Alan Thicke is the proud dad to singing sensation Robin Thicke and star of "Unusually Thicke," his own reality show on POP TV (U.S.) and HGTV (Canada) which also stars his salsa-hot wife, Tanya, and youngest son, Carter. Middle son, Brennan, also an actor, is joining in the family biz. The proud papa image for Thicke seems to be both a fictional and real-life theme. One of the most popular on-screen TV daddies, Thicke is best known for his role as Jason Seaver on the long-running hit ABC TV series "Growing Pains" (which you Leonardo DiCaprio fans might remember was the breakout show that launched his career into film) and has sprung up consistently through the years in countless television shows, commercials and films.
For a fun twist to his dad image, watch Thicke on Wednesday, Nov. 24 in a special and timely Thanksgiving episode of the hot "killer" series "Scream Queens," whose starring cast includes Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin and Jamie Lee Curtis.
With his distinctive voice and flair for comedy, Thicke is also one of the most sought-after masters of ceremonies in show business. And we bet you didn't know he's got a long list of music credits including composing those catchy TV theme songs for "The Facts of Life," "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Wheel of Fortune."
Yes, this energetic Canadian has made his mark end to end in the entertainment industry. From headlining in Vegas to Broadway (in the musical "Chicago" as Billy Flynn), hosting game and talk shows, as a producer and writer for a multitude of television comedy specials and series, as an actor with Emmy, Gemini and Golden Globe Award nominations and an induction into Canada's Walk of Fame and successful talk shows ("The Alan Thicke Show," "Thicke of the Night").
Thicke spills the beans with some exclusive "Scream Queens" episode tidbits and what it takes to achieve such a diversified career.
I had no idea of really how extensive your body of work is. What haven't you done?
I've never won an Oscar! (laughs) I always say the fun of my career has been the variety of it. If I ever could have been fabulous at one thing, I would have chosen that. If I could have been as funny as Ricky Gervais or as dramatic as De Niro or as musical as Robin (Thicke), I would have gone that way. But instead I was a master of "B" talent. I used to call myself a "fast food Renaissance man." To do a bunch of s--t and do it all OK...Well enough to have some fun with it.
I read somewhere that you said something to the effect that the jobs William Shatner turned down you would get?
Oh yes, I'm the affordable Shatner.
You're constantly going from one project to the other. I admire your energy.
Well, you know how it works. You've been in the business for a long time. You know we have to reinvent ourselves or at least stay active, stay in there in the board meetings and in front of the network decision-makers. I believe in being proactive. I call mine a constructive, productive insecurity - where you don't wait for the phone to ring. You make the phone ring. Either you form alliances that people want to be part of, or you create or acquire properties, ideas, scripts, and then you're proactive. You create meetings and you have viable, credible projects, and that creates meetings and networking, and sometimes those projects get done, and sometimes it just reminds them that you're around and leads to something else.
I do a fair amount of lecturing to college students and that kind of thing. I always tell them to be proactive. Guys who are in the gym all day looking perfect and waiting for the phone to ring are still looking perfect and waiting for the phone to ring. The guys with the ideas are out there hitting the street.
Hobbies?
My hobby is trying to keep track of my children and grandchildren. If I find an opportunity to spend an afternoon, I do it. There's five of them. They're all busy. Two grandchildren, three sons, all different demographics and pursuits, so it's an adventure to spend the kind of time that I like with them. Fortunately, they all live reasonably close by. So that's one of my main off-camera pursuits.
What about sports?
I play a lot of sports. Tennis league, hockey, softball, golf...I'm involved in a bunch of charities, so just about every week there's some kind of fundraising golf event.
Is there any mystery about your life you want to reveal?
I'm kind of an open book. I don't have many secrets. The corny truth about my life is that my image is that of a family guy [and] is pretty consistent, at least as a father. That's who I really am or at least aspire to be. I've probably over-indulged and spoiled my children to some degree just because they've always been the most important element in my life. I'm way better as a father than I am as a husband. But even that's going well now. I celebrated my 16th anniversary with Tanya. Sixteen years since we met, been married for 10. I feel I'm even getting that one right in the later chapter of my "book."
You played Billy Flynn in one of my favorite musicals, "Chicago," on Broadway. Will you be doing another musical?
Starting in about two weeks, I'm on a tour. I'm a lead in a family Christmas musical, "The Toy Shoppe," written by Kenny Rogers. He did the show himself last year, so I'm stepping in this year. We're touring for six weeks right up until Christmas, and it's a fun, different, interesting kind of adventure.
You seem so good-natured. Got any "button pushers?"
I get my share of road rage now that I live out in Santa Barbara; I spend enough time on the freeway to become a hater.
What is your core driving force?
I have a productive insecurity. Beyond that, I just love the business. I love the creative part of the business. I'm up at 6:30 every morning working for a few hours on new projects and writing. The challenge of that, the fun of that, the excitement, the gratification...You're not functioning in a vacuum. It's part of what gets me up every morning. I'm either following up on ideas I had yesterday or starting with a brand new one, or polishing one, and that includes whether you're writing a song or pitch for a new TV show, making some notes for a monologue [at] an appearance you're doing next week... There's always something that gets you up in the morning.
"Scream Queens" airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on FOX.
Marina Anderson is an established actress, published author ("David Carradine: The Eye Of My Tornado"), publicist, personal manager (The Media Hound PR), spiritual counselor and freelance writer specializing in entertainment. She was wife and personal manager to David Carradine, and responsible for resurrecting his career, which culminated in the hit Quentin Tarantino film "Kill Bill." Her diverse roles include starring and supporting roles in television shows, feature films, webisodes and national commercials, including "Bones," "The Mentalist," "Dexter," "Law & Order L.A." and "Seinfeld." Marina's passion is helping animals and she is an advocate for domestic and wildlife protection. Marina is currently working on her first of a series of inspirational children's books. The first stars her beloved collie, Lulu, daughter of Lassie VIII. Learn more at www.MarinaAnderson.net andwww.IMDB.com. Contact her at ourwebemail@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter at @flyinggoddess.
