# Alan Thicke

Alan Willis Thicke (born Alan Willis Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 – 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains on ABC. In 2013, he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

## Early life

Thicke was born on 1 March 1947 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, the son of Shirley "Joan" Isobel Marie (née Greer), a nurse, and William Jeffrey, a stockbroker. They divorced in 1953. His mother remarried Brian Thicke, a physician, and they moved to Elliot Lake. Alan Thicke graduated from Elliot Lake Secondary School in 1965 and was elected homecoming king. He went on to attend the University of Western Ontario, joining the Delta Upsilon fraternity.

## Career
### Hosting
#### Game shows

Thicke hosted the Canadian game show Face the Music for CHCH-TV by Niagara Television in 1975 (not affiliated with Sandy Frank Productions' 1980-81 version). He hosted the Canadian game show First Impressions on the CTV network during the 1976–77 season, taped at CFCF-TV in Montreal, the Saturday morning celebrity game show Animal Crack-Ups in the late 1980s, and, in 1997, a television version of the board game Pictionary. In the early 2000s, he hosted the All New 3's a Crowd on the Game Show Network.

#### Talk shows

Norman Lear hired Thicke to produce and head the writing staff of Fernwood 2 Night, a tongue-in-cheek talk show based on characters from Lear's earlier show, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. In the late 1970s, he was a frequent guest host of The Alan Hamel Show, a popular daytime talk show on Canadian TV, usually hosted by Alan Hamel. When the Hamel series ended in the early 1980s, it was replaced by The Alan Thicke Show. The show at one point spawned a prime-time spinoff, Prime Cuts, which consisted of edited highlights from the talk show.
Thicke was later signed to do a US syndicated late-night talk show, Thicke of the Night, for the 1983–1984 TV season. Heavily promoted prior to broadcast as a competitor to NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Thicke of the Night was short-lived.

### Producing and composing

Thicke had a successful career as a TV theme song composer, often collaborating with his then-wife Gloria Loring on these projects, which included the themes to the popular sitcoms Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. He also wrote a number of TV game show themes, including The Wizard of Odds (for which he also sang the vocal introduction), The Joker's Wild, Celebrity Sweepstakes, The Diamond Head Game, Animal Crack-Ups (which he co-wrote with his brother Todd Thicke and Gary Pickus), Blank Check, Stumpers! Whew! and the original theme to Wheel of Fortune. Thicke was a popular songwriter. He co-wrote "Sara", a solo hit for Bill Champlin and included on the latter's Runaway album (1981).
Thicke produced a variety of television shows, including Anne Murray Christmas specials for the CBC, beginning in the late 1970s.

### Growing Pains

Thicke became well known when he played Jason Seaver, a psychiatrist and father, on the family sitcom Growing Pains. When the show began, Jason was moving his psychiatry practice into the home to be closer to the family's children while the family matriarch Maggie, played by Joanna Kerns, resumed her career as a reporter. Growing Pains debuted on ABC in 1985 and ran until 1992. For his role, Thicke was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1988.
Thicke reprised his role in two reunion TV movies, The Growing Pains Movie (2000) and Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers (2004).

### Television and film appearances

Thicke co-hosted the Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade (now the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade) with Joan Lunden from 1983 to 1990, when he was succeeded by Regis Philbin. Thicke also hosted the 1987 and 1988 Crystal Light National Aerobic Championships.
In 1987, Thicke appeared as Dr. Jonas Carson, who creates an android that looks just like a human teenage boy (played by Jay Underwood), and he "adopts" him as his son in the Disney Channel film Not Quite Human. Thicke reprised his role as Jonas Carson in two sequels, 1989's Not Quite Human II and 1992's Still Not Quite Human.
In 1988, he hosted the Miss USA Pageant in El Paso, Texas, replacing Bob Barker (who quit over fur being involved in the pageants). He replaced Barker again as host of the 1988 Miss Universe Pageant (along with Tracy Scoggins) in Taipei, Taiwan. Thicke was replaced by Dick Clark as host of the 1989 Miss USA Pageant in Mobile, Alabama and by John Forsythe as host of the 1989 Miss Universe Pageant in Cancún, Mexico.
Thicke continued to host a wide range of variety TV events. In 1989, he co-hosted with SCTV alumna Andrea Martin the TV special Opening of SkyDome in Toronto, which aired across Canada on the CBC. In 2004, he hosted the Miss Universe Canada Pageant in Ontario.
In 1992, Thicke appeared as himself in the pilot episode of the sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. He appeared in the end-credits scene, alongside series star Mark Curry, humorously referencing the pilot episode being filmed on the same set used as the Seavers' home on Growing Pains. He also made guest appearances on shows such as Murder, She Wrote, Married... with Children, Son of the Beach and 7th Heaven.
From 1995 to 1996, Thicke appeared on the American television series Hope & Gloria, which ran for 35 episodes. In March 2002, Thicke participated in a celebrity version of Fear Factor. In May 2002, he appeared in the season six finale of Just Shoot Me, "The Boys in the Band." From 2006 to 2009, Thicke was talk show host Rich Ginger on The Bold and the Beautiful.
From 2001 to 2003, Thicke hosted Animal Miracles on the Pax TV network. In April 2006, he hosted Celebrity Cooking Showdown on NBC, in which celebrities were teamed with famous chefs in a cooking competition.

#### Later appearances

In 2008, Thicke appeared in a major supporting role as Jim Jarlewski in the television series adaptation of Douglas Coupland's jPod. That same year, he had a cameo appearance in the How I Met Your Mother episode "Sandcastles in the Sand" as the dad in Robin Scherbatsky's second "Robin Sparkles" music video. He guest starred as himself in the episodes "The Rough Patch", "Glitter", "P.S. I Love You", and "The Rehearsal Dinner".
In February 2009, Thicke made guest appearances on Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job. and the web series Star-ving. He also had a role in the 2009 film, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. On 10 July 2009, Alan appeared on the 1000th episode of Attack of the Show!, singing with Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn, kissing Olivia on lips in the end of the skit.
Thicke made a guest appearance on a few episodes of Canada's Worst Handyman 5. In January 2010, Thicke appeared on the television program, Tosh.0. In March 2010, he made an appearance in La La Land as himself. In October 2010, he appeared as a celebrity contestant on Don't Forget the Lyrics, where he played for the charities ProCon.org and the Alan Thicke Center for diabetes research.
In March 2013, he participated on ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap. He swapped wives with comedian Gilbert Gottfried. From 2014 to 2015, Thicke starred in his own reality series, Unusually Thicke, which aired on Pop.
In October 2016, Thicke appeared as himself in the pilot episode of NBC's This is Us.

#### Other hosting

During 2014 and 2015 Thicke hosted a travelling dance show Dancing Pros Live which toured the United States.

#### Commercials

In the 1990s, Thicke was the spokesman for the Canadian division of Woolco department stores until its demise in 1994. In 2007, Thicke appeared in a television ad for Tahiti Village, a Las Vegas time-share resort. In 2009, Thicke began appearing in TV ads endorsing CCS Medical, a distributor of home-delivered diabetes supplies. In 2014, he began representing Optima Tax Relief.
From 2011, Thicke was the spokesperson for Cambridge Life Solutions, a Canadian company that promised to reduce unsecured consumer debt through a method known as debt settlement, which had been outlawed in the United States by the Federal Trade Commission as a predatory practice in 2010 and was subsequently banned in Ontario in 2015. According to Scott Hannah, the president and CEO of the Credit Counseling Society of Canada, the company, which was accused of "bilking thousands of vulnerable Canadians" eventually dominated half of the Canadian market due to Thicke's hiring "as a spokesman who was very credible to Canadians."

## Personal life

Thicke was married three times: His first marriage, to Days of Our Lives actress Gloria Loring, lasted from 1970 until 1984; they had two sons, Brennan and Robin. In 1987 at the age of 40, Thicke began dating 17-year old Kristy Swanson. Two years later, they were engaged but never married. He married his second wife, Miss World 1990 Gina Tolleson, on 13 August 1994, and had a son, Carter William Thicke, before their divorce was finalized on 29 September 1999. In 1999, he met Tanya Callau in Miami, where he was a celebrity host and she was a model. They were married from 2005 until his death.
Thicke lent his name and star power to supporting the Alan Thicke Center for diabetes research. Also, for several years in the mid-1980s, Thicke and Gloria Loring were co-hosts of Telemiracle, an annual 20-hour telethon that alternated between Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, to support programs run by the Kinsmen Club.

## Death

On 13 December 2016, Thicke collapsed while playing ice hockey with his son Carter at Pickwick Gardens in Burbank, California. The manager of the rink said he was talking and even joked to his son to take a photo as he was being wheeled out on a stretcher. Thicke died later that day of type-A aortic dissection at the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, at age 69. On 19 December 2016, the cast of Growing Pains, including Leonardo DiCaprio, reunited at Thicke's funeral; a eulogy was given by his friend Bob Saget, and his son, Robin, offered a humorous remembrance. He was buried at Santa Barbara Cemetery in Santa Barbara, California.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | The Point! | Narrator / Father | Voice, third telecast |
| 1983 | Copper Mountain | Jackson Reach | |
| 1987 | Not Quite Human | Dr. Jonas Carson | |
| 1989 | Not Quite Human II | Dr. Jonas Carson | |
| 1991 | And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird | Matthew Carson / Newman | Voice |
| 1992 | Still Not Quite Human | Dr. Jonas Carson / Bonus | |
| 1993 | Stepmonster | George Dougherty | |
| 1993 | Betrayal of the Dove | Jack West | |
| 1995 | Open Season | Xanex | |
| 1996 | Demolition High | Slater | |
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Reverend Wright | |
| 1998 | Casper Meets Wendy | Baseball Announcer | |
| 2000 | Bear with Me | Ken Robinson | |
| 2000 | Ice Angel | Coach Parker |
| 2001 | Xin shi zi jie tou (X-Roads) | Steve | |
| 2001 | Teddy Bears' Picnic | Himself | |
| 2003 | Carolina | Chuck McBride – Perfect Date Host | |
| 2003 | Hollywood North | Peter Casey | |
| 2004 | Raising Helen | Hockey Cantor | |
| 2004 | Childstar | J.R. | |
| 2006 | Alpha Dog | Douglas Holden | |
| 2006 | The Surfer King | Pipeman | |
| 2009 | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard | Stu Harding | |
| 2009 | RoboDoc | Dr. Roskin | |
| 2012 | That's My Boy | TV Version Donny's Dad | |
| 2012 | Hemingway | Paul Hemmingway | |
| 2013 | Cubicle Warriors | Peter Hoss | |
| 2015 | Being Canadian | Himself | Documentary |
| 2017 | It's Not My Fault and I Don't Care Anyway | Patrick Spencer | Posthumous release |
| 2017 | The Clapper | Himself | Posthumous release |
| 2017 | Love's Last Resort | Paul Roberts | Posthumous release (final film role) |

### Television
#### Series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1969 | It's Our Stuff | | Regular |
| 1974 | Jack: A Flash Fantasy | Jack of Diamonds | |
| 1978 | America 2-Night | Doug | Episode: "I Am Democracy" |
| 1980–1982 | The Alan Thicke Show | Himself/host | Also writer and producer |
| 1983–1984 | Thicke of the Night | Himself/host | Also writer and executive producer |
| 1984 | Masquerade | | Episode: "Sleeper" |
| 1984 | The Love Boat | Alan Price / Robert McBride / Senator Bob Townsend | 3 episodes |
| 1985 | Scene of the Crime | Craig Spears | Episode: "A Vote for Murder" |
| 1985–1992 | Growing Pains | Jason Seaver | |
| 1990 | The Hitchhiker | Mickey Black | Episode: "Tough Guys Don't Whine" |
| 1992 | Travelquest | Host | |
| 1993 | Murder, She Wrote | Harrison M. Kane | Episode: "The Phantom Killer" |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | | Episode: "Who Killed the Beauty Queen?" |
| 1995 | Minor Adjustments | Roger | Episode: "The Ex-Files" |
| 1995 | Hope & Gloria | Dennis Dupree | |
| 1996–1997 | Married... with Children | Henry / Bruce | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | The Outer Limits | Donald Rivers | Episode: "A Special Edition" |
| 1997 | Pictionary | Host | |
| 1999 | Arliss | Doctor | Episode: "Rules of the Game" |
| 2000 | Beggars and Choosers | | Episode: "The Woodhouse Conundrum" |
| 2000 | Son of the Beach | Captain 'Buck' Enteneille / Captain Buck Enteneille | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | 7th Heaven | Ed Palmer | Episode: "Parents" |
| 2001–2003 | Animal Miracles | Himself | Host |
| 2002 | Just Shoot Me! | Himself | Episode: "The Boys in the Band" |
| 2003 | EGG, the Arts Show | Alan Scott | Episode: "Broadway Workshop" |
| 2004 | My Wife and Kids | Magician | Episode: "Fantasy Camp: Part 2" |
| 2005 | Yes, Dear | Joel | Episode: "The New Neighbors" |
| 2005 | Half & Half | Gavin Storm | Episode: "The Big Mothers for Others Episode" |
| 2005 | Joey | Himself | Episode: "Joey and the Poker" |
| 2006–2009 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Rich Ginger | 7 episodes |
| 2007 | Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide | Hal E. Burton | Episode: "Spring Fever & the School Newspaper" |
| 2008 | About a Girl | Dude's Dad | Episode: "About a Homecoming" |
| 2008 | JPod | Jim Jarlewski | 13 episodes |
| 2008–2013 | How I Met Your Mother | Himself | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show | Dr. Alan Thicke | Season 4, Episode 2 (The Cinco Napple) |
| 2010 | Canada's Worst Handyman 5 | Himself | |
| 2010 | Tosh.0 | Himself | Episode: "Crystal Light Dancers (Reunion)" |
| 2011 | I'm in the Band | Simon Craig | 5 episodes |
| 2011 | This Hour Has 22 Minutes | Himself | |
| 2012 | The L.A. Complex | Donald Gallagher | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Fugget About It | Richard Wheatthin | Episode: "Screw You, Mr. Wonderful" |
| 2013 | Celebrity Wife Swap | Himself | Season 2, episode 3 |
| 2014 | Unusually Thicke | Himself | Reality show; 14 episodes |
| 2014 | American Dad! | Himself | Episode: "Permanent Record Wrecker" |
| 2015 | Scream Queens | Tad Radwell | Episode: "Thanksgiving" |
| 2015 | The Jack and Triumph Show | Himself | Episode: "Commercial" |
| 2016 | Grandfathered | Himself | Episode: "Jimmy's 50th, Again" |
| 2016 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Walter Morgan | Episode: "Unholy Matrimony" |
| 2016 | This is Us | Himself | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2016 | The Eric Andre Show | David Alan Thicke (with David Alan Grier) / Himself | Season 4, Episode 9 |
| 2016 | Fuller House | Mike | Episode: "Mom Interference" |
| 2016 | Chopped Junior | Judge | Season 3, Episode 8 |
| 2016 | The Stanley Dynamic | Episode: "The Stanley Band" |
| 2017 | Chopped | Contestant | Season 33; 5 epi. "Star Power" tournament *Posthumous release |

#### Television movies

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Copper Mountain | Jackson Reach | |
| 1984 | Calendar Girl Murders | Alan Conti | |
| 1986 | Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star | Steve Carr | |
| 1987 | Not Quite Human | Dr. Jonas Carson | |
| 1988 | 14 Going on 30 | The real Forndexter | |
| 1988 | Obsessed | Conrad Vaughan | |
| 1988 | Dance 'til Dawn | Jack Lefcourt | |
| 1989 | Not Quite Human II | Dr. Jonas Carson | |
| 1990 | Jury Duty: The Comedy | Phil Beckman | |
| 1992 | The Trial of Red Riding Hood | The Wolf | |
| 1992 | Still Not Quite Human | Dr. Jonas Carson/Bonus Carson | |
| 1993 | Rubdown | Raymond Holliman | |
| 1994 | Lamb Chop in the Haunted Studio | Alan | |
| 1995 | Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah | Alan | |
| 1996 | Windsor Protocol | Senator Joplin Hardy | |
| 1996 | Shari's Passover Surprise | Alan | |
| 1996 | The Secret She Carried | Reed Epperson | Uncredited |
| 1997 | Shadow of the Bear | William Andrich | |
| 1997 | Any Place But Home | August Danforth | |
| 1998 | Thunder Point | Joplin Hardy | |
| 1998 | Casper Meets Wendy | Baseball Announcer | |
| 1999 | Two of Hearts | Hank Powers | |
| 2000 | Ice Angel | Coach Parker | |
| 2000 | The Growing Pains Movie | Jason Seaver | |
| 2004 | Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers | Jason Seaver | |
| 2010 | Making a Scene | The Producer | |
| 2013 | Camp Sunshine | Ken Handcourt | |
| 2013 | Bad Management | Tobias Sr. | |
| 2013 | Let It Snow | Ted Beck | |
| 2014 | A Cookie Cutter Christmas | Chef Kruger | |
| 2016 | Stop the Wedding | Sean Castleberry | |
| 2017 | Loves Last Resort | Paul Roberts | |

## Books

* Thicke, Alan (May 1999). How Men Have Babies: The Pregnant Father's Survival Guide. Contemporary Books. ISBN 978-0-8092-2806-5.
* Thicke, Alan (27 April 2006). How To Raise Kids Who Won't Hate You: Family Wisdom and Humor from a Favorite TV Dad. iUniverse Star. ISBN 978-0-595-84288-9.

## Honours

* 1982: Star named after him in the International Star Registry
* 1988: Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series – Comedy/Musical for Growing Pains
* 1998: Nominated – Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Audience Participation Show/Game Show for Pictionary (co-executive producer)
* 2013: Inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
* 2015: Brampton Arts Walk of Fame
* 2016: Canadian Icon award, Whistler Film Festival