Paul Petersen
Encyclopedia
William Paul Petersen is an American movie
actor
, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child star
s and other child labor
ers through legislation, family education, and personal intervention and counseling for those in crisis.
Petersen achieved fame in the 1960s playing Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show
. In the early 1980s, he also had a recurring role as a police officer on Matt Houston
, and in the late 1990s, he played the author Paul Conway in the film Mommy's Day.
career at the age of ten as a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club
. He appeared in the 1958 movie Houseboat
with Sophia Loren
and Cary Grant
, but achieved stardom playing teenager Jeff Stone from 1958 to 1966 in the ABC
family television sitcom The Donna Reed Show
. Petersen had a modest recording success with the sentimental teen pop song "My Dad", which was introduced on the Reed show in 1962. Petersen sang the tune to his screen father, actor Carl Betz
.
Peterson had a small role as Tony Biddle
in the 1967 musical film The Happiest Millionaire
.
He appeared in many guest roles, including one as a military officer in the short-lived 1967 ABC western
series Custer
, with Wayne Maunder
in the title role.
offers and although his singing voice
was limited, he had hit record
singles
with song
s "She Can't Find Her Keys", "Amy", and "Lollipops and Roses", as well as "My Dad" that made #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
. He also recorded during the 1960s for Motown, including the singles "Chained" and "A Little Bit For Sandy".
and obtained a degree in literature that helped him to write sixteen adventure novel
s.
Petersen's authorship began after he met David Oliphant, a New York
publisher visiting Los Angeles. His first novel concerned car racing. Thereafter, he created a Matt Helm
-type hero, Eric Saveman, also known as "The Smuggler." In one year, Pocket Books
published eight of his Smuggler novels, earning Petersen $75,000.
In 1977 Petersen's autobiography, Walt, Mickey and Me: Confessions of the First Ex-Mouseketeer, was published.
, Petersen founded a child-actor support group, A Minor Consideration, to improve working conditions for child actors and to assist in the transition between working as a child actor and adult life, whether in acting or in other professions.
He is currently a board member of the Donna Reed Foundation and works for the Donna Reed Festival, which takes place annually the third week of June in Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa
. He also currently serves on the board of directors of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), a national media performers AFL-CIO union based in Los Angeles
.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child star
Child star
Child star can refer to:* a child actor* a child singer*"Child Star," a song by The Unicorns from their 2003 album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?...
s and other child labor
Child labor
Child labour refers to the employment of children at regular and sustained labour. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations and is illegal in many countries...
ers through legislation, family education, and personal intervention and counseling for those in crisis.
Petersen achieved fame in the 1960s playing Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
. In the early 1980s, he also had a recurring role as a police officer on Matt Houston
Matt Houston
Matt Houston is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1982 to 1985. Created by Lawrence Gordon, the series was produced by Aaron Spelling.-Synopsis:...
, and in the late 1990s, he played the author Paul Conway in the film Mommy's Day.
Acting career
Petersen began his show businessShow business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
career at the age of ten as a Mouseketeer on the Mickey Mouse Club
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
. He appeared in the 1958 movie Houseboat
Houseboat (film)
Houseboat is a 1958 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Martha Hyer, Paul Petersen, Charles Herbert and Mimi Gibson. The movie was directed by Melville Shavelson, who also directed the original 1968 version of Yours, Mine and Ours....
with Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
and Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, but achieved stardom playing teenager Jeff Stone from 1958 to 1966 in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
family television sitcom The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
. Petersen had a modest recording success with the sentimental teen pop song "My Dad", which was introduced on the Reed show in 1962. Petersen sang the tune to his screen father, actor Carl Betz
Carl Betz
Carl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
.
Peterson had a small role as Tony Biddle
Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr.
Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. , also known as A. J. Drexel Biddle, Jr. or Tony Biddle, was a wealthy socialite who became a diplomat of the United States, and served in the United States Army during World War I and after World War II, reaching the rank of major general.-Biography:Biddle was the...
in the 1967 musical film The Happiest Millionaire
The Happiest Millionaire
The Happiest Millionaire is a 1967 musical film starring Fred MacMurray and based upon the true story of Philadelphia millionaire Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Costume Design by Bill Thomas. The musical song score is by Robert and Richard Sherman...
.
He appeared in many guest roles, including one as a military officer in the short-lived 1967 ABC western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
series Custer
Custer (TV series)
Custer, also known as The Legend of Custer, is a 17-episode military-western television series which ran on ABC from September 6 to December 27, 1967, with Wayne Maunder in the starring role of then Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. During the American Civil War, Custer had risen to the...
, with Wayne Maunder
Wayne Maunder
Wayne E. Maunder is a retired actor, originally from Canada, who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.-Three television series:...
in the title role.
Singing career
Petersen's fame brought recordingSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
offers and although his singing voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
was limited, he had hit record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
with song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s "She Can't Find Her Keys", "Amy", and "Lollipops and Roses", as well as "My Dad" that made #6 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. He also recorded during the 1960s for Motown, including the singles "Chained" and "A Little Bit For Sandy".
Studio Albums
- 1962: Lollipops and RosesLollipops and Roses (album)Lollipops and Roses is the debut studio pop album by singer and actor Paul Petersen released in 1962 on Colpix Records and included 12 songs. The album was available in both mono and stereo, catalogue numbers CP-429 and SCP-429. Lollipops and Roses was produced and arranged by Stu Phillips and...
- 1963: Teenage TriangleTeenage Triangle (album)-Charts:-Re-release:In 1999 Teenage Triangle was released on Compact Disc in its entirety for the first time as part of a 2 LPs on 1 CD set on Westside. It included the original liner notes from the 1963 album....
-- Colpix CP-444/SCP-444 -- #48, 5/63
-
- Featuring four tracks each by Paul Petersen, Shelley FabaresShelley FabaresMichele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
, and James DarrenJames DarrenJames William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...
- 1963: My Dad
- 1963 "Polkadots and Moonbeams"
- 1963: Bye Bye Birdie -- Colpix CP-454/SCP-454
- Songs from the movie sung by Petersen, The MarcelsThe MarcelsThe Marcels were a doo-wop group known for turning American classical pop songs into rock and roll. The group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and signed to Colpix Records, with lead Cornelius Harp, bass Fred Johnson, Gene Bricker, Ron Mundy, and Richard Knauss...
, James DarrenJames DarrenJames William Ercolani , known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.-Career:...
and Shelley FabaresShelley FabaresMichele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
- 1964: More Teenage Triangle -- Colpix CP-468/SCP-468
- Second album featuring Petersen, Fabares and Darren
- Featuring four tracks each by Paul Petersen, Shelley Fabares
College education and authorship
After his years as a child actor, Petersen returned to the universityUniversity
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and obtained a degree in literature that helped him to write sixteen adventure novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s.
Petersen's authorship began after he met David Oliphant, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
publisher visiting Los Angeles. His first novel concerned car racing. Thereafter, he created a Matt Helm
Matt Helm
Matt Helm is a fictional character created by author Donald Hamilton. He is a U.S. government counter-agent—a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of the term as used in spy thrillers.-The character and the series:The...
-type hero, Eric Saveman, also known as "The Smuggler." In one year, Pocket Books
Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
published eight of his Smuggler novels, earning Petersen $75,000.
In 1977 Petersen's autobiography, Walt, Mickey and Me: Confessions of the First Ex-Mouseketeer, was published.
Activism
In 1990, following the suicide of former child star Rusty HamerRusty Hamer
Rusty Hamer was an American television actor best known for his role as Rusty Williams in the popular NBC/CBS situation comedy The Danny Thomas Show also known as Make Room for Daddy.-Career:...
, Petersen founded a child-actor support group, A Minor Consideration, to improve working conditions for child actors and to assist in the transition between working as a child actor and adult life, whether in acting or in other professions.
He is currently a board member of the Donna Reed Foundation and works for the Donna Reed Festival, which takes place annually the third week of June in Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa
Denison, Iowa
Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 7,339 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Denison is located at ....
. He also currently serves on the board of directors of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), a national media performers AFL-CIO union based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.