Do You Remember My Three Sons? Here’s What Became Of The Cast

Beau Bridges popped up five times in My Three Sons’ earlier seasons, playing both Russ Burton and Howard Sears. The son of Hollywood legend Lloyd — and older brother of Oscar winner Jeff — had already racked up an impressive amount of credits by this point in his career. And he only went from strength to strength.

Bridges has appeared in no fewer than three Best Picture Oscar nominees: Norma Rae, Jerry Maguire, and The Descendants. He also remains the only two-time winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special. You might recently have seen him pop up in Homeland as U.S. President Ralph Warner, too.

In 1970 Ronne Troup joined the My Three Sons lineup as Chip’s future wife, Polly Williams. And after playing the character for three dozen episodes, Troup guested in Diff’rent Strokes, Days of Our Lives, and Fantasy Island. Troup also shared the screen with her father, Bobby, in Emergency! But her most notable role came in 1987 when she was cast as Barbara in prime-time soap Knots Landing.

Acting work has not been as consistent from the 1990s onward. But she has made the odd guest appearance in high-profile shows such as ER, The West Wing, and Murder, She Wrote. Troup last popped up on screen in a 2005 episode of Strong Medicine.

That’s right: we’re talking about the Jodie Foster. Five years before her 1976 triple whammy of Freaky Friday, Taxi Driver, and Bugsy Malone, the actress appeared as both Susan and Priscilla Hobson across six episodes of My Three Sons. She subsequently became the CBS sitcom’s most successful graduate — and by quite some distance.

One of those rare child stars who managed to take their success into adulthood, Foster is now a two-time Best Actress Oscar winner. She was first crowned for The Accused in 1989 before picking up the same accolade for The Silence of the Lambs in 1992. Foster has also turned her hand to directing for the likes of Little Man Tate and The Beaver. In 2021 she bagged a Golden Globe for her performance in The Mauritanian.

Barbara Collentine enjoyed a three-episode stint in My Three Sons as Aunt Annie. But regular viewers may well have recognized her face — as she’d previously made one-off appearances as Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Aldrich, and Mrs. Randall. Collentine later landed the recurring role of Charlotte in the western TV series Nichols and graced TV movies The California Kid and The Loneliest Runner.

Collentine continued to rack up the credits in the 1980s, guesting in Little House on the Prairie, St. Elsewhere, and Hunter. But things went much quieter over the following decade, and she hasn’t acted since co-starring alongside her husband, Richard Bull, in 2000’s A Day in a Life.

Renowned for portraying working-class macho men, the gruff-voiced Norman Alden played Polly’s father, Tom Williams, for six episodes of My Three Sons. The actor also popped up half a dozen times in another hit sitcom, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. You might even remember that his Hartman character, Coach Leroy Fedders, died in a chicken soup bowl. Yes, that actually happened…

Alden would later pull double duty in Back to the Future, playing an aerobics center owner in the 1985 timeline and a diner manager in the 1955 past. But for many, he will always be best-known as Lou the mechanic in the AC Delco commercials. Alden passed away in 2012 from natural causes, aged 87.

After a one-off appearance as Beatrice, child actress Victoria Paige Meyerink played Margaret Spencer on six episodes of My Three Sons in its later stages. She went on to show up in TV movie Time Travelers, short film Joy Ride: An Auto Theft, and an episode of ABC Afterschool Specials. But at the end of the 1970s, Meyerink stopped acting.

Meyerink didn’t abandon the world of showbiz entirely, though. She simply moved behind the scenes, firstly as music supervisor for 1980’s The Great Skycopter Rescue. The multi-talented star has since served on various productions as a casting coordinator, a production consultant, and a producer. Meyerink was also involved in running the Star Entertainment Group with her former partner Lawrence David Foldes.

Following a two-episode stint as Helen Morrison, Doris Singleton appeared as Margaret Williams half a dozen times in My Three Sons. The actress was no stranger to hit TV sitcoms, either, having previously played two characters in I Love Lucy. Singleton, formerly a professional ballerina, also went on to grace its spinoffs Here’s Lucy and Lucy Moves to NBC.

Singleton later popped up in Dynasty, TV movies Family in Blue and Deadly Messages, and the short-lived comedy Just Our Luck. She died aged 92 in 2012, a full decade after losing her comedy writer husband of more than 60 years, Charlie Isaacs. In a coincidental turn of events, Singleton passed away in the same week as another My Three Sons star...

Butch Patrick shot to fame as a youngster playing Eddie in The Munsters. But you might not know that he graced another hit CBS sitcom several times, too. The former child star first appeared in My Three Sons as Little Boy in 1962 before landing the recurring role of Gordon Dearing six years later. He also popped up as Elmore Crocker in its penultimate season.

But Patrick later realized his passions lay elsewhere, mainly surfing, fast cars, and rock music. Yet after nearly two decades away, he returned to acting in 1991’s Scary Movie. Patrick also reprised his most famous character in Macabre Theatre, played himself in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, and became a regular of the low-budget direct-to-DVD horror movie.

As the daughter of Rodgers and Hammerstein regular Gordon MacRae and The Jackie Gleason Show’s Sheila MacRae, Meredith MacRae was destined for acting. She made her screen debut aged eight and went on to play Sally for nearly 30 episodes of My Three Sons. On leaving the sitcom in 1965, MacRae landed recurring roles in The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.

MacRae later guested on the likes of The Rockford Files, Fantasy Island, and Magnum P.I. She also lent her voice to Batman: The Animated Series and Jonny’s Golden Quest. In 1995 she walked down the aisle for the third time, with Avery-Dennison CEO Phillip Neal. Sadly, however, MacRae died in 2000, aged only 56.

Former Mouseketeer Don Grady was one of the main cast members of My Three Sons. The actor played middle child Robbie Douglas from 1960 all the way up until 1971 — leaving the show at the end of season 11. He subsequently added a few more acting credits to his resume, including 1975’s The Wild McCullochs and two episodes of Simon & Simon. But then Grady made a shocking switch.

You guessed it: Grady tried his hand on music instead. He even penned the theme tune to Phil Donahue’s eponymous talk show. The former actor also composed music for several series on the Discovery Channel and the Lifetime network. Grady died aged 68 in 2012 — in the same week that former My Three Sons co-star Doris Singleton also passed away.

Sidney Clute was one of the countless actors who got the chance to showcase their versatility in My Three Sons. Across six episodes, he appeared as Bert Henderson, Frank, Mr. Smith, Milt, and other characters known simply by their professions. But Clute did manage to enjoy more sustained experiences on several other hit shows over the following decade.

Clute bagged the recurring roles of Detective Simms in McCloud, the National Editor in Lou Grant, and Detective Paul La Guardia in Cagney & Lacey. You might not know that he even graced the opening credits for every episode Cagney & Lacey! In 1985 Clute passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 69.

The sister of 1970s’ pop idol Leif Garrett, Dawn Lyn only joined the My Three Sons cast in its tenth season. Still, longtime viewers quickly took to her character of adopted daughter Dodie Harper. Following the show’s cancelation, Lyn appeared in Gunsmoke, Born Free, and Emergency! But after showing up in a 1978 episode of Wonder Woman, she decided to quit acting.

Since then, Lyn has walked down the aisle twice, first with Michael Whitby in 1990 and then with W. John Rese in 2006. She’s also opened her own boutique store on San Francisco’s famous Pier 39. But despite the fact Lyn hasn’t appeared on screen for more than four decades, she’s not ruled out a return.

Beverly Garland was cast as Steve’s second wife, Barbara Harper Douglas, in the tenth season of My Three Sons and immediately established herself as a fan favorite. And after racking up dozens of credits throughout the following decade, she was awarded a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1983. Garland later became a regular on The New Adventures of Superman, Port Charles, and 7th Heaven.

But there was more to Garland’s talents than just acting. She also ran a North Hollywood 255-room Holiday Inn named in her honor by husband Fillmore Pajeau Crank Sr. Garland passed away in 2008 at her Hollywood Hills home at the age of 82.

Tina Cole played four different characters in My Three Sons’ early years before landing the part that would launch her to fame. The actress then spent six years as Robbie’s partner, Katie Miller Douglas. She later showed up in The Rookies, Adam-12, and Eleanor and Franklin. But in 1977 she took a break from acting that would last nearly two decades.

Cole made her comeback proper in 2016 horror The 6th Friend. She’s since appeared in TV movie Take It from the Top and the supernatural film Reawakened. Cole was also once married to Fillmore Pajeau Crank Jr., whose same-named father was the husband of My Three Sons co-star Beverly Garland.

Tim Considine played Steve’s eldest child, Mike Douglas, for the first five seasons of My Three Sons. The actor went on to guest on Bonanza, Ironside, and Gunsmoke. He also appeared as the Soldier Who Gets Slapped in 1970 war movie Patton. Poor Considine had to endure several strikes from George C. Scott while filming the scene, too.

Since then, Considine’s screen credits have been intermittent to say the least. In 1983 he popped up in an episode of Simon & Simon. But you then had to wait 12 years to see the actor in Legend. Considine, who’s married to Willett Hunt, last appeared on camera playing a judge in 2006’s Ray of Sunshine.

William DeMarest was already in the twilight phase of his career when he was cast as Uncle Charley O’Casey in My Three Sons’ fifth season. And by the time the sitcom ended in 1972, the actor was an octogenarian. But DeMarest still managed to rack up a few more credits over the next six years.

DeMarest appeared in TV movie Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, played Father Gurkin in The Wild McCullochs, and showed up in the curiously-titled Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood. His last appearance came in 1978’s The Millionaire. DeMarest passed away in California, aged 91, in 1983.

Barry Livingston became a Douglas family member in My Three Sons’ third season when his character Ernie was adopted by Steve. And he’s since enjoyed the most successful career out of the show’s regular cast. His prolific filmography includes a Best Picture Oscar nominee (The Social Network) and an actual winner in Argo.

Think of any hit TV series from the past 20 years and there’s a chance Livingston has appeared in it. Veronica Mars, The Middle, Teen Wolf, Grey’s Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives are just a handful of the shows he’s graced. Livingston has also been happily married since 1983 to the mother of his two children, Karen Huntsman.

Michael Todd was just a toddler when he was cast alongside his triplet siblings, Joseph and Daniel, in the 11th season of My Three Sons. And he’s the only one of the trio to have pursued an acting career past the age of five. Mind you, audiences had to wait until the 1987 horror series The Frank and Drac Show to see him on screen again.

Todd obviously enjoyed the experience as he became something of a horror regular in the 1990s. The former child star popped up in Lurking Fear, Castle Freak, and not one but two installments of the Puppet Master franchise. But Todd hasn’t been seen on screen since playing three roles in turn-of-the-century zombie comedy Stop It, You’re Killing Me.

Stanley Livingston was a My Three Sons ever-present as the youngest of Steve’s three kids, Chip Douglas. The actor, whose younger brother, Barry, played his adopted sibling in the hit sitcom, initially looked set for a career on the screen. Following the show’s cancelation, he landed roles in The Roman Holidays, Devlin, and Lucas Tanner.

But after 1979’s Smokey and the Hotwire Gang, Livingston moved from in front of the cameras to behind it. He’s worked as a director, a producer, an editor, and even a cinematographer since. Livingston did return to acting in 2012, though, with a role in short film In the Picture. In 2015 he walked down the aisle with his second wife, Paula Drake.

Fred MacMurray appeared in all 380 episodes of My Three Sons. That’s little surprise considering he played the central figure, widowed father Steve Douglas. The prolific actor went on to take similarly patriarchal roles in comedy Charley and the Angel and TV movie The Chadwick Family. But perhaps wanting to mix things up a bit, MacMurray then graced big-screen horror The Swarm as Mayor Clarence.

The 1978 killer bee movie proved to be MacMurray’s final screen credit as he retired soon after. But thanks to his appearances in the likes of The Shaggy Dog and The Absent-Minded Professor, the Hollywood star became the inaugural winner of the Disney Legend award eight years later. MacMurray sadly passed away from pneumonia in 1991.