Eight Is Enough Actors You Might Not Know Passed Away

The popular comedy-drama series "Eight is Enough," which ran for five seasons on ABC between 1977 and 1981, is perhaps best remembered today for its sunny depiction of a large family, the Bradfords. Led by columnist Tom (Dick Van Patten), the family of eight lives in Sacramento, California. The series generated a quartet of teen idols: Grant Goodeve (eldest son David), Willie Aames (middle kid Tommy), Adam Rich (the youngest Nicholas), and Ralph Macchio (Abby's nephew Jeremy). The series generated 112 episodes before falling to declining ratings, though two reunion TV movies (1987's "Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion" and 1989's "An Eight is Enough Wedding") followed.

Though the Bradfords were the focus of "Eight is Enough," the series also introduced a host of recurring and supporting characters who orbited their adventures. Many of those performers — and indeed, most of the original cast — remain active today. Others have exited the business or passed away, which is not surprising given that the series ended four decades ago. These are the actors from "Eight is Enough" you might not know died.

Actor and educator Michael Thoma played Tom Bradford's best friend Dr. Greg Maxwell in 23 episodes of "Eight is Enough." Thoma was a graduate of the esteemed American Academy of Dramatic Acts — his classmates included Grace Kelly and Don Rickles — and he later taught at the Academy while also pursuing a career on Broadway. He served as production supervisor or stage manager for many major productions, including the original runs of "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Oh! Calcutta!"

Thoma's screen career kicked off in the 1970s while he served as administrator and later director of the Academy's West Coast campus. A guest star on series like "The Rockford Files" and "The Bionic Woman," Thoma came to "Eight is Enough" in its debut episode, "Never Try Eating Nectarines Since Juice May Disperse," and returned to the show on multiple occasions. When "Eight is Enough" concluded its network run, Thoma enjoyed a recurring role on "Fame" as drama teacher Mr. Crandall.

Thoma's character was sent off from "Fame" in a moving episode that also generated a hit single, "Starmaker," which reached the Top 40 in the United Kingdom in 1983. Thoma, who left the series during a two-year bout with cancer, died of the disease at the age of 55 on September 3, 1982.

An irrepressible comic presence in dozens of TV shows and features, Larry Gelman played Officer Bernstein in six episodes of "Eight is Enough." His arc on the series began with the Season 2 two-parter "Yes Nicholas, There is a Santa Claus," and concluded with Season 5's "Starting Over." While logging time on "Eight is Enough," Gelman also guest-starred on numerous other series, including "Maude," "Quincy M.E.," "The Love Boat," and "One Day at a Time."

Gelman kept a similarly breathless schedule throughout his long career, which began in the mid-1960s with a turn as Sigmund Freud on the sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie." Short in stature and gifted with both a pliable face and sharp comic timing, he played offbeat or streetwise roles on "The Monkees," "Batman," and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," as well as recurring appearances as Oscar Madison's pal Vinnie on "The Odd Couple" and urologist Bernie Tupperman on "The Bob Newhart Show." He also netted an Emmy nomination as a paranoid man who smashed security cameras in a grocery store in a 1977 episode of "Barney Miller."

Between these assignments, Gelman also turned up in an array of eclectic film projects, ranging from Disney features like "Superdad" and counterculture comedies like "Tunnel Vision" to studio movies like "Dreamscape" and "Mr. Saturday Night," and even oddities like an adults-only musical version of "Alice in Wonderland." He remained active well into the '00s with guest turns on shows like "ER," and he also worked on two entries in the video game franchise "Command & Conquer," which cast him as Albert Einstein. The Brooklyn native died of complications from a fall at the age of 90 on June 7, 2021.

Lani O'Grady, who played Mary Bradford (the eldest of Tom and Joan Bradford's daughters), hailed from a performing family — her brother was actor/musician Don Grady, who starred in the '60s sitcom "My Three Sons." O'Grady began appearing on episodic series like "The High Chaparral" in the late 1960s before landing her first work as a series regular with "Eight is Enough." She remained with the series for its entire five-season run and reprised Mary in both TV movies.

When "Eight is Enough" left the airwaves in 1981, O'Grady continued to work for a brief period, but she then left acting due to mounting health issues. Beginning in her late teens, O'Grady began experiencing severe panic attacks and anxiety, which she attempted to control with prescription drugs. She became addicted to the medication and checked into multiple treatment centers over the years.

O'Grady opted to retire from acting for good and follow in the footsteps of her mother, Mary Grady, who was a Hollywood talent agent for young actors. She returned to treatment in the late 1990s and died in her home in California on September 25, 2001. An autopsy revealed that the 46-year-old had toxic levels of medication, including Vicodin and Prozac, in her system at the time of her death.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

The two-parter "And Baby Makes Nine," which kicked off Season 5 of "Eight is Enough," is largely devoted to Susan's pregnancy and the complications experienced prior to her delivery. Baby Sandy arrived prematurely and with respiratory problems, which lent some drama to the episodes. It also helped to balance out the episode's curious padding, which consisted of flashbacks to Susan and Merle's relationship culled from previous episodes.

Victoria Racimo played Dr. Kuo in both parts of "And Baby Makes Nine," which came during a very busy period in her career. The former Broadway dancer and Julliard graduate began appearing on television in the 1960s and graduated to features with the counterculture drama "The Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart" in 1970. Appearances on "The Mod Squad" and "Kung Fu" led to her most prominent feature film role as a Native American woman battling a giant, mutated bear in John Frankenheimer's cult horror film "Prophecy." She was Native American on her mother's side, she said in 2015.

Racimo continued to act throughout the 1980s, most notably in recurring roles on "The Chisholms" and "Falcon Crest," but later moved behind the camera. She served as executive producer of the 2006 HBO feature "Casi Casi" and directed the 2015 documentary "One Day," which concerned a retirement haven for thoroughbred horses. Racimo died at the age of 69 on November 29, 2020.

The arrival of Betty Buckley as Tom's girlfriend and eventual second wife Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott also brought actors Louise Latham and Dennis Patrick into the fold as her parents, Katherine and Harry. Both made their debut in the two-part Season 2 episode "Children of the Groom," which focused on the emotions experienced by Tom's kids when he decided to marry Abby. Katherine and Harry later returned for Season 3's "All the Vice President's Men," which saw Nicholas invite the Vice President of the United States to the family's Thanksgiving dinner. The couple made their final "Eight is Enough" appearance in Season 3's "Inlaws and Outlaws," in which Katherine arrived at the Bradfords after leaving Harry.

Latham, a native of Hamilton, Texas, rose to fame in the early 1960s when Alfred Hitchcock cast her as the mother of star Tippi Hedren in "Marnie." The fact that Latham was only seven years older than Hedren underscored her versatility, which she showcased in numerous features and on television for the next five decades. Her feature film output included Steven Spielberg's "The Sugarland Express" (with Gregory Walcott) and Jonathan Kaplan's "Love Field." She was more prolific on television as both a guest star on series like "The Fugitive" (she appeared in the final ever episode) and as recurring characters on shows like "Family Affair" (Aunt Fran) and "Designing Women" (Perky).

Latham's turn as a 118-year-old woman on "The X-Files" in 2000 marked her final screen appearance — she died on February 12, 2018, at the age of 95.

Season 4 saw the Bradfords head to Hawaii for a family vacation in the two-part episode "Fathers and Other Strangers." While much of the episodes were devoted to the various siblings enjoying fun in the sun, a significant portion also focused on dramatic material anchored by character actor David Wayne as Tom's estranged dad. The arc relied greatly on the talents of Van Patten and Wayne to carry the weight of their troubled relationship.

A two-time Tony winner whose Broadway career included the original run of "Mister Roberts" (for which he was replaced as Ensign Pulver by none other than Dick Van Patten), Wayne was a gifted and versatile player who tackled a diverse array of roles over the course of his long career. His resume includes classic comedies like "Adam's Rib" (with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn), musicals like "How to Marry a Millionaire" (one of four films in which he co-starred with Marilyn Monroe), and classic dramas like "The Three Faces of Eve." Between these efforts, he enjoyed a rare leading role as a child killer in a remake of "M" and a scientist battling a plague in Robert Wise's "Andromeda Strain."

Wayne's TV career produced an Emmy nomination for a 1957 episode of the anthology series "Suspicion." He had guest turns on "The Twilight Zone," "Hawaii Five-O," "Family," and "Batman," in which he played The Mad Hatter. He co-starred in the critically praised medical sitcom "House Calls" from 1978 to 1982 and made his final screen appearance in "Poker Alice," a Western TV movie with a rare turn by Elizabeth Taylor. Lung cancer claimed Wayne's life at the age of 81 on February 9, 1995.

Billie Bird, who lent a touch of eccentric charm to feature films and television episodes for more than four decades, turned up briefly in the Season 2 episode "Dark Horse," in which Mary made a bid for a city council chair with the Sacramento Board of Education. Bird's character doesn't even have a name, but her offbeat presence adds to the episode's comic elements, which was her calling card and appeal to many filmmakers and producers.

Bird began her career in vaudeville before segueing into musical comedy and burlesque in the late 1940s and 1950s. A popular fixture on the nightclub and Las Vegas circuits, she began appearing in features and on television in the '50s, often in uncredited roles. By the 1960s and '70s, Bird was appearing in character roles on series like "The Waltons" while also turning in brief but memorable appearances in features like "Max Dugan Returns." A turn as one of Molly Ringwald's many grandparents in "Sixteen Candles" led to more collaborations with John Hughes, including "Home Alone" and "Dennis the Menace."

During this period, Bird also worked extensively on TV, most notably as a series regular on "Benson" (as Rose Cassidy, the replacement chef) and "Dear John" (as the startlingly frank Margie Philbert). She remained in demand throughout the 1990s, popping up in the likes of "Ernest Saves Christmas" and "Police Academy 6: City Under Siege." She died on November 27, 2002 at the age of 94.