‘The Partridge Family’: Which Cast Members Are Still Alive?
C’mon get happy! In the 1970s TV series The Partridge Family, a group of musical siblings shoot to fame thanks to a catchy single and head out on the road with their mom. The show, which aired from 1970–74, was a pop culture phenomenon and made stars out of its young cast, including David Cassidy and Susan Dey.
Sadly, life after The Partridge Family wasn’t so kind to all the show’s actors. While some had successful post-show careers in Hollywood, others struggled with personal issues. Others dropped out of the spotlight altogether. Here’s a look at The Partridge Family cast and which stars are still alive.
Shirley Jones starred in ‘The Partridge Family’
Actor and singer Shirley Jones starred in hit movie musicals such as Oklahoma! and won an Academy Award for her performance in Elmer Gantry when she landed the role of Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family. It ended up being her defining role. She had “no regrets” about taking it, even though it caused her movie career to “go into the toilet,” she told the LA Times in 2009.
After the show ended, Jones continued to act, including in the short-lived sitcom Shirley. More recently, she’s appeared in Raising Hope and General Hospital.
Jones is now 89 years old. In 2023, she was on hand for a special screening of her movie The Music Man at the TCM Film Festival, along with her sons, Shaun Cassidy and Ryan Cassidy.
Susan Dey played Laurie Partridge
Susan Dey was a 17-year-old with no acting experience when she was cast as Laurie Partridge on The Partridge Family. After the show was canceled, she appeared in episodes of Hawaii Five-0, S.W.A.T., and The Streets of San Francisco, as well as a TV miniseries adaptation of Little Women. From 1986–92, she starred in L.A. Law as Grace Van Owen, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Emmy nomination.
Dey has since retired from acting. Her last role was in two episodes of Third Watch in 2004. She’s also distanced herself from The Partridge Family and has declined to participate in cast reunions.
Danny Bonaduce played Danny Partridge
Danny Bonaduce, who played Danny Partridge, had a troubled life after The Partridge Family. He continued to act, appearing in shows such as Eight Is Enough, Fantasy Island, Married With Children, and Diagnosis: Murder. He also worked as a professional wrestler.
Throughout much of his adult life, Bonaduce struggled with drugs and alcohol, even documenting his problems in his short-lived 2005 reality show, Breaking Bonaduce. He eventually got sober and became a successful morning radio DJ in Seattle before retiring in December 2023.
Jeremy Gelbwaks was the first actor to play Chris Partridge
Jeremy Gelbwaks played Chris Partridge in the first season of The Partridge Family. Unfortunately, he didn’t mesh well with the rest of the cast. In an interview with the Television Academy, Jones described her young co-star as “really good” in the pilot but also “troublesome” and an “outsider.” His overbearing stage parents wanted him on the show, but Gelbwaks wasn’t as enthusiastic. Producers replaced him after season 1.
The Partridge Family was Gelbwaks’ only major acting role. He later studied at UC Berkeley and Columbia University and worked as a computer analyst and technology planner, according to Closer Weekly.
Brian Forster joined ‘The Partridge Family’ in season 2
Brian Forster took over the role of Chris after Gelbwaks was fired. He came from a family of performers. His grandfather, Alan Napier, played Alfred on Batman, and his parents, Jennifer Raine and Ben Forster, were both actors.
Forster didn’t do much acting outside of The Partridge Family. He’s since worked as a science teacher, winemaker, and race car driver, he told The David Cassidy Connections podcast in 2020.
Rick Segall played Ricky Stevens
Rick Segall might not have been a member of the Partridge Family, but he still had a memorable role on the show as young singer Ricky Stevens. He’s still acting today and also co-hosts the YouTube show Our Stupid Reactions, which features him and co-host Korbin Miles reacting to Indian pop culture.
‘The Partridge Family’ cast members David Cassidy, Suzanne Crough, and Dave Madden have died
Unfortunately, several actors who rose to fame on The Partridge Family have since died.
Keith Partridge actor David Cassidy (Jones’ stepson in real life) died in 2017 at age 67. His time on the show made him a teen idol. However, he felt pigeonholed by the role and resented that he was never taken seriously as an actor because of it, his obituary in The Guardian noted. Instead, Cassidy found success as a singer, selling millions of records and performing to sell-out crowds. Later, he opened up about his addiction to alcohol. He died of liver failure in November 2017.
Suzanne Crough played Tracy Partridge on The Partridge Family. She continued acting after the show ended, with roles in Mulligan’s Stew and the TV movie Children of Divorce. She last appeared on screen in 1980. She married William Condray in 1985 and had two children. In 2015, she died suddenly at her home in Laughlin, Nevada, at age 52.
Dave Madden played kid-hating manager Reuben Kincaid on The Partridge Family. He later appeared on Alice and episodes of Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat. He died in 2014 at age 82.
Source: Closer Weekly, The Guardian
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