Petersen, Paul 1945–

(Paul Peterson)

PERSONAL

Full name, William Paul Petersen; born September 23, 1945, in Glendale, CA; married Brenda Benet (an actress), June 22, 1967 (divorced, 1970); married Hallie Litman, 1974 (divorced, 1988); married Rana Jo Platz, December 27, 1992; children: one daughter; (second marriage) two children. Education: Earned two college degrees.

Addresses: Contact—c/o A Minor Consideration, 14530 Denker Ave., Gardena, CA 90247.

Career: Actor and writer. Performed as a singer and recording artist briefly in the 1960s; former operator of a limousine service. A Minor Consideration (child actor support group), founder and president, 1990–; United Nations, delegate to World Safety Organization; Hollywood Entertainment Labor Council, past vice president; Donna Reed Foundation, member and volunteer at annual Donna Reed Festival.

Awards, Honors: Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award, Young Artist Awards, 1997, for The Donna Reed Show.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Paul, The Mickey Mouse Club, ABC, 1955.

Jeff Stone, The Donna Reed Show, ABC, 1958–66.

John Carruthers, General Hospital, ABC, 1988.

Also host of the series Dream Girl of '67, ABC.

Television Appearances; Movies:

"Along the Oregon Trail"," Disneyland (also known as Disney's Wonderful World, The Disney Sunday Movie, The Magical World of Disney, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, and The Wonderful World of Disney), 1956.

Peter Duren, Something for a Lonely Man, NBC, 1968.

Ace's dad, Scout's Honor, NBC, 1980.

Stanfield, Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All (also known as Mickey Spillane's "Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All"), CBS, 1989.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Jim Hawk as a boy, "Black Jim Hawk," The Ford Television Theatre (also known as Ford Theatre), ABC, 1956.

(As Paul Peterson) "Man in the Elevator," The George Sanders Mystery Theatre, NBC, 1957.

Guest, The Dick Clark Show (also known as The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show), ABC, 1959.

Dan Grant, "Walk in Another's Footsteps," The Virginian (also known as The Men from Shiloh), NBC, 1964.

(As Peterson) Title role, "Johnny Eagle Eye," F Troop, ABC, 1966.

Jerry, "None So Righteous," Please Don't Eat the Daisies, NBC, 1967.

Lieutenant Cox, "Suspicion," Custer (also known as The Legend of Custer), ABC, 1967.

Frank, "Steel Chain to a Music Box," The Iron Horse, ABC, 1967.

Dean Devlin, "To Kill a Writer," Mannix, CBS, 1968.

(As Peterson) Sonny Howard, "Song of Bertrille," The Flying Nun, ABC, 1968.

(As Peterson) Roy, "The Long Ride," The Big Valley, ABC, 1968.

"The Ex-Con," The Smith Family, ABC, 1971.

Fred Cope, "Operation: Time Fuse," O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, CBS, 1971.

Harold, "Love and the Bashful Groom," Love, American Style, ABC, 1971.

"Treasure of Saint Ignacio," Cannon, CBS, 1972.

Eugene Bodine, "Baby/Marathon: Battle of the Sexes," Fantasy Island, ABC, 1979.

Guard, "Joey's Here," Matt Houston, ABC, 1982.

"Fear for Tomorrow," Matt Houston, ABC, 1983.

"A Deadly Parlay," Matt Houston, ABC, 1983.

Cop, "Love You to Death," Matt Houston, ABC, 1983.

Third officer, "Criss-Cross," Matt Houston, ABC, 1984.

Officer Fredicks, "The Secret Admirer," Matt Houston, ABC, 1984.

Policeman, "Vanished," Matt Houston, ABC, 1984.

Cop, "The Nightmare Man," Matt Houston, ABC, 1985.

Policeman, "Final Analysis," Finder of Lost Loves, ABC, 1985.

Guest, Our Time, NBC, 1985.

"The Grey Team," The A-Team, NBC, 1986.

Lucky, "The Card Game," Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (also known as Beyond Belief), Fox, 1998.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Celebrity Party (also known as Dick Clark's "Celebrity Party"), ABC, 1963.

Himself (in archive footage), The Mickey Mouse Club Story, 1995.

The Making of a Child Star, E! Entertainment Television, 1997.

Bob Crane: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1998.

Donna Reed: I'll Take the Moon, Arts and Entertainment, 1998.

Bill Bixby: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1999.

Lauren Chapin: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 1999.

Child Stars: Their Story (also known as Child Stars), Arts and Entertainment, 2000.

The Curse of the Little Rascals: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Jeff "Moondoggie" Griffen, Gidget Grows Up, ABC, 1969.

Charlie Stefan, Elke, CBS, 1971.

Coach, High School, U.S.A., NBC, 1984.

Television Appearances; Other:

Steve, In the Year 2889 (also known as 2889 and Year 2289), 1967.

Also appeared in Ozzie and Harriet: The Adventures of America's Favorite Family.

Film Appearances:

(Uncredited) Joey, This Could Be the Night, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1957.

(Uncredited) Bobby, The Monolith Monsters, Universal, 1957.

(Uncredited) Little boy, Day of the Bad Man (also known as Decision at Durango, Law of the Trigger, and Point of Decision), Universal, 1958.

David Winters, Houseboat, Paramount, 1958.

Tony Biddle, The Happiest Millionaire, Buena Vista, 1967.

Blue Lake, A Time for Killing (also known as The Long Ride Home), Columbia, 1967.

J. C. Sutton, Journey to Shiloh, Universal, 1968.

Paul Conway, Mommy II: Mommys Day, 1997.

Himself, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (also known as Dickie Roberts: (Former) Child Star), Paramount, 2003.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

Albums include My Dad, Columbia, and Bye Bye Birdie. Singles include "She Can't Find Her Keys," 1962, "Amy," and "Lollipops and Roses."

WRITINGS

Walt, Mickey, and Me (autobiography), Dell, 1977.

Also author of a nonfiction book, High Performance Driving.

Adventure Novels in "Smuggler" Series:

The Smugglers, Pocket Books, 1974.

Mother Luck, Pocket Books, 1974.

Fools Trade, Pocket Books, 1974.

Murder in Blue, Pocket Books, c. 1975.

The Crystal Fortress, Pocket Books, 1975.

Welcome to Oblivion, Pocket Books, 1975.

Death Benefit, Pocket Books, 1975.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Petersen, Paul, Walt, Mickey, and Me, Dell, 1977.

Periodicals:

Movieline, October, 1993, p. 27.

Electronic:

A Minor Consideration, http://www.minorcon.org, August 29, 2006.

Paul Petersen Official Site, http://www.paulpetersen.com, August 29, 2006.