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The Partridge Family (1970 vs 2026) Cast Then and Now, You'd Never Recognize! — Transcript

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0:00The Partridge Family, 1970-1974. [music]
0:03Cast, then and now, 2026. The Partridge
0:07Family ran for just four seasons, but
0:10the faces behind those family harmonies
0:12went on to live lives packed with fame,
0:14heartbreak, shocking headlines,
0:16>> [music]
0:16>> and quiet reinventions. Here's where
0:18they all ended up. Number one, we have
0:20Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge.
0:23Shirley was the emotional anchor of the
0:24entire show. The warm, yet unshakable
0:27mom holding five kids
0:29>> [music]
0:29>> and a touring rock band together through
0:31all 96 episodes from 1970 to 1974. When
0:35the cameras first rolled, she was
0:37already 36 years old and already a
0:39certified Hollywood legend. She had won
0:41the Academy Award for Best Supporting
0:43Actress for Elmer Gantry a full decade
0:46before the Partridge bus ever hit
0:47[music] the road. Stepping into a family
0:49sitcom was a deliberate choice, not a
0:52stepping stone. On the personal side,
0:54maybe her marriage to Jack Cassidy,
0:56David Cassidy's real-life father, ended
0:58in divorce in 1974, the same year the
1:01show wrapped. She later remarried
1:03comedian Marty Ingels in 1977,
1:06>> [music]
1:06>> and the two remained together until his
1:07death in 2015. In 2013, she released a
1:11candid memoir that shocked fans with its
1:13honesty about her personal life. Now in
1:152026, Shirley Jones is 91 years old,
1:19still sharp, still celebrated, and still
1:21one of the most decorated actresses of
1:23her entire generation. Number two, uh we
1:26have David Cassidy as Keith Partridge.
1:28Keith was the dreamy guitar-slinging
1:30frontman every teenager had plastered on
1:32their bedroom wall. And David Cassidy
1:34was just 20 years old when the show
1:36launched in 1970. The fame that followed
1:38was unlike almost anything Hollywood had
1:40seen before. He wasn't just a TV star,
1:43he was a full-blown pop phenomenon,
1:45[music] selling out arenas worldwide and
1:47generating hysteria that rivaled the
1:49Beatles at their peak. Maybe but the
1:50pressure behind all that told a very
1:52different story. David battled alcohol
1:54addiction for much of his adult life and
1:57was married three times, most notably to
1:59actress Kay Lenz, and later to Sue
2:01Shifrin, with whom he had a son. His
2:03daughter, actress Katie Cassidy,
2:05eventually followed him into the
2:07spotlight. In 2017,
2:09David publicly revealed a dementia
2:11diagnosis that devastated fans
2:13worldwide. He passed away just months
2:15later on November 21st, 2017, [music]
2:19at 67 years old from liver failure. We
2:22his legacy as one of the greatest teen
2:24idols in television history remains
2:26completely untouched. Number [music]
2:28three, we have Danny Bonaduce as Danny
2:30Partridge. Danny was the fast-talking,
2:33scheme-hatching, red-haired middle kid
2:35who always had some angle working, and
2:37audiences absolutely loved him for it.
2:39He was just 11 years old when The
2:41Partridge Family launched in 1970,
2:43already a natural performer with
2:45instincts most adult actors spend years
2:47trying to develop, but life after the
2:49show hit some genuinely rough patches.
2:51After the series ended, Danny [music]
2:53struggled publicly with drug addiction
2:55and homelessness, and several run-ins
2:57with the law kept him in the tabloids
2:59for all the wrong reasons. He was
3:01remarkably open about his struggles,
3:03never hiding from the messier chapters
3:04of his story. [music] He eventually
3:06rebuilt through a long, successful radio
3:08career and regular reality television
3:10appearances. He has been married
3:12multiple times, and most recently to Amy
3:14Railsback in 2010. [music]
3:16Then in 2024, he revealed he was
3:19battling a serious, undiagnosed
3:21neurological condition affecting both
3:23his walking and speech. Now in 2026,
3:26Danny Bonaduce is 66 years old, still
3:29fighting and still refusing to go
3:31quietly. Number four, we have Suzanne
3:34Crough as Tracy Partridge. Tracy was the
3:36sweet, tambourine-shaking youngest
3:38Partridge kid, always in the background,
3:41always smiling, always adding quiet
3:43warmth to every family scene. See,
3:45Suzanne Crough was only 7 years old when
3:47filming began in 1970, one of the
3:49youngest faces on that entire set. After
3:52the show wrapped in 1974, she made a
3:55clear and deliberate choice to walk away
3:56from [music] Hollywood completely. She
3:58got married, raised a family, and built
4:01a career in retail management, a world
4:03entirely removed from studio lights and
4:05sound stages. She avoided the reunion
4:07circuit almost entirely, um giving very
4:09few interviews over the years, and
4:11appearing perfectly content with the
4:13private life she had carefully built.
4:15Sadly, Suzanne Crough passed away on
4:17April 27th, 2015 at just 52 years old.
4:21The cause was cardiomegaly, an enlarged
4:24heart. Her passing was sudden and deeply
4:26shocking to fans and former castmates
4:28alike. A quiet and heartbreaking loss of
4:31someone who had brought genuine
4:32sweetness to millions of living rooms.
4:34Number five, we have Dave Madden as
4:37Reuben Kincaid. You Reuben Kincaid was
4:39the long-suffering, perpetually
4:41exasperated manager of the Partridge
4:43Family Band,
4:44>> [music]
4:44>> forever caught somewhere between chaos
4:46and contractual obligation. Dave Madden
4:48played every frazzled defeated moment
4:50with pitch-perfect comic timing, and his
4:53chemistry [music] with the entire cast
4:55gave the show a comedic backbone it
4:57absolutely depended on across all 96
4:59episodes. When the series started, Dave
5:02was already 38 years old, well-known to
5:04television audiences from his earlier
5:06work on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In,
5:08where he had built a strong reputation
5:10as a sharp ensemble performer. After The
5:13Partridge Family ended, he continued
5:15working in television and stage
5:17productions, though he never quite
5:18recaptured the same cultural visibility
5:20that Reuben had given him. His later
5:22years were spent largely out of the
5:24public eye, away from the Hollywood
5:26circles he had once moved through
5:27comfortably. Oh, Dave Madden passed away
5:30on January 16th, 2014 at the age of 82
5:34from kidney failure, leaving behind
5:36perfectly calibrated comic work that
5:38still holds up beautifully today. Number
5:40six, we have Brian Forster as Chris
5:43Partridge. Chris was the dependable,
5:45easy-going middle Partridge boy, always
5:48somewhere in the mix of whatever the
5:49family was getting into that week.
5:51>> [music]
5:51>> Brian Forster stepped into the role at
5:53the start of season 2, since holding it
5:55solidly for 71 episodes
5:57>> [music]
5:57>> right through to the show's final season
5:59in 1974. He was just 11 years old when
6:02he joined the cast in 1971, [music]
6:04but he carried a fascinating piece of
6:06history onto that set that most people
6:08never knew about. Brian Forster is the
6:10great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens,
6:13one of the most celebrated writers in
6:14the history of the English language.
6:16After the series ended, [music] or Brian
6:18walked away from acting almost entirely
6:21and discovered a passion that couldn't
6:22have been further from Hollywood. He
6:24became a racing car driver, trading
6:26studio sets for the speed and adrenaline
6:28of the track. He has made occasional
6:29appearances at fan events over the
6:31years. Now in 2026, Brian Forster is 66
6:35years old, living a life the show never
6:37could have predicted for him.
6:38>> [music]
6:39>> Number seven, we have Jeremy Gelbwaks as
6:41Chris Partridge. Before Brian Forster
6:44ever set foot on set, there was Jeremy
6:46Gelbwaks, the original Chris Partridge,
6:49appearing in 25 episodes during the
6:51[music] show's very first season in
6:521970. Jeremy was just 9 years old when
6:55he stepped onto that set for the first
6:57time. A young kid thrown into one of
6:59network television's most watched new
7:01shows [music] of the year. He held the
7:03role for the entirety of season 1 before
7:05quietly disappearing from the series,
7:07and the reason behind it had nothing
7:09dramatic attached. His father's job
7:11required [music] the family to relocate,
7:13and and that was simply that. No
7:15conflict, no falling out, just real life
7:17pulling a child actor in a completely
7:19different direction. After leaving the
7:21show, Jeremy never returned to acting
7:23and instead built a career in the
7:25technology sector, working in IT for his
7:28adult life. Now in 2026, Jeremy Gelbwaks
7:31is 64 years old, one of the most private
7:33former [music] cast members of the
7:35entire series, rarely surfacing at
7:37events or giving interviews of any kind.
7:39Number eight, we have [music] Rick
7:41Segall as Ricky Stevens. Young Ricky
7:43Stevens was brought onto the show during
7:45its fourth and final season in 1973.
7:47[music]
7:48A toddler-sized burst of fresh energy
7:51designed to give the series a spark as
7:53it headed into its final stretch.
7:54[music]
7:55Rick Segall was just 5 years old when he
7:57appeared on screen, making him easily
7:59one of the youngest performers ever
8:00featured on the show. He appeared in 10
8:02episodes that final season, bringing a
8:04natural, yet completely unscripted charm
8:07that only a child that age can genuinely
8:10pull off in front of a camera. After his
8:12brief Partridge Family run, he picked up
8:14a handful of additional television
8:15appearances as a child actor before the
8:18roles dried up, the way they so often do
8:20for child performers once they age out
8:22of that particular window of appeal.
8:23Rick then stepped away from
8:25entertainment completely and has spent
8:26his adult life well out of the public
8:28eye.
8:28>> [music]
8:29>> Now in 2026, a Rick Segall is 58 years
8:32old and for most fans, little Ricky
8:34remains one of the sweetest, most
8:36[music] fleeting memories from those
8:37final episodes. Number nine, we have
8:40Gordon Jump as Albertson.
8:42>> [music]
8:42>> Gordon appeared in seven episodes of The
8:43Partridge Family between 1970 and 1974,
8:47cycling through small supporting roles
8:49that gave almost no hint of what was
8:50coming. He was 38 years old during those
8:52appearances,
8:53>> [music]
8:53>> a working character actor grinding
8:55through guest spots on whatever shows
8:57would have him, yet quietly building
8:59something bigger. Nobody watching those
9:01episodes would have predicted what
9:02happened next.
9:03>> [music]
9:03>> In 1978, he landed the role of Arthur
9:06Carlson on WKRP in Cincinnati [music]
9:09and became one of the most recognizable
9:11faces on American television almost
9:13overnight. The show ran four seasons and
9:16turned him into a genuine household
9:18name. He also spent years as the face of
9:20Maytag appliances, playing the lonely
9:22repairman in one of the longest-running
9:24commercial campaigns in advertising
9:27history. He was known throughout his
9:29career for his warmth and deep faith as
9:31a member of the Church of Jesus Christ
9:33of Latter-Day Saints. Gordon Jump passed
9:36away on September 22nd, 2003 [music] at
9:3971 following a long battle with
9:42respiratory illness. Number 10, we have
9:44Elaine Giftos as Bonnie Kleinshmidt.
9:47Bonnie Kleinshmidt appeared across four
9:49episodes in 1972 and 1973, and Elaine
9:52Giftos brought her to life with a
9:54natural, easy charm that made the
9:56character feel like a genuine part of
9:57The Partridge Family world. You she was
9:5927 years old during her time on the
10:01show. A young actress already building
10:03up a solid list of television credits.
10:06She had landed a notable role in the
10:071970 Roger Corman film Gas-s-s-s, which
10:11gave her some early Hollywood visibility
10:13before The Partridge Family came along.
10:15After her run on the show, her screen
10:17appearances became less frequent as the
10:19decade progressed, and she eventually
10:21stepped away from the industry without
10:23much public fanfare. Um she has remained
10:25one of the most private members of this
10:27entire cast.
10:28>> [music]
10:28>> Almost no personal information is
10:30publicly available about her
10:31relationships or personal milestones.
10:33Now, in 2026, [music] Elaine Giftos is
10:3681 years old, and she remains one of the
10:38genuine mysteries of The Partridge
10:40Family story. Number 11, we have Gary
10:43Dubin as Punky Lazaar. Our Punky Lazaar
10:46was one of those recurring supporting
10:47characters who showed up just enough
10:49times to stick in your memory, and Gary
10:51Dubin played him across six episodes
10:53between 1971 and 1974 with exactly the
10:56loose, easy teenage energy the role
10:59needed. [music] He was around 14 years
11:01old when he first appeared on the show,
11:03already a working young actor who had
11:04racked up appearances across multiple
11:06series, including a notable part in the
11:081968 show Here Come the Brides. After
11:11The Partridge Family wrapped, he
11:13continued picking up television roles
11:15through the mid-1970s before his screen
11:17work gradually wound down and stopped
11:18altogether. The years since have seen
11:20him retreat [music] almost entirely from
11:22public life, rarely turning up in cast
11:24reunion events or fan conversations.
11:27Very little is publicly known about his
11:29personal life or what direction his
11:31adult years took him. Now, in 2026, Gary
11:34Dubin is 69 years old, a face long-time
11:37fans [music] instantly recognize, even
11:39if the name takes a moment longer to
11:41place. Number 12, we have Rosemary
11:43DeCamp as Grandma Amanda Renfrew.
11:46Grandma Amanda brought real warmth and
11:48old-world elegance to her four
11:50appearances between 1970 and 1973,
11:53[music] and Rosemary DeCamp delivered
11:55every moment with the effortless ease of
11:57someone who had been doing this for
11:59decades. Because she genuinely had. By
12:01the time she stepped onto the Partridge
12:03Family set, she was already 59 years
12:05old, carrying a Hollywood resume
12:07stretching all the way back to the early
12:091940s. She had appeared alongside James
12:11Cagney, Cary Grant, and Ronald Reagan
12:14long before television became the
12:16dominant medium, making her one of the
12:18most quietly durable performers
12:20>> [music]
12:20>> in American entertainment history. She
12:22was the kind of actress that producers
12:24called when they needed someone
12:25dependable, someone who would show up,
12:27know her lines, elevate the material,
12:30and never cause a moment of trouble.
12:32Rosemary DeCamp passed away on February
12:3420th, 2001, at the extraordinary age of
12:3890, more leaving behind one of the
12:40longest and most respected careers in
12:42Hollywood character acting history.
12:44Number 13, we have [music] Bruce Kimmel
12:46as Richard Whipple. Bruce appeared in
12:48five episodes across 1971 [music]
12:51and 1973, playing rotating small
12:54characters including Richard Whipple and
12:55Freddy, the kind of supporting work that
12:57keeps a young actor busy while they
12:59figure out their next move. He was 23
13:01years old during those appearances,
13:03already thinking well beyond acting
13:05alone. While you when the cameras
13:06stopped rolling on his Partridge Family
13:08days, he made a decisive pivot [music]
13:10into writing, directing, and producing
13:13across film, television, and theater. He
13:16built a particularly strong reputation
13:18in [music] stage production, writing and
13:20directing numerous theatrical
13:21productions that earned [music] genuine
13:23industry respect. He also worked
13:25extensively as a record producer, adding
13:27yet another creative discipline to an
13:29already diverse portfolio. And what
13:31makes his story compelling is how
13:33completely he transformed a handful of
13:34minor TV appearances [music] into a
13:36launching pad for a rich multi-decade
13:39career behind the scenes. Now in 2026,
13:42Bruce Kimmel is 78 years old, almost
13:44certainly the most creatively prolific
13:46and surprising member of this entire
13:48supporting cast. Number 14, we have
13:51Mitzi Hoag as Miss [music] Fair O. Mitzi
13:53played Miss Fair O and a handful of
13:55similar roles across four episodes
13:57spread throughout the show's full run
13:59from 1970 to 1974. You she was 37 years
14:03old when she first appeared. Already a
14:05seasoned television [music] actress who
14:07had spent the 1960s accumulating guest
14:09spots on some of the era's biggest
14:10[music] shows, including The Andy
14:12Griffith Show, My Three Sons, and Room
14:15222. She [music] had a natural,
14:17understated quality on screen that made
14:19every character she played feel
14:20immediately grounded and real, even
14:22[music] when the part lasted only a few
14:24minutes. And the casting directors loved
14:26her reliability. She could walk into any
14:28scene and elevate it without ever
14:30overshadowing the leads. After her
14:32television work gradually slowed,
14:34>> [music]
14:34>> Mitzi stepped away from the industry and
14:36lived quietly out of the public eye for
14:38her remaining years.
14:39>> [music]
14:39>> She passed away on November 22nd, 2018
14:43at the age of 86. A deeply reliable
14:46fixture of classic American television
14:48who deserved far more recognition than
14:50she ever received. Number 15, we have
14:53[music] Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge.
14:56The Laurie was the sharp, principled
14:57older sister of the Partridge family.
14:59Always thoughtful, always grounded,
15:02always the voice of reason in the middle
15:03of whatever chaos the week had
15:05delivered. Susan Dey played her across
15:07all 96 episodes starting in 1970,
15:09>> [music]
15:10>> and here is what still surprises people.
15:11She was just 17 years old when filming
15:13began and had never acted a single day
15:15in her life before landing that role.
15:17She was a model who walked onto that set
15:19completely cold and made Laurie feel
15:21completely real. Behind the scenes
15:23though, the sudden overwhelming fame
15:25took a serious toll. Susan has spoken
15:28openly about developing anorexia during
15:30her teenage years on the show, a painful
15:32battle that unfolded entirely under the
15:34public gaze. She rebuilt brilliantly,
15:37winning a Golden Globe for L.A. Law in
15:39the late 1980s, and completing one of
15:41television's most impressive
15:43reinventions. She married producer
15:45Bernard Safranski in 1988.
15:47>> [music]
15:47>> Now in 2026, Susan Dey
15:51years old and has stepped away from
15:52public life almost entirely, which
15:54somehow makes her story the most
15:56intriguing one of all.

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