Vincent Van Patten

Personal life

Van Patten was born in Bellerose, New York, as the youngest son of actor Dick Van Patten and his wife, Pat (née Poole), a former June Taylor 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, before his father was cast in the TV series, Arnie, and moved his family from Long Island to Los Angeles.

From his first marriage to Betsy Russell he has two sons: Richard and Vince. His second marriage, on April 15, 2003, was to The Young and the Restless actress Eileen Davidson; 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 and Timothy Van Patten, and a cousin of Talia Balsam.

Acting

Throughout the 1970s, as a child actor Van Patten guest-starred in over three dozen classic television series including Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Medical Center, Adam-12, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Wonder Woman and a variety of television movies. He also had roles in the films Charley and the Angel (1973), and Chino (1973). Aged 16, he was cast in Apple's Way, a CBS 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, aged eighteen, he appeared as John Karras in a 12-week CBS drama series Three for the Road. The story line is that of a father and two sons, grief-stricken over the death of their wife and mother sell their house, buy a recreational vehicle, and roam throughout the United States.

Three years later, he co-starred in The Bionic Boy, a two-hour ABC attempted spinoff of the popular Lee Majors vehicle, The Six Million Dollar Man that never went to series. In 1978, he starred in the cult film classic, Rock 'n' Roll High School. 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 (1981), Gidget's Summer Reunion (1985), The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (1987) and Camp Fear (1991). He starred, wrote and produced in The Break (1995), distributed by Lions Gate with Martin Sheen.

Tennis

Van Patten was also a professional tour tennis player who in 1979 was awarded the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rookie of the Year award. The highlight of his career came in 1981 when he defeated John McEnroe and two other top ten world ranked pros to win the Seiko World Super Tennis tournament in Tokyo. 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 once, in 1985. In doubles his best Grand Slam event result was reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open in 1981, partnering with Mel Purcell. His highest doubles ranking was World No. 24, reached in September 1986.

Poker

Van Patten learned to play poker from his father, actor Dick Van Patten, at age 14. He finished in the money at the 2010 World Series of Poker main event. He finished 481st in a pool of 7,319 entrants and received winnings totalling $27,519. (This amount was awarded to finishers 460th thru 531st.) He was crowned "king of the Hollywood home games"

He is a commentator on World Poker Tour. The first four seasons were broadcast on Travel Channel; seasons five and six on Game Show Network, and, from the seventh through to the current season, it now airs on Fox Sports. With Robert J Randisi, he wrote The Picasso Flop (ISBN 0892960701), a novel about Vegas poker.