 2006, Van Patten was hospitalized following a diabetic stroke. He made a full recovery. On June 23, 2015, he passed away from complications of diabetes.

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