David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy (born
April 12,
1950) is an
American actor and musician, best known for starring in the television series
The Partridge Family from
1970 to
1974.
Early life
Cassidy was born at Flower Fifth Hospital in
New York,
New York, the son of
Irish American actor
Jack Cassidy and actress Evelyn Ward.
Career
Prior to
The Partridge Family, Cassidy appeared on
Marcus Welby, M.D.,
The Mod Squad,
Bonanza, and
Ironside. When he started working on
The Partridge Family nobody knew that he could sing, until Cassidy himself brought it up. He then took over the lead vocals for
The Partridge Family recordings and quickly became a
teen idol. He played Keith Partridge, son of Shirley Partridge, who was played by
Shirley Jones, Cassidy's real-life stepmother.
Ten albums by
The Partridge Family and several solo albums were produced during the run of the show. At his peak, Cassidy was one of the world's highest paid live entertainers. Yet, out of the approximate USD $500 million that
The Partridge Family made internationally, he was allegedly paid only $15,000. It was later claimed that Cassidy's fan club set the all-time record for the most paid-up members of any fan club at any one time. Cassidy's autobiography
C'mon Get Happy: Fear And Loathing On The Partridge Family Bus (1994) provides a concise and honest account of most aspects of his pop fame, including contracts, money and his devoted female following.
Rebelling against squeaky-clean Keith, Cassidy shocked his young fans by posing nude in the
May 11 1972 edition of
Rolling Stone magazine, for
Annie Leibovitz.
At a show in
London's
White City Stadium on
26 May 1974, 650 fans were injured in a crush at the front of the stage. Thirty were taken to hospital, and one fan, 14 year-old Bernadette Whelan, died on
30 May from her injuries.[
1] A shaken Cassidy later faced the press. The ill-fated show was the penultimate date on a world tour. By this point, Cassidy had already decided to quit both touring and acting in
The Partridge Family. He released three critically well-received solo albums on
RCA between 1975 and 1977, and also starred in an episode of
Police Story, for which he received an
Emmy nomination. Due to the success of the episode, NBC created a show based on it called
David Cassidy: Man Under Cover - butit was not a hit, prompting cancellation after just one season.
Cassidy has appeared in several
Broadway musicals, including a version of
Little Johnny Jones (played in the movies by
James Cagney) and the original version of
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat ,
Time on London's West End and
Blood Brothers opposite
Petula Clark and half-brother
Shaun Cassidy - among others. In 1996, he took over from
Michael Crawford in the Las Vegas show,
EFX, turning it around, with his complete re-write, into one of Las Vegas's favorite hit shows - although Cassidy quit after injuring his foot during a performance. He also created another show called
The Rat Pack Is Back, in which he made guest appearances as
Bobby Darin, and which ran very successfully. In 2000, he wrote and appeared in the Las Vegas show
At The Copa, with
Sheena Easton as both the young and old versions of the lead character.
In January 2005, he visited the morning-show host for
Chicago, Illinois oldies station
WJMK-FM for a week, enjoying many entertaining call-in conversations with fans - one of whom won the chance to have lunch with Cassidy.
Personal life
Cassidy's first wife was actress
Kay Lenz, whom he married in 1977 and divorced in 1982. His second wife was South African sports-woman Meryl Tanz, whom he married in 1984. Cassidy married his third wife Sue Shifrin-Cassidy on
March 30,
1991, with whom he has a son, Beau; he has a daughter,
Katherine, from a previous relationship. As 'Katie Cassidy', Katherine had one
CD-single, "I Think I Love You", released by
Artemis Records on
July 16,
2002 - the same song that was a
#1 hit for her father in the fall of
1970.
 |
David Cassidy, in a still from The Partridge Family |
Cherish Rock Me Baby Dreams are Nuthin' More than Wishes Cassidy Live! The Higher They Climb Home is where the Heart is Gettin' it in the Streets Romance His Greatest Hits - Live The Best of David Cassidy David Cassidy Didn't You Used to Be? Old Trick New Dog Classic Songs When I'm a Rock 'n' Roll StarThen and Now A Touch of Blue*
The Partridge Family Album*
Up To Date*
Sound Magazine*
Christmas Card*
Shopping Bag*
At Home With Their Greatest Hits*
The Partridge Family Notebook*
Crossword Puzzle*
Bulletin Board*
World of the Partridge Family*
Come On Get Happy!: The Very Best of The Partridge FamilyThe Night the City Screamed (1980)
Instant Karma (1990)
Spirit of '76 (1991)
*
David Cassidy's official web site*
David Cassidy video clips
