Willie Aames

Willie Aames
Born	Albert William Upton July 15, 1960 Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director, television producer, screenwriter
Years active	1971–present
Spouse(s)	Vicki Weatherman (m. 1979–84) Maylo McCaslin (m. 1986–2009) Winnie Hung (m. 2014)
Children	2

Willie Aames (born Albert William Upton on July 15, 1960 in Newport Beach, California^[1] ) is an American actor, film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. He is known for playing Tommy Bradford on the 1970s television series Eight Is Enough and Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s series Charles in Charge.

Early life

Aames attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California, and was in both the choir and the Madrigal Ensemble.

Career

Aames began acting in the late 1960s as a child actor and appeared in shows such as Gunsmoke, The Wonderful World of Disney, Adam-12, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. In 1971, he originated the role of Leonard Unger, the son of Felix Unger (Tony Randall), on the ABC-TV series The Odd Couple, a part that was later played by Leif Garrett. The following year, he voiced the character of Jamie Boyle in the animated series Wait Till Your Father Gets Home.

He guest-starred on various television series, including The Waltons. In 1974, he portrayed a 12-year-old Benjamin Franklin in the miniseries Benjamin Franklin. The next year, he co-starred in the series Swiss Family Robinson.^[2]

In 1977, he landed the role of Tommy Bradford in the comedy-drama Eight is Enough. During this period, he played in a band called "Willie Aames & Paradise", in which he was lead singer/guitarist. Formed while Aames was in junior high school, the group eventually landed a recording contract with CBS Custom Label.^[3] During this time, Aames appeared in his first movie role in Scavenger Hunt. After the series ended in 1981, Aames appeared in more film roles, including Zapped! opposite Scott Baio, and Paradise with Phoebe Cates.^[4]

Before portraying the role of Buddy Lembeck in Charles in Charge in 1984, Aames played the character of Robbie Hamlin on the ABC soap opera The Edge of Night.^[5] From 1983 to 1985, he was the voice of Hank on the cartoon Dungeons & Dragons. After the end of Charles in Charge in 1990, Aames hosted the game show The Krypton Factor.

Aames began the role of Miles Peterson / Bibleman in the direct-to-video Christian superhero series from 1995 to 2003, before being succeeded by Robert T. Schlipp.^[6]

Personal life

Aames has been married three times. Aames married Vicki Weatherman in 1979 producing one child, Christopher.^[7] Aames married Maylo McCaslin in 1986,^[8] producing one child, Harleigh Jean.^[9] Aames is currently married to Winnie Hung.^[10]

Filmography

Television

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1971	The Odd Couple	Leonard	Episode: "Win One for Felix"
1971–1972	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Harold O'Brien	4 episodes
1971, 1973	Gunsmoke	Tom / Andy	2 episodes
1971, 1974	Adam-12	Young Boy / Billy Ray	2 episodes
1971/74/75	Medical Center	Eric / Jeff	3 episodes
1972	Cannon	Macklin Boy	Episode: "A Flight of Hawks"
1972–1974	Wait Till Your Father Gets Home	Jamie Boyle (voice)	38 episodes
1973	Adam's Rib	Boy	Episode: "Katey at the Bat"
1974	Benjamin Franklin	Benjamin Franklin (at 12 years old)	Miniseries; episode: "The Whirlwind"
1974	The Wonderful World of Disney	Jeff Peterson	Episode: "Runaway on the Rogue River"
1975	The Waltons	Danny Comley	Episode: "The Beguiled"
1975	We'll Get By	Kenny Platt	12 episodes
1975–1976	The Swiss Family Robinson	Fred Robinson	20 episodes
1976	Rich Man, Poor Man Book II	Young Wesley Jordache	Miniseries; episode: "Chapter I"
1976–1977	Family	T.J. Latimer	6 episodes
1977	Little House on the Prairie	Seth	Episode: "Injun Kid"
1977–1981	Eight is Enough	Tommy Bradford	111 episodes
1982	The Love Boat	Danny	Episode: "Doc's Nephew"
1983	The Edge of Night	Robbie Hamlin	Unknown episodes
1983–1985	Dungeons & Dragons	Hank the Ranger (voice)	27 episodes
1984–1990	Charles in Charge	Buddy Lembeck	126 episodes
1986	Blacke's Magic	Eric Wilson	Episode: "The Revenge of the Esperanza"
1987	Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion	Tommy Bradford	Movie
1989	An Eight Is Enough Wedding	Tommy Bradford	Movie
1995–2003	Bibleman[11]	Miles Peterson / Bibleman
2006	Bugtime Adventures	Narrator	13 episodes

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1979	Scavenger Hunt	Kenny Stevens
1982	Paradise	David
1982	Zapped!	Peyton Nichols
1984	Goma-2	Tony	Alternative title: Killing Machine
1985	Cut and Run	Tommy Allo	Alternative title: Amazon: Savage Adventure
2003	The Missy Files	—	Direct-to-DVD release Director, writer
2015	Harvest Moon	William Stone

References

1. Dick Kliener (Nov 30, 1981). "'Idol' Status Not For Willie". Waycross Journal-Herald. p. P5. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
2. "Swiss Family Schoolhouse". The Victoria Advocate. Jan 18, 1976. p. 6. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
3. "Willie Aames' TV Series Not Helping His Music". The Evening Independent. Aug 24, 1979. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
4. Sheffield, Skip (May 11, 1982). "Lost In 'Paradise'". Boca Raton News. p. 17. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
5. Connie Passalacqua (Sep 9, 1983). "Willie Aames spices up 'Edge of Night'". Rome News-Tribune. p. 5. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
6. "Times Daily - Google News Archive". News.google.com. 2003-12-29. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
7. Perry, Beth (4 February 2008). "Straight Aames". People 69 (4). Retrieved 12 July 2015.
8. "Willie Aames - Eight Wasn't Enough, but Life in Kansas Is Plenty for Willie Aames". People 44 (3). 17 July 1995. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
9. Mike Celizic (16 Jan 2008). "Willie Aames wards off demons, armed robber". Today. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
10. "Willie Aames". Retrieved 12 July 2015.
11. "Times Daily - Google News Archive". News.google.com. 2003-12-29. Retrieved 2012-08-11.

External links

• Willie Aames at the Internet Movie Database
• Willie Aames at AllMovie