Alan Thicke was a Canadian comedian, actor, musician, talk show host, and businessman who left a net worth estimated to be around $40 million at the time of his demise in 2016.
Alan is best known for playing the role of Dr. Jason Seaver in the sitcom “Growing Pains,” which aired in the 1980s. Also, he is known to be the biological father of popular singer Robin Thicke.
Alan Thicke was a shrewd real estate investor and successful songwriter and music composer while he was alive. He co-wrote and produced the theme song for “Wheel of Fortune“, “Diff’rent Strokes“, and “The Facts of Life.”
Alan Thicke passed on at the age of 69 years and will forever be remembered for his role on television. This post tells the life story, biography, and net worth of the late actor Alan Thicke.
| Full Name | Alan Willis Jeffery |
| Popular Name | Alan Thicke |
| Place of Birth | Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada |
| Date of Birth | Mar 1, 1947 |
| Date of Death | Dec 13, 2016 |
| Age | 69 |
| Gender | Male |
| Wife | Tanya Callau |
| Number of Kids | 3 |
| Names of Children | Robin, Brennan, Carter William |
| Height | 6′ 1″ (1.85 m) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Ethnicity | Irish, Scottish, and English |
| Education | Elliot Lake Secondary School, University of Western Ontario |
| Occupation | Actor, Composer, Comedian, Entrepreneur, TV Show host, Songwriter, Writer, Presenter, Screenwriter, Producer, Master of Ceremonies |
| Source of Wealth | Real Estate, Music, Film & Television |
| Net Worth | $40 million |
Early Life and Biography
Alan Thicke was born on March 1st, 1947. His place of birth was Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. He was born to the family of William Jeffery, a stockbroker, and Shirley “Joan” Isobel Marie, a nurse by profession.
However, his parents separated and divorced in 1953. After the divorce, his mother got married to Brian Thicke. Then, the family relocated to Elliot Lake.
Alan Thicke attended Elliot Lake Secondary School. There, he was elected homecoming king. He graduated in 1965 and proceeded to the University of Western Ontario. Later, he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
Career
Alan Thicke’s career began in the 1970s when he was chosen as the host for the Canadian show “First Impressions.” The game show aired on Montreal’s CFCF-TV CF.
He continued his role as a TV host on the primetime celebrity TV game show, “Animal Crack-Ups” which was broadcast in the late 1980s.
In the late 1970s, he became a regular guest on “The Alan Hamel Show,” a popular daytime talk show on Canadian TV. He received his first Emmy award nomination in 1977 for his work on The Manilow Special.
He was hired as a producer and made the head of the writing staff of the Fernwood 2 Night talk show, which was built around the characters from “Mary Harman, Mary Hartman.”
In the 1980s, Alan Thicke became the chief host of his own talk show known as “The Alan Thicke Show.” His talk show was a popular one across Canada and it was assigned to a U.S syndicated late-night talk show known as “Thicke of the Night“. However, the Thicke of the Night talk show didn’t last for long.
Alan Thicke has made several TV appearances over his career. He became popular for starring on shows like How I Met Your Mother, The Bold and The Beautiful, The Love Boat, as well as starring as Jason Seaver in the popular Growing Pains TV series.
Growing Pains
Alan Thicke is widely remembered for his work in the hit 1980s sitcom called “Growing Pains.” He played the character of Jason Seaver, a father and psychiatrist. Thicke’s role in the show made him famous on American TV.
The show ran between 1985 to 1992 on ABC. Alan Thicke repeated his role of Jason Seaver in two reunion movies; “The Growing Pains Movie” (2000) and “Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers,” released in 2004.
He also made appearances in numerous films and TV shows. Alan Thicke has appeared in films such as Alpha Dog, The Surfer King, and Raising Helen. Eventually, he became the theme song composer for TV shows like Celebrity Sweepstakes, Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, and many others.
Between 1983 and 1990, Alan Thicke was the co-host of Walt Disney World’s “A Very Merry Christmas Parade” with Joan Lunden. Later, he was replaced by Regis Philbin.
He was the host of the Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship from 1987 to 1998. In 1988, he succeeded Bob Barker as the host of the Miss University Pageant and the Miss USA Pageant.
His incredible career saw him host several TV shows and events such as the SCTV TV’s “Opening of SkyDome” in Toronto. In 1992, he made an appearance in the pilot episode of the sitcom “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper.”
In the early 2000s. Alan Thicke became the host of “The All-New 3’s a Crowd” airing on the Game Show Network. The Canadian also appeared on several American TV events and series, including “Hope & Gloria,” which had over 35 episodes.
In April 2006, he hosted the “Celebrity Cooking Showdown” on NBC. In the same year, he appeared on TV as a talk show host on many episodes of the soap opera titled “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Between 2007 and 2008, Alan Thicke was featured in “Alpha Dog” and “JPod.” He also made an appearance on “How I Met Your Mother” and was made a camero in other episodes of the show.
In 2009, he made a cameo on the “Time and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job” TV show as well as the web series “Star-ving”. Alan also appeared in the “Attack of the Show” and the movie “The Good: Live Hard, Sell Hard.” In the same year, he appeared on screen in the six-season finale of “Just Shoot Me.”
In 2010, Thicke guest-starred on “Tosh.0” and was a celebrity contestant on the show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”
In March 2013, he was featured in ABC’s “Celebrity Wife Swap,” where he exchanged wives with Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian. Alan Thicke was officially inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also appeared in a quasi-reality television show known as “Usually Thicke,” which aired on the TV Guide Network.
From 2014 to 2015, Alan toured the United States and hosted a traveling dance show known as “Dancing Pros Live.” In 2016, he showed up in the first episode of NBC’s “This Is Us” show.
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Other Ventures
Away from his stint as an actor and a TV star, Alan Thicke had a successful career in music. He composed and recorded several tracks and theme songs for game shows such as Blank Check, Wheel of Fortune, The Diamond Head Game, Celebrity Sweepstakes, and others.
Similarly, he made theme songs for shows such as The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes. As a producer, Thicke was involved in the production of many TV shows such as the CBC Anne Murray Christmas specials that went on air in the 1970s.
Personal Life
Alan Thicke dated Kristy Swanson in 1987. He at 40 at the time while Kristy was 17 years old. Although they got engaged, they never got married.
Alan was married three times. His first marriage was to a lady named Gloria Loring from “Days of Our Lives“. Later, he married Gina Tolleson, a former Miss World contestant.
His last wife was Tonya Callau, an ex-model. Alan Thicke was married to Tonya from 2005 until his death in 2016. The marriage lasted roughly eleven years.
Alan Thicke has four children from his previous marriages. His first wife Gloria gave him two sons, Brennan and Robin, who are in the entertainment and music business. His second wife, Gina gave him another son named Carter.
Before his death, Alan Thicke was an active philanthropist. He was involved in several philanthropic activities such as the creation of the Alan Thicke Center for diabetes research. He also co-hosted Telemiracle, an annual 20-hour telethon in Canada established to support programs run by the Kinsmen Club, a non-profit organization.
How Did Alan Thicke Die?
Alan Thicke passed away on December 13, 2016. He collapsed while playing hockey with his last son, Carter somewhere in Burbank, California.
He died at 69 and was confirmed dead at the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. He died of type-A aortic dissection.
He was buried six days later on December 19, 2016, at the Santa Barbara Cemetery. His funeral ceremony was attended by the entire cast of Growing Pains. Some of the popular stars who graced the occasion were Leonardo DiCaprio and Bob Saget, who gave an eulogy.
Alan Thicke’s Net Worth
Alan Thicke was a successful Canadian actor, TV host, music composer, and businessman. He rose to prominence for his work on Growing Pains. At the time of his death, Alan Thicke had a net worth estimated to be around $40 million.