William Paul Petersen Bio/Wiki, Net Worth, Married 2018
William Paul Petersen (born September 23, 1945) is an American actor, singer, novelist, and activist.Petersen first rose to prominence in the 1950s playing Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show, and transitioned to a singing career in the 1960s. In the early 1980s, he had a recurring role as a police officer on Matt Houston, and in the late 1990s, he played the author Paul Conway in the film, Mommy's Day.In 1990, Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation, family education, and personal intervention and counseling for those in crisis.
[on the 1982 suicide of ex-wife Brenda Benet] In Hollywood, people make a great pretense at understanding the human condition. Particularly people on the soap operas. And they themselves are so poisoned by false values that they cannot, even with a co-worker, see the pain and lonliness [sic] and suffering.
2
[on losing wife Brenda Benet to Bill Bixby] I was so angry I couldn't see straight, and what doubled this pain was that Bill was really visible. You know, he was going great guns and I was going in the toilet.
3
[on his work with A Minor Consideration] People on the "utside", people who have not lived the life . . . "civilians", as we call them . . . are not equipped to deal with the masterful deceptions of former kid stars. For God's sake, when you don't know what to do with a former child star, call on the only group of people who DO know. We never say, "I told you so". We never seek retribution. We do not judge lest we be judged. We simply help.
4
I became a child actor because my mom was bigger than I was.
5
[on being fired from The Mickey Mouse Club (1955) for punching a casting director] I was rambunctious and confrontational and undisciplined. Heck, my third-grade teacher said that "while Paul was one of the smartest boys in his class, his behavior is abominable". And that pretty much explains why I was fired. I didn't know that kid actors aren't supposed to be children.
6
They say children in [the Hollywood acting] industry are protected. Bullshit. Hollywood would save Bosnia before the life of a single child actor.
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Fact
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Williamsburg, VA, USA: Attended the annual film festival. [March 2011]
2
Paul is still heading up the growing advocacy group, A Minor Consideration, protecting young professionals. [December 2001]
3
Board Member for the Donna Reed Foundation, and works at the Donna Reed Festival in Denison, Iowa the third week in June every year.
4
In addition to playing siblings "Jeff" and "Trisha" on The Donna Reed Show (1958), he is the real-life big brother of Patty Petersen.
Served the United Nations as a delegate for the World Safety Organization, and represented 300,000 film workers as Vice President of the Hollywood Entertainment Labor Council.
7
Mickey Rooney was the main influence on Paul to get him to leave Hollywood after his career crashed and burned and getting an education. He eventually earned college degrees in English and history.
8
Was allegedly fired from The Mickey Mouse Club (1955) by Walt Disney himself for "conduct unbecoming"--for bad behavior. One incident included punching the casting director in the stomach for being called a "mouse" one too many times.
9
He has one daughter born in 1987 from a brief affair.
$1.7 Million
