Dante Daniel "
Danny"
Bonaduce (born August 13, 1959) is an American
radioA radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
/television personality,
comedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, professional wrestler, and former
child actorThe term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
. Born in
Broomall, PennsylvaniaBroomall is a census-designated place in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,046 at the 2000 census. The community was named after John Martin Broomall, a 19th century U.S...
, Bonaduce is the son of veteran TV writer/producer Joseph Bonaduce (
The Dick Van Dyke ShowThe Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
,
Mayberry RFD,
One Day At A TimeOne Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
,
Good TimesGood Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
,
The WaltonsThe Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
).
The younger Bonaduce became famous as a
child actorThe term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
of the 1970s on the sitcom/television series
The Partridge FamilyThe Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
. Bonaduce co-starred as Danny Partridge, the wisecracking, redheaded middle son of the singing pop band (headed by
Shirley JonesShirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. In her six decades of television, she starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! , Carousel , and The Music Man...
). He and Shirley Jones were the only Partridge cast members whose actual names were also that of the character he/she portrayed on screen. Danny was the fictional pop group's bass guitar player.
Bonaduce was part of
The Adam Carolla Show in 2007. In 2008 he was given a daily one-hour solo spot known as
Broadcasting Bonaduce, which was broadcast locally on the
L.A.Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based
KLSXKAMP-FM 97.1 FM, known on-air as 97.1 AMP Radio, is a Rhythmic Contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. The station is owned by CBS Radio.The station had long been known as KLSX before the call sign changed on June 30, 2009....
station. In February 2009, it was announced that the station had changed its format from talk to Top 40, and
Broadcasting Bonaduce was removed from the KLSX schedule. On November 10, 2008, Bonaduce began hosting the morning drive time on WYSP in Philadelphia, where he remained until the announcement that 94WYSP would go off the air, being replaced by Sports Talk 610WIP. His final broadcast on that station was on August 26, 2011. On October 31, 2011,
CBS RadioCBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
announced that Bonaduce has been hired for mornings at Seattle radio station
KZOK-FMKZOK-FM is a commercial radio station located in Seattle, Washington, broadcasting on 102.5 FM. It is owned by CBS Radio and airs a classic rock music format.-History:KZOK signed on in 1964 as KTW-FM and simulcasted KTW-AM...
beginning November 14.
Early life
By his own account, Bonaduce grew up in a
dysfunctional familyA dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
and suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of his father, veteran TV writer and producer Joe Bonaduce.
Acting
In the television series
The Partridge FamilyThe Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
, Bonaduce played the role of Danny Partridge, a member of the musical Partridge family. In the show, the Partidges were a family band that toured the country in their hip, Mondrian-inspired, painted school bus. Danny Partridge played bass guitar for the band. Danny Partridge's siblings, Tracy and Chris, contributed to the band as percussionists.
Bonaduce's
eponymous debutAn eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
LP was released in 1973 by Lion Records, a subsidiary label of
MGM RecordsMGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
. Bonaduce has admitted that his vocals can barely be heard on the album; most of the singing was provided by
Bruce RobertsBruce Roberts is a singer and songwriter. In 1995 he released the album Intimacy which featured musical and vocal contributions by many notable artists...
.
Bonaduce made several movies during and after the run of
The Partridge Family. Perhaps the most memorable of his films was
Corvette SummerCorvette Summer is an American film, released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1978 starring Mark Hamill and Annie Potts. It tells the story of a lonely, car-obsessed California teenager and the theft of his beloved customized Corvette Stingray.-Plot summary:...
(released in 1978), starring
Mark HamillMark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
(of
Star WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
fame.) Hamill and Bonaduce played high school students who went in search of a stolen customized Corvette Stingray. Bonaduce also made guest appearances on several TV shows, including multiple appearances on the popular police dramedy
CHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
. His career withered in the early 1980s.
Bonaduce and
Partridge Family costar
Dave MaddenDave Madden is a Canadian-born American actor. He was born in Sarnia, Ontario, but was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. His most famous role came in the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family in which he played the group's manager, Reuben Kincaid.- Career :Madden first gained notice as a milk-drinking,...
made cameo appearances in a 1994 episode of
Married... with ChildrenMarried... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
. That same year, he appeared on an episode of
Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
. Later, when the episode was supposed to be on DVD, he refused it because he didn't like the show. He has also guest-starred in the first two episodes of the seventh season of
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
and as the son of
Shirley JonesShirley Mae Jones is an American singer and actress of stage, film and television. In her six decades of television, she starred as wholesome characters in a number of well-known musical films, such as Oklahoma! , Carousel , and The Music Man...
' character in the fourth season of
The Drew Carey ShowThe Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
. Bonaduce has appeared as himself on the detective series
MonkMonk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
, and on the show
GirlfriendsGirlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
. Bonaduce guest-starred with J. D. Roth (who he would later reunite with for
Breaking Bonaduce) on an episode of
Sex Wars. In 1999, Bonaduce appeared in the Christmas episode, "Sabrina, Nipping at Your Nose", of
Sabrina, the Teenage WitchSabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a teenage fictional character named Sabrina Spellman. The character was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo. The comic's characters have also appeared in various other media...
, after Salem buys a Twelve Days of Christmas package at the 89 Cents Store, Bonaduce appears sitting in a pear tree, which Salem then exclaims, "Danny Bonaduce! This is the best "Partridge" in a pear tree I could ask for!".
He also played a small cameo role in The Jerk Theory.
Radio and Post-Partridge Television
In the late 1980s, Bonaduce had become an on-air
radio personalityA radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
. He worked an overnight shift at Philadelphia's WEGX-FM.
In 1996, it was announced that Bonaduce would host his own syndicated talk show,
The Danny Bonaduce Show. A reunion of most of the cast of
The Partridge Family was confirmed, including last season regular Ricky Segall and executive producer Bob Claver.
Susan DeySusan Dey is an American actress, known primarily for her roles in film and television. Her more prominent parts came as elder daughter, Laurie Partridge, on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, and as Grace Van Owen, a California assistant district attorney and judge on the dramatic series, L.A...
was unable to attend, but called into the show and reminisced with Bonaduce for a few minutes.
David CassidyDavid Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
was working on a new album at the time and was unable to participate in the show.
From 2001 to 2003, Bonaduce co-hosted
The Other HalfThe Other Half was an American daytime talk show which aired on NBC between 2001 and 2003. The show was hosted by music and game show host Dick Clark, former child actors Mario Lopez and Danny Bonaduce, and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Jan Adams . It was intended as a male counterpart to the popular ABC...
,a daytime
talk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
positioned as a complementary show to
The View, on which he starred with
Mario LopezMario Michael Lopez, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell, which he also portrayed as a regular on Saved by the Bell: The College Years...
, Dick Clark, and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Jan Adams (who was later replaced by actor
Dorian GregoryDorian Gregory is an American actor most notable for playing Darryl Morris on the television show Charmed, and as the fourth and final permanent host of Soul Train, replacing Shemar Moore.-Background:...
). During this time, he was also a Hollywood correspondent for the Australian morning show
TodayToday and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
.
In 2007, Bonaduce was both host and judge of the show
I Know My Kid's a StarI Know My Kid's a Star is an American competitive reality television TV show starring Danny Bonaduce of the 1970s TV show The Partridge Family as host and primary judge. Casting agent Marki Costello stars as co-host and secondary judge...
, a reality show on VH1 featuring parents and children trying to break into show business. He also appeared as a judge on the Australian version of the show,
My Kid's a StarMy Kid's a Star is a Australian reality/talent show program based on the American series I Know My Kid's a Star. Hosted by Cameron Daddo, it started airing during prime time on the Nine Network from 9 April 2008 in a 60 minute format...
.
Bonaduce has appeared as a guest on television news channels to express his political views. He is a strong supporter of
capital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and a strong military. He has made several controversial statements regarding left-wing or liberal celebrities, such as his remarks that
Jane FondaJane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
should have been shot for treason for her role in support of the Vietnamese authorities during the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He also stated on
MSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
's
Scarborough CountryScarborough Country was an opinion/analysis show broadcast on MSNBC Monday - Thursday at 9 P.M. ET. It was hosted by former congressman Joe Scarborough....
that "personally I think at this point if anyone had a rope thick enough, I think that Rosie should be strung up for treason", referring to
Rosie O'DonnellRoseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
.
Bonaduce, admitting his own less-than-stellar track record, gets the last laugh as a commentator for TruTV's
TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest.... On the show, he ripped off one of his own eyebrows on-screen.
Bonaduce appeared in a Christmas Day episode of
1 vs. 1001 vs. 100 is a game show created by Endemol that is aired in several countries. The game pits one person against 100 others for a chance to win a large cash prize. The game first aired in the Netherlands as Eén tegen 100, sponsored by the Nationale Postcode Loterij .- General format :In all...
, where much of the mob was connected to The Twelve Days of Christmas including Bonaduce as the "partridge in a pear tree" in reference to Danny Partridge.
Bonaduce starred in
Breaking BonaduceBreaking Bonaduce is an American reality series on VH1 that starred former child actor Danny Bonaduce and his wife Gretchen. The series premiered in September 2005 and ended in December 2006.-Overview:...
in 2005, a
reality televisionReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show on
VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. In one famous scene, a
bottleA bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
of
vodkaVodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
was gulped down by Bonaduce, who subsequently raced across the
highwayA highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
on his
scooterA scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
. He also hosted the short-lived
tabloid-themedTabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
game showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
StarfaceStarface is an American television game show which ran on GSN on August 1, 2006 to November 4, 2006. Reruns aired until January 2007.-Format:...
, on the
Game Show NetworkThe Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
.
He appeared in two episodes of
Gene Simmons Family JewelsGene Simmons Family Jewels is an American reality television series that premiered on A&E on August 7, 2006. The show follows the life of KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons, his longtime partner Shannon Tweed, and their two children, Nick and Sophie....
. In the first episode, Bonaduce helped Simmons' partner
Shannon TweedShannon Lee Tweed is a Canadian actress and model. One of the most successful actresses of mainstream erotica, she is identified with the genre of the erotic thriller...
to determine if a
lie detector"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...
could possibly be defeated by Simmons. In the second episode, Bonaduce appeared with
Adam CarollaAdam Carolla is an American radio personality, television host, comedian, and actor. He currently hosts The Adam Carolla Show, a talk show distributed as a podcast on the ACE Broadcasting Network...
while Simmons was hooked up to a
lie detector"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...
. Questions were posed both to Gene Simmons and Shannon by Bonaduce while each was hooked up to the polygraph machine.
Bonaduce received an award from the comedic TV show
The SoupThe Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...
in 2009, and in a scripted sketch, he refused to read his acceptance speech, and then he kissed show host
Joel McHaleJoel Edward McHale is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, television producer, television personality, and voice artist. He is best known for hosting The Soup and for his role as Jeff Winger on Community....
.
On October 31, 2011, it was announced by
SeattleSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
radio station 102.5 KZOK that Bonaduce would be co-hosting their morning-drive show beginning on November 14, 2011. Bonaduce came to Seattle from a radio stint at 94 WYSP in
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, losing his job there following a format change from classic rock to all sports radio in September, 2011.
Arrests
Danny had several arrests following his Partridge Family days, but two were especially high-profile incidents.
On March 9, 1990, he was arrested while attempting to buy cocaine in Daytona Beach, Florida. Ironically, Bonaduce was there to host an event for
D.A.R.E.Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known as DARE, is an international education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. D.A.R.E., which has expanded globally since its founding in 1983, is a demand-side drug control strategy of the U.S....
, an anti-drug campaign aimed at children.
http://articles.philly.com/1990-03-12/news/25905179_1_partisan-politics-partridge-family-tv-crack Bonaduce was suspended from WEGX, and then reinstated under the condition he attend therapy and drug rehabilitation. He was eventually fired from WEGX and moved to a shift at KKFR-FM in Phoenix, Arizona.
Bonaduce was not in that job long before another arrest made national news. On March 31, 1991, he was arrested on charges of robbing and beating a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix. Police found him hiding in a closet in his apartment. Police alleged he had picked up the prostitute in his car. According to the police report, Bonaduce beat and kicked the prostitute before taking his money back. Residents heard screaming and called police.
"When I picked him up," Bonaduce later explained, "I thought he was a girl. I picked him up, he got in my car. As soon as he got in and the dome light hit him, it was obvious. He wasn't a good transvestite. If he was a good transvestite, I might never had known. I was wasted. He gets in the car and I said, 'Oh, sorry, wrong car.' And he says, 'Well you took me off my corner, give me $40.00.' I said 'Dude, wrong car, hop out!' This went on for 6 or 7 minutes and he still wouldn't get out. So I get out of the car, opened his door and pulled him out of the car. But when I did, I see he's this huge guy, about 220 pounds. I weighed 150 pounds! I attacked him first, not because I wanted to, I just thought I was going to have to and I'm too small to take the punishment from a 220-pound man. If he had hit first, I would have gone down and stayed down. So I attacked him and it turned into a fight".
http://www.nndb.com/people/720/000022654/ Following his arrest, he was fired by KKFR.
In 2010, while appearing on a reunion of famous TV families on NBC's
Today, [David Cassidy] remarked, "Whenever [Bonaduce] gets arrested, for some reason, people call me." The two remain friends and have performed together on many occasions in the years following the
Partridge Family.
Altercation with Jonny Fairplay
On October 2, 2007, Bonaduce was involved in an altercation with infamous
SurvivorSurvivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
show participant Jon "Jonny Fairplay" Dalton during the
Fox Reality AwardsThe Fox Reality Awards is an awards show to honor achievements in reality television. It was broadcast by the Fox Reality Channel from 2006 to 2009 when the channel was replaced in 2010 by National Geographic Wild.-Favorite Fight:...
. Toward the end of the awards show, Dalton appeared onstage and was booed by the audience. Bonaduce walked on stage and explained that the audience reaction was "because they hate you." Bonaduce was walking off the stags as Dalton called him back. Dalton then jumped on Bonaduce to hug him and Bonaduce stated later that he was uncomfortable with Dalton's hands near his throat. Bonaduce, a
black beltIn martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in
Tang Soo DoTang Soo Do is a Korean martial art promoted by Hwang Kee that has roots in various martial arts, including taekkyeon and Subak.-Etymology:...
, adjusted his balance and his grip, and Dalton was thrown up and over Bonaduce's head. Dalton fell to the floor, face first. Dalton stood up after a few moments and staggered before slowly walking off stage, his back to the audience. Bonaduce then smiled and proceeded to make faces and exaggerated shrugging motions at the audience before walking off stage.
Bonaduce later said the two had never previously had any negative altercations or words, but that they had met occasionally in the past. He said he had never liked Dalton, mostly because Dalton, in true "Jonny Fairplay" form, had lied about his grandmother's death during his first run on
Survivor. While Bonaduce did not believe Dalton was significantly hurt at the time,
TMZ.comTMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
confirmed that Fairplay bled significantly, lost some teeth and suffered a broken toe.
Dalton chose to press charges, and a felony battery investigation was opened by the police; Bonaduce was named as a suspect. On October 5, 2007, the L.A. District Attorney's office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove Bonaduce had committed a battery, because the contact had been initiated by Dalton and Bonaduce had acted in self-defense.
Boxing and Wrestling
As an adult, Bonaduce boxed
Donny OsmondDonald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
in a charity event and later boxed former
BradyThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
,
Barry WilliamsBarry William Blenkhorn , known professionally as Barry Williams, is an American actor best known for his role as Greg Brady in the ABC television series The Brady Bunch.-Early life and career:...
, in a separate event. Both contests were won by Bonaduce, gaining a decision over Osmond and a
TKOA knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
over Williams. On June 11, 2007, it was announced that Bonaduce would box
attorneyA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Robert Shapiro for a charitable event.
On September 13, 2008, "Reverend" Bob Levy was defeated by Bonaduce by a TKO in the second one-minute round of a planned three-round fight. Prior to the event, Levy had slapped Bonaduce while visiting Bonaduce's dressing room.
It was announced in early January 2009 that Bonaduce would box against retired
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player
José CansecoJosé Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
at a charity event in the Philadelphia area. Bonaduce reportedly trained for the fight in
Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
with boxing great Angelo Nuñez. On January 24, 2009, Bonaduce and Canseco fought to a
majority drawA majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts, and others sports involving striking. In a majority draw, two of the three judges agree that neither fighter won , while the third judge indicates one fighter being the clear winner on his/her...
, even though Canseco outweighed Bonaduce by 100 pounds, and had a one-foot height advantage.
Bonaduce was a key player in the series
Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship WrestlingHulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling was an American reality television program broadcast on CMT that aired for eight episodes in 2008. The first episode aired on October 18, 2008. In Australia, the show premiered in July 2009 on the FOX8 channel. FOX8 is a subscription TV channel...
.
In April 1994, it was announced that Bonaduce would be making his
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
debut in a "Dark Match" at the Spring Stampede in Chicago. On April 17, 1994, Bonaduce stepped into the squared circle at the Rosemont Horizon (
Allstate ArenaAllstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Rosemont, Illinois.It is home to the Chicago Rush, of the Arena Football League, DePaul University's men's basketball team, the Chicago Wolves, of the AHL, and the Chicago Sky, of the WNBA.It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and...
). His adversary was another 1970s TV star, the Brady Bunch's Christopher Knight. Bonaduce triumphed.
Bonaduce had his second professional wrestling match at
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
's April
pay-per-viewPay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event LockdownLockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 19, 2009 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the fifth event under the Lockdown chronology...
against
Eric YoungJeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
, in which he lost.
On Nov 14, 2010 Danny Bonaduce teamed with Jimmy Deo to defeat The Dark Dragons at Regional Championship Wrestling's Megabrawl 5 in Reading, PA.
Writing
In 2002, Bonaduce released an autobiography,
Random Acts of Badness. It was a New York Times bestseller.
Personal life
The younger Bonaduce became famous at the age of eleven in the television series
The Partridge FamilyThe Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
, starring as the middle son, Danny Partridge. Danny stood out with his naturally red hair and wisecracking. His character was the constant bane of the family's manager, Reuben Kincaid, portrayed by
Dave MaddenDave Madden is a Canadian-born American actor. He was born in Sarnia, Ontario, but was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. His most famous role came in the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family in which he played the group's manager, Reuben Kincaid.- Career :Madden first gained notice as a milk-drinking,...
. In real life, Madden was something of a second father to Bonaduce, taking Danny into his home during periods of domestic strife in the boy’s own home. Bonaduce also had a close relationship with co-star Shirley Jones.
Following the end of the series, Bonaduce's late teens and twenties involved drug abuse and even a period of homelessness. On his own radio show on August 4, 1997, the actor told listeners that he had lived in his car behind
Grauman's Chinese TheatreGrauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
for a time, while being greeted by fans and autograph seekers.
In 1985, Bonaduce married Japanese real estate agent Setsuko Hattori. The marriage lasted three years. On November 4, 1990, Bonaduce met second wife Gretchen Hillmer on a blind date. Bonaduce married Hillmer the same day, later telling fans that he asked Hillmer to sleep with him, and she said she only would if they were married. Despite the unusual start to the marriage, the two remained married for eight years, and had two children together, Isabella and Dante. Hillmer spoke to the press about her husband's ongoing struggles with drug abuse, stating she had lain down in the couple's driveway when Bonaduce was going to get in his car to buy drugs. She told him he would have to drive over her first.
By the time he met Hillmer, Bonaduce had been fired by WEGX-FM in Philadelphia for drug use and had been arrested in Phoenix, Arizona for an altercation with a transvestite prostitute. Bonaduce has publicly stated that Hillmer took an interest in him when no one else did, and that she went to great lengths to help him maintain his sobriety, which usually lasted only for brief periods. In an episode of A&E's Biography first telecast in 2006, Bonaduce openly discussed his long struggle with drugs and alcohol. On April 9, 2007, Bonaduce's drug and alcohol abuse had taken its toll on the marriage, and the two divorced, citing irreconcilable differences.
Bonaduce began dating his current wife, Amy Railsback, in April of 2007. They met at a Starbucks in the Los Angeles area. Railsback, who is 23 years his junior, was formerly a substitute school teacher. She now manages Bonaduce's career full-time, works as a writer for his radio show, and is occasionally seen in sketches on
The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...truTV Presents: World's Dumbest... is a cable television series produced by Meetinghouse Productions, Inc. and is airing on truTV...
on truTV. Danny proposed to Amy in March of 2009, and the couple married on November 22, 2010 at the Four Seasons on Maui, Hawaii. They maintain homes in both Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
External links