Danny Bonaduce
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Dante Daniel Bonaduce (; born August 13, 1959) is an American retired radio personality, actor, television personality and professional wrestler. Bonaduce is the son of veteran TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce ('' The Dick Van Dyke Show'', '' That Girl'', '' One Day at a Time'' and others). Bonaduce became famous as a child actor of the 1970s on the TV sitcom ''
The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 1970 to March 1974 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. After the final first-run telecast on ABC in March ...
''. He co-starred as Danny Partridge, the wisecracking, redheaded middle son of the singing family band (headed by
Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma! (film), Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel (fi ...
) and he portrayed the fictional pop group's bass guitar player. Since then, Bonaduce has starred in several other TV series, including the VH1 reality show '' Breaking Bonaduce'' in 2005, has done radio shows in Los Angeles and
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and hosted a morning talk/music show at
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radio station KZOK-FM from 2011 to 2023.


Early life

By his own account, Bonaduce grew up in a
dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...
and suffered severe physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father, TV writer and producer Joseph Bonaduce. Bonaduce's parents, Joseph and Betty, divorced in 1972.


Career


Acting

Bonaduce made a small appearance in the '' Bewitched'' season 5 episode "Going Ape", which aired on February 27, 1969, as a young boy in the park whose chimpanzee follows Samantha (
Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She portrayed the good witch List of Bewitched characters#Samantha Stephens, Samantha Step ...
) and Tabitha ( Erin Murphy) home. Bonaduce had a substantial role on '' The Ghost & Mrs. Muir'' on the first-season episode ''Jonathan Tells It Like It Was'', aired March 1, 1969. He played competitor Danny Shoemaker in a history essay contest with Mrs. Muir's son Jonathan. Danny's father Joseph Bonaduce wrote the episode. In ''
The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 1970 to March 1974 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. After the final first-run telecast on ABC in March ...
'' Bonaduce played the role of Danny Partridge, a member of the musical Partridge family. In the show, the Partridges were a family band that toured the country in their hip, Mondrian-inspired, painted school bus. Danny Partridge played bass guitar for the band and his younger siblings, Tracy and Chris, contributed to the band as percussionists. The series ran for four seasons, from 1970 to 1974 and, in 2003, Bonaduce was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role on the series. He also voiced Danny in the 1974 Saturday morning cartoon '' Partridge Family 2200 A.D.'' Bonaduce made several movies during and after the run of ''The Partridge Family'', including '' Corvette Summer'' (1978) starring Mark Hamill. 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 the television action drama '' CHiPs''. His career withered in the early 1980s. Bonaduce and ''Partridge Family'' co-star Dave Madden made
cameo appearances A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...
in a 1994 episode of '' Married... with Children''. That same year, he appeared on an episode of '' Space Ghost Coast to Coast''. He has also guest-starred in the first two episodes of the seventh season of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' and as the son of
Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma! (film), Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel (fi ...
's character in the fourth season of ''
The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995, to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionaliz ...
''. Bonaduce has appeared as himself on the detective series ''
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'' and on the show '' Girlfriends''. Bonaduce guest-starred with J. D. Roth (with whom he would later reunite for ''Breaking Bonaduce'') on a celebrity episode of '' Sex Wars''. In 1999, Bonaduce appeared in the Christmas episode, "Sabrina, Nipping at Your Nose", of ''
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appea ...
''. During his radio work, Bonaduce was the host of the segment "Bonaduce's Buzz" as part of WMAQ-TV's morning newscast ''First Thing in The Morning'' with Art Norman and Allison Rosati in 1994; but he left the station the following year to concentrate on his syndicated talk show. During the 1995–96 TV season, Bonaduce was the host of ''
Danny! Daniel Keith Swain (born August 18, 1983), known mononymously as Danny!, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and composer. Swain rose to prominence after his debut performance on ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'', where he premiered h ...
'', a syndicated talk show featuring the house band The Critics. From 2001 to 2003, Bonaduce co-hosted '' The Other Half'', a daytime talk show positioned as a complementary show to '' The View'', on which he starred with
Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway theatre, Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on ''Saved by the Bell'', ''S ...
,
Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...
and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Jan Adams (who was later replaced by actor Dorian Gregory). During this time, he was also a Hollywood correspondent for the Australian morning show '' Today''. In 2005, Bonaduce starred in '' Breaking Bonaduce'' a VH1 reality show about his turbulent life with his wife Gretchen. In 2006, he had a recurring role in the crime scene drama '' CSI'' as a character known as Izzy Delancy – a once great, but philandering, rock star, the victim of the infamous miniature killer. He also hosted the short-lived tabloid-themed game show '' Starface'', on Game Show Network. In 2007, Bonaduce was both host and judge of the show '' I Know My Kid's a Star'', 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 Star''. Bonaduce, admitting his own less-than-stellar track record, was a commentator for
TruTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...
's '' TruTV Presents: World's Dumbest...'' from 2008 to 2013.


Radio and music

Bonaduce's self-titled debut LP was released in 1973 by Lion Records, a subsidiary label of MGM Records. The single from the album, "Dreamland" was a minor hit. In the late 1980s, Bonaduce had become an on-air radio personality. He worked an overnight shift at Philadelphia's WEGX-FM. From 1994 to 1996, Bonaduce hosted his own radio show, ''The Danny Bonaduce Show'' on The Loop WLUP in Chicago. Between 1996 and 1998, Bonaduce hosted a morning radio show in Detroit on
WKQI WKQI (95.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, featuring a Contemporary hit radio, top 40 (CHR) format known as "Channel 955", pronounced "nine-five-five". Owned by iHear ...
with comedian and ''
Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' is an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, and again in 2014 and 2015. Each season a comedian from an initially large group of hopefuls was picked as ...
'' winner
John Heffron John Heffron (born July 19, 1970) is an American stand-up comic. Career John started his comedy career as a student at Eastern Michigan University, skipping night classes to perform stand-up comedy. He got his first gig as an emcee at the Main ...
. In 1998 Bonaduce was the morning show host for New York City's Big 105 WBIX for a brief period. 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.-based KLSX station. In February 2009, it was announced that the station had changed its format from talk to
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
and the removal of ''Broadcasting Bonaduce'' from the KLSX schedule was confirmed. Bonaduce is an ordained minister; he was ordained online to perform a wedding ceremony as part of a 94WYSP radio promotion in early 2011. Bonaduce co-hosted the morning-drive show for
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
radio station 102.5 KZOK beginning on November 14, 2011. Bonaduce came to Seattle from a radio stint at 94 WYSP in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, following a format change from classic rock to all sports radio in September 2011. On April 29, 2022, Bonaduce announced that he was taking a temporary medical leave from his Seattle radio show to pursue treatment for an undisclosed illness. In December 2023, Bonaduce announced that December 15 would be his last day on the air.


Altercation with Jonny Fairplay

On October 2, 2007, Bonaduce was involved in an altercation with '' Survivor'' show participant Jonny Fairplay during the Fox Reality Awards. Toward the end of the awards show, Fairplay 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 stage as Fairplay called him back. Fairplay then jumped on Bonaduce to hug him and Bonaduce stated later that he was uncomfortable with Fairplay's hands near his throat. Bonaduce, a black belt in
Tang Soo Do Tang Soo Do (; ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean martial art based on karate which can include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by ...
, adjusted his balance and grip and threw Fairplay over his head. Fairplay fell to the floor, face first, unable to halt his fall with his hands due to the microphone he was holding. Fairplay 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 had any negative interactions before that incident, but that they had met occasionally in the past. He said he had never liked Fairplay, mostly because Fairplay, true to his form, had lied about his grandmother's death during his first run on ''Survivor''. While Bonaduce did not believe Fairplay was significantly hurt at the time, TMZ.com confirmed that Fairplay bled significantly, lost some teeth and suffered a broken toe. Fairplay pressed charges and a felony battery investigation was opened by the police. On October 5, 2007, the L.A. District Attorney's office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove Bonaduce had committed battery, because the contact had been initiated by Fairplay and Bonaduce had acted in self-defense.


Boxing and wrestling

As an adult, Bonaduce boxed Donny Osmond and former Brady Barry Williams in separate charity events. Bonaduce won both fights, gaining a decision over Osmond and a TKO over Williams. On June 11, 2007, it was announced that Bonaduce would box attorney Robert Shapiro for a charitable event. On September 13, 2008, Bonaduce defeated "Reverend" Bob Levy 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 retired baseball player José Canseco at a charity event in the Philadelphia area. Bonaduce reportedly trained for the fight in
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with boxer Angelo Núñez. On January 24, 2009, Bonaduce and Canseco fought to a majority draw. In April 1994, it was announced that Bonaduce would be making his
professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
debut in a " dark match" at the Spring Stampede in Chicago. On April 17, 1994, Bonaduce stepped into the ring at the Rosemont Horizon. His opponent was another 1970s TV star, the Brady Bunch's Christopher Knight. Bonaduce won. Bonaduce had his second professional wrestling match at
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
's
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...
event Lockdown 2009 against Eric Young, which he lost. Bonaduce was a key player in the series '' Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling''.


Writing

In 2002, Bonaduce released an autobiography, ''Random Acts of Badness''.


Personal life

Bonaduce has a black belt in karate. Bonaduce married his first wife, Setsuko Hattori in 1985 and they divorced in 1988. On November 4, 1990, Bonaduce met second wife Gretchen Hillmer on a blind date and, on a whim, they married the same day. Despite the unusual start to the marriage, the two remained married for over sixteen years and had two children together. On April 9, 2007, the two divorced, citing irreconcilable differences. Bonaduce began dating his current wife, Amy Railsback, in April 2007. They met at a
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in the Los Angeles area. Railsback, who is 23 years his junior, is a former substitute school teacher. She now manages Bonaduce's career full-time, runs Gravel Tones Productions Inc and is occasionally seen in sketches on '' The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...'' on
truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable Television channel, channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts reruns of Television comedy, comedy, Reality television, docusoaps and reality shows, with a rec ...
. He proposed to Amy in March 2009 and the couple married on November 22, 2010, at the Four Seasons on
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. They maintain homes in both Los Angeles and in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. Bonaduce and David Cassidy, his ''
The Partridge Family ''The Partridge Family'' is an American musical sitcom created by Bernard Slade, which was broadcast in the United States from September 1970 to March 1974 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. After the final first-run telecast on ABC in March ...
'' costar, remained close friends until Cassidy's death on November 21, 2017. On January 20, 2018, Bonaduce attended Cassidy's memorial service in Los Angeles. Bonaduce also met actress
Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as ''Oklahoma! (film), Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel (fi ...
on the set of ''The Partridge Family.'' Jones often allowed Bonaduce to stay at her home to avoid his difficult home life. According to Jones, Bonaduce was "smart" and "talented" but a troublemaker off-camera, who "was still a kid and would do kid things like get a dish of food and throw it across the room or have a pillow fight". Bonaduce later commented that "Shirley Jones could not have been kinder to me".


Arrests

On March 9, 1990, he was arrested while attempting to buy cocaine in Daytona Beach, Florida. Bonaduce was there to host an event for D.A.R.E., an anti-drug campaign aimed at children. Bonaduce was eventually fired from WEGX. He later became the morning shift DJ at KKFR-FM in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. On March 31, 1991, Bonaduce was arrested in Phoenix for beating and robbing Darius Barney, a
transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...
sex worker; "authorities said the victim suffered a broken nose and a cut to his face." Soon after, he was fired from KKFR. In July of the same year, Bonaduce pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Among his punishments, he was required to pay Barney's medical bills. Later that same year, Bonaduce returned to WEGX in Philadelphia.


Political views

Bonaduce has expressed his mostly conservative political views during guest appearances. He is a strong supporter of capital punishment and a strong military. Bonaduce has made several controversial statements regarding left-wing or liberal celebrities, such as saying
Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...
should have been executed for treason for her support of
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during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. He also stated on
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's '' Scarborough Country'' 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'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...
.


Health

In June 2023, Bonaduce announced that he would be undergoing
hydrocephalus Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, which can cause pressure to increase in the skull. Symptoms may vary according to age. Headaches and double vision are common. Elderly adults with n ...
-related surgery after experiencing difficulty walking and maintaining his balance.


Retirement

In December 2023, Bonaduce announced his retirement from Seattle radio and his planned relocation to
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.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


Further reading

* Dye, David. ''Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985''. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 23.


External links

* *
Interview with Danny and more about the music.

When Young Stars Burn Out
MSN
Jan 10 2009 Audio Interview with In Your Head
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonaduce, Danny 1959 births 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American sportsmen American game show hosts American male child actors American male comedians American male karateka American male professional wrestlers American male television actors American male voice actors American people of Italian descent American radio personalities California Republicans Comedians from Los Angeles Comedians from Pennsylvania Living people Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Pennsylvania Participants in American reality television series Pennsylvania Republicans People from Marple Township, Pennsylvania Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania Radio personalities from Philadelphia