If you’re above the age of 45 you’ve likely watched Family Affair and you’re a fan of Johnny Whitaker who played young Jody in the show. Johnny Whitaker was one of the best-known child actors of his generation and had a prolific career in television and film.
▬Contents of this video▬ 00:00 - Intro 00:27 - Early Life and Career 01:16 - Family Affair and Johnny’s Childhood Acting Career 03:57 - Johnny’s Later Life and What He’s up to Today 06:43 - Outro
What made Johnny Whitaker stand out was that he had incredible range compared to many of his contemporaries. He was able to tackle comedic roles in Family Affair and in the feature film, The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming! But he also managed to play serious dramatic roles in shows such as Bonanza and Gunsmoke.
Even after Family Affair came to an end, he continued to work regularly in both film and television during his early teens. He decided, however, to take a break as he grew older. As part of his Mormon faith, he emigrated to Portugal for 2 years on a mission trip. He later studied at Brigham Young University.
And then, it all came crashing down. In the 1980s, Johnny Whitaker lost 8 years of his life. His wife left him and he fell into a serious depression. He also began abusing drugs and alcohol.
This slowed him down and took control of his life. He took a very long hiatus from show business and largely faded away from the public eye. Like many other child stars, it seemed that Johnny Whitaker was on the same downward spiral that many of his contemporaries experienced.
So how did Johnny Whitaker make his comeback? How did he manage to kick his addictions? He’s now back at work in show business and has been working regularly at TV – currently acting in an upcoming TV series which we’ll hopefully see later this year!
Join FactsVerse to learn more about Johnny Whitaker’s life and career and how he lost 8 years of his life…
Johnny Whitaker Lost 8 Years of His Life (Jody From Family Affair)
By: Facts Verse Title: Johnny Whitaker Lost 8 Years of His Life (Jody From Family Affair) Sourced From: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieSZ5tgQFxo
