He was in a ’60s TV series that had guests like Ida Lupino and he worked on Bewitched. Now he has made a rare appearance in LA. Who is he?
He appeared in a beloved family TV series in the 1960s, which made him a household name.
The show – which ended in 1971 – lasted five seasons and featured major guest stars such as Joan Blondell, Ann Sothern, Dana Andrews and Ida Lupino.
Fans loved how cute he was with his curly hair.
He also made a film with Eva Marie Saint and Alan Arkin in 1966. And he also appeared in other TV shows, such as Bonanza, Green Acres, Bewitched, The Virginian and Gunsmoke.
Growing up as a teenager, he partied on the Los Angeles circuit, which led to an addiction that he has battled and won ever since.
He later appeared in the Disney film Snowball Express with Harry Morgan from TV’s MASH. And he was on the soap opera General Hospital.
The star was spotted leaving a bakery in Los Angeles with a friend.
Can you guess who he is?
He appeared in a beloved family TV series in the 1960s, which made him a household name. The show – which ended in 1971 – lasted five seasons and featured major guest stars such as Joan Blondell, Ann Sothern, Dana Andrews and Ida Lupino. Fans loved how cute he was with his curly hair. Who is he?
The star was spotted leaving a Los Angeles bakery with a friend for the first time in years
The star is Johnny Whitaker, 64.
He was in the family show Family Affair with Anissa Jones as Buffy, Brian Keith as Bill Davis, Kathy Garver as Cissy and British actor Sebastian Cabot as Mr French.
He was just three years old when he started playing Jody Davis on the beloved CBS sitcom that launched in 1966.
The show was about a New York engineer named Bill Davis, who finds his life as a swinging bachelor turned upside down by the arrival of his newly orphaned nieces and nephew.
There are twins Buffy and Jody and their big teenage sister, Cissy.
Over time, however, Bill adapts his lifestyle to accommodate his young charges, with a little help from his fastidious British butler, Mr. French.
Johnny started his career acting in commercials for Mattel – before landing the role of young Scotty Baldwin on the soap opera General Hospital.
His first feature film was in 1966, in the film The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.
But his breakout role came later that year, when he was cast in Family Affair. It was a huge success and ran for five seasons before closing in 1971.
“It was always fun,” Johnny recalled Fox news the last week I was on the set of Family Affair as a child.
After Family Affair ended, Johnny went on to star in a few other films and shows, including Disney’s Snowball Express and Napoleon and Samantha, the musical film adaptation of Tom Sawyer, and the Sigmund and the Sea Monsters series.
But amid his sudden fame, he said he attended a string of Hollywood parties from the age of 16, where he was exposed to drugs and alcohol.
The star is Johnny Whitaker, 64. He was on the family TV show Family Affair from 1966 to 1971
Seen with Anissa Jones as Buffy, Brian Keith as Bill Davis, Kathy Garver as Cissy and British actor Sebastian Cabot as Mr French. He was just three years old when he started playing Jody Davis on the beloved CBS sitcom
The show was about a New York engineer named Bill Davis, who finds his life as a swinging bachelor turned upside down by the arrival of his newly orphaned nieces and nephew. There are twins Buffy and Jody and their big teenage sister, Cissy
He was also in Bewitched in the episode Sam And The Beanstalk in 1969. Seen with Elizabeth Montgomery, left, and Erin Murphy, below
Things only got worse for him when he got divorced in 1988, and his girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child, tragically committed suicide later that year.
He married a woman named Symbria Wright in 1984, but after four years together they went their separate ways.
Soon after, he started dating someone new and was thrilled to find out she was expecting, but she died by suicide, taking the life of his unborn child with her.
‘When she became pregnant with my child, it became too much for her. She chose to take her life, along with that of my child,” Johnny said.
‘That was a traumatic experience for me, my divorce and then the loss of my girlfriend and child. That made it easy for me to choose drugs and alcohol.’
His former Family Affair costar Anissa Jones – who had played his sister Buffy Davis on the show – also struggled after the show ended. She died of a drug overdose in 1976, when she was just 18 years old.
Whitaker seen in 2021. Last week he opened up to Fox News about his brutal descent into drug addiction and alcoholism
Last week he spoke about his drug addiction and alcoholism.
He talked about how he went out partying after the series ended during a recent chat with Fox news.
The actor explained that he became an “addict” after entering an “environment where drinking and taking drugs was acceptable” at the age of 16.
“To have a successful childhood, you have to choose the right peers,” he told the publication. “Most of my peers were 20, 25, 30 years older than me.
“My peers were chosen for me… And when you’re in an environment where drinking and taking drugs is acceptable, it becomes acceptable for you too.
“You don’t think there’s anything wrong with using and drinking… And to some extent, I wasn’t always part of it.
“Those were just some of the reasons I became an addict, an alcoholic. I wanted to belong.’
After Family Affair, Johnny went on to star in a few other movies and shows, including Disney’s Snowball Express and Napoleon and Samantha (seen)
He also starred in the musical film adaptation of Tom Sawyer and the series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (seen)
But amid his sudden fame, the actor (seen in 2014) said he attended a slew of Hollywood parties as early as the age of 16 – where he was exposed to drugs and alcohol.
After more than two decades of battling drug abuse, the star (seen in 2002) decided to seek help in 1997 and has since turned his life around.
‘She was my sister. I understand that this life, our existence, is very short. But it was still hard losing her so young,” Johnny reflected.
After more than two decades of battling substance abuse, the star decided to seek help in 1997.
He said he realized it was time to change after having an “a-ha moment” following a “family intervention.”
He has since turned his life around and now dedicates his time to helping others who are struggling with similar issues.
Johnny is now a certified drug counselor and has founded his own non-profit organization focused on helping Hispanic addicts.
He is now a certified drug counselor and dedicates his time to helping others facing similar problems. He was seen in 2016
The former child star, who is a Mormon, leads 12-step meetings at a local prison “once a month.”
“I go in to share my experiences and to offer strength and hope,” he explained. “I do it through my ministry.
“I want to tell these guys that there is hope. They can get clean and sober. They can get out of the revolving door they’re in.”
After a nearly 30-year hiatus from acting, he returned to the screen in 2002, when he made a brief appearance in the remake Family Affair.
He also co-hosted a radio show in 2012 called The Dr. Zod and Johnny Show and starred in the movie A Talking Cat!?!
Now he told Fox that he’s working on a memoir that he “hopes will be out by the end of the year” and that he’s gearing up to star in a new film.
‘This summer I’m working on a new film with Charlene Tilton, a friend of mine, in North Carolina. She is the female lead, so we have been busy working on that,” he said.
The actor also emphasized that he has no regrets about his past mistakes, adding, “(If it hadn’t happened), I wouldn’t have learned the things I learned.”