From TV to Radio: Danny Bonaduce

His parents named him Dante. The world came to know him as Danny Partridge, the wry redheaded sibling to Keith Partridge. His legacy will linger as a puzzling blend of pop culture icon, a reality TV star, bold radio host and an outspoken champion for addiction survival and recovery.

Childhood

Dante Daniel Bonaduce entered the world in 1959 on the 13th day of August at a home in Broomall, Pennsylvania. This Delaware county community is so small it lacks a high school and has neither town nor city status. His parents were Joseph Bonaduce, a TV scriptwriter, and Betty Steck Bonaduce. Born under the sign of Leo, which is linked to drama and show biz, Bonaduce began his limelight career early, appearing in TV commercials at the precocious age of 4 and joining the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). As a young kid, he also guested on episodes of the 1960s sitcom “Bewitched” and “All in the Family.” His first TV show credit was as a friend of Opie Griffith on “The Andy Griffith Show.” At age 7, he was hired for his first TV movie of the week: “Cat Ballou.” His part was later cut from the movie.

In an interview for the website “C’mon Get Happy,” Bonaduce said his father moved the family (including Danny’s older brother, Anthony, and older sister, Cecelia) from the Philadelphia-area to Los Angeles when Danny was 4 in hopes of getting a job writing for Dick Clark. When the deal didn’t manifest, Bonaduce says the family had no food or furniture and contemplated moving back East. Soon, however, Joe Bonaduce sold a script to the TV show “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Danny Bonaduce, eventually, got a guest appearance on the show. Although Danny Bonaduce benefited from his father’s connections in Hollywood (He starred in the episodes of “Mayberry RFD” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” which were written by his dad), the son laments a strained bond with his father that included abuse.

Partridge Family Years

Danny Bonaduce’s greatest claim to fame is as a member of the beloved TV family, thePartridges. “The Partridge Family,” a show that mixed wholesome, dramatic family situational comedy with musical performance debuted in 1970 and culminated in 1974, building up an allegiance of fans. Bonaduce was hired for the ABC show when he was just 10, giving him the chance to earn roughly $350,000 over four years. He beat out 30 other freckled-face, crimson-haired boys to play the role of a guitarist in the Partridge Family band. Interestingly, the man who helped hire him, director Jerry Paris, was the one who cut him out of “Cat Ballou” three years earlier. Danny originally did not get the job until Paris fought for producers to hire him, Bonaduce said in an interview.

The show also starred Shirley Jones, the matriarch; David Cassidy, the older brother of Danny Partridge (“Keith Partridge”); and Susan Dey, the older sister of Danny Partridge (“Laurie Partridge”); Suzanne Crough, younger sister (“Tracy Partridge”); and Jeremy Gelbwalks as Danny’s younger brother (“Chris Partridge”). Collectively, they were America’s first garage band – although without the angst and eccentricity. The Partridge family reached beyond TV to become an institution that sold music albums and other merchandise. Danny Bonaduce claims in interviews to still remember the lyrics to the Partridge Family songs. This is ironic because Bonaduce claims that during show tapings he would not learn any song lyrics and therefore, could not be shown much on screen during performances. He was shown extensively during the show’s comedic moments as Bonaduce had a natural flair for humor and became a staple in nearly every scene.

Life for the young Bonaduce consisted of taping five days a week, with acting shot in the morning and music numbers done in the afternoon. His mom would stay all day on the set with him. He also attended school three hours daily on the set with tutors who taught him inside the actual car from the set of the movie “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Between school and acting, his days lasted from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. He still found time to ride bikes, go horseback riding, and even practice karate. At one point, he was trained in karate by actor and martial artist Chuck Norris.

When the show was canceled, it was a shock to Bonaduce who was not told ahead of time. As he recalls the story, he and his mom drove to the lot for their regular schedule and the gatekeeper refused to allow them entry. The gate worker allegedly said the show had been canceled. Bonaduce said he wasn’t devastated, however, because the end of the show meant he could go to a normal school and finally interact regularly with girls his age.

Followers so loved the show that to this day many maintain devoted websites like dannybonaduce.net and collect DVDs and videos of the defunct series to enjoy their favorite episodes. Danny Bonaduce’s favorite episode, by the way, was “Danny and the Mob.” Record albums by the Partridge Family are traded on eBay. Tributes and slideshows litters YouTube. Bonaduce, himself, still regularly signs autographs for “Partridge Show Fans” when interacting in public, especially in Pennsylvania.

After “Partridge” Series Cancellation

Post-Partridge, Bonaduce made guest appearances on several hit television shows, such as: “Eight is Enough” and “CHiPs.” He also appeared on “Fantasy Island.” He also starred in movies such as “H.O.T.S, ” “Deadly Intruder,” and “Corvette Summer.”

A lover of horses, Bonaduce also made a living as a stable boy for singer Kenny Rogers.

With few long-term roles offered to him, Bonaduce has said he turned to drugs for comfort. He has used his battle with drugs as a touchstone to motivate the public about surviving addiction and recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. Bonaduce embraces this dark period of his life as a time of triumph. One person who helped him during this dark period was his aunt Jackie Steck, a professor in the journalism department at Philadelphia’s Temple University. According to Bonaduce, Steck took him into her home when he had nothing and cared for him. She died in 2007.

Another person credited for helping Bonaduce survive the tough times is his best friend, Scott. Bonaduce said Scott stayed with him even after he ran out of money and had nothing. He said when he did have money he would give it to Scott for safekeeping so that he couldn’t spend it on drugs.

Bonaduce remained in contact with his Partridge Family co-stars over the years. In 1991, he took up touring with David Cassidy (“Keith Partridge”) as an opening act. In 2011, when Cassidy struggled with his own alcohol addiction issues, Bonaduce pledged to be an anchor of support for him. He has said in interviews that he’s always looked up to Cassidy as an idol. In addition, Bonaduce became close to Dave Madden, who played the family’s manager in the series. Bonaduce has referred to him as a second father – one who often protectively took him home to spend the night after tapings, taught him to drive, and taught him how to perform magic tricks. 

Radio

Bonaduce transformed himself into a radio personality during the 1980s after becoming homeless. By chance, he was meandering around downtown Philadelphia when a local DJ recognized him and invited him own the air. Bonaduce’s wit was still sharp and engaging, prompting station managers to hire him. He soon began making guest appearances on national radio shows, like “The Howard Stern Show.” Back in the public eye, Bonaduce persuaded fans to embrace both his career change and his physical change.

He was no longer the chubby kid with curly red hair known as “Danny Partridge.” He was lean, somewhat buff with close-cropped hair. These physical changes helped Bonaduce become a heartthrob -- that and his husky voice, amusing wit, and straight-no-chaser personality that became a perfect fit for the radio. His shtick worked so much that he was in demand beyond the Philadelphia market.

Bonaduce’s first radio show kicked off in 1988 on WEGX-FM in his home state of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, which he loosely considered his hometown (Philly is 22 miles from Broomall). This was a late night show, which fit his insomniac tendencies. Other night owls would call him up and talk until morning, making his a very popular show. Years later, Bonaduce hosted another Philly radio show at 94WYSP, which remains on air to this day and has been considered the top performing morning show in the area.

Bonaduce had radio gigs in Chicago, which he often called his “spiritual hometown,” as well as Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles. The Detroit program was at WKQI-FM while the New York job was on WTJM-FM. Both were morning shows and proved successful with listeners.

Bonaduce had two Los Angeles radio shows. The first was called “The Jamie and Danny Show” and enjoyed strong audience support and popularity on KYSR. Bonaduce participated in another Los Angeles radio show in 2007: “The Adam Corolla Show.”

Return to TV

In 1999, Bonaduce returned to the small screen, albeit behind the camera as producer of a TV movie that paid homage to “The Partridge Family.” The show was titled “Come On. Get Happy,” borrowing a phrase from the lyrics of the iconic show’s theme song. In looser homage to his Partridge Family roots, Bonaduce also did an episode of “The Drew Carey” show with Shirley Jones.

Bonaduce returned to TV as star of his own VH1 reality series titled “Breaking Bonaduce” in 2005. The show captured his valiant efforts to sustain his marriage who trying to triumph over his addictions and depression. It cemented his image as a survivor. The series, which ran for two seasons, also starred his wife Gretchen and their two kids. Production ended in late 2006.

Trying his hand also with the talk-show format, Bonaduce starred a co-host of a roundtable men’s talk 2001 show called “The Other Half.” The show, considered a male version of “The View” co-starred TV legend Dick Clark as well as “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez. However, it was Bonaduce who stood out. Before that, Bonaduce had a solo Disney-produced talk show: “Danny!”

Bonaduce has also made guest appearances on the Animal Planet Channel and numerous special TV events, such as the Reality TV Awards. He also hosted a 2008 search for the next child star called “I Know My Kid’s a Star.” Making us of online media, Bonaduce has done cross-promotion for the TruTV Channel and the online website The Smoking Gun.

 In 2011, Bonaduce held rights to an unproduced television opportunity “The Next Mrs. Bonaduce.”

Author

Danny Bonaduce chronicled his life story in a novel in 2002. “Random Acts of Badness: My Story” is a 432-page book that looks at his days on the hit TV show and his struggle through poverty and addiction. Other cast mates have also told a bit of Bonaduce’s story in their own autobiographies. Cassidy’s “Come On Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus” includes passages on Bonaduce. It published in 1994. Madden also mentions Bonaduce in his memoir titled “Reuben on Wry.”

Boxing

Known for his verbal pugnacity and martial art skills, Bonaduce extended his fighter nature into the boxing arena in 1998 by participating in a celebrity boxing match. He was matched against none other than the fellow 70s child star Barry Williams who played Greg Brady on “The Brady Bunch.”

He’s also had organized fights with Donny Osmond at the China Club in Chicago.

Boxing did not end there for Bonaduce. In 2008, he also signed up for a celebrity match against Bob Levy, whom he soundly defeated. In 2009, he fought Jose Canseco. That match ended in a draw.

Relationships/Children

His first marriage was in 1985 to Setsuko Hattori, a Japanese real estate broker. The union lasted three years.

Bonaduce married his second wife, a fellow-flaming redhead named Gretchen Hillmer, in 1990 after knowing her just a few hours after meeting on a blind date. Unfortunately, they divorced in 2008. With Gretchen, Bonaduce had a daughter, Countess Isabella, and a namesake son, Count Dante. He remarried in December 2010, exchanging vows with third wife Amy Railsback in Hawaii. Bonaduce had Amy’s name tattooed on his body to commemorate the vow.

Dante and Isabella are already following their dad into the showbiz spotlight. Isabella, for example, has starred in commercials for Cheerios and Pepcid AC. Danny has said in interviews that he is very protective of his children and has warned them not to follow his addictions.

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