Born: April 12, 1950, New York, NY Period: `70s, `80s, `90s, 2000s
Biography:
Son of actors Evelyn Ward and Jack Cassidy, David Cassidy has had one of the most variety-filled careers in the entertainment industry. He first got his start on the television series Partridge Family, where he portrayed the singing teen heartthrob Keith Partidge. The show featured a family traveling the country and playing music in a rock band, which even included his real-life stepmother/on-screen mother Shirley Jones. The role carried over into his real life, where he was regarded in a similar manner by an enthusiastic teen audience. He suddenly found himself making hit singles of his own and garnering Grammy nominations for his efforts; his fan club even became the largest in the history of the music industry. The massive global merchandising helped him sell millions of records, but by the mid-`70s he was practically driven from the spotlight by a teen market hungry for new talent. He turned to acting for a while, making notable television and stage appearances for many years. His roles even brought him to Broadway and London`s West End, where he regained credibility as a dramatic and musical theater actor. He milked this into the `90s, when nostalgia and VH1 helped him gain a bigger public spotlight than he had seen in years. He rode that right into a position at the MGM Grand Hotel in 1996, when he opened the 75 million dollar show EF ...
