Willie Aames

Willie Aames
Born	Albert William Upton (1960-07-15) July 15, 1960 Newport Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	Late 1960s–present
Known for	Tommy Bradford on Eight Is Enough, Buddy Lembeck on Charles in Charge, Bibleman

Albert William Upton (born July 15, 1960), professionally recognized as Willie Aames, is an American performer, director for film and television, producer, and screenwriter.

He gained prominence through notable characters such as Tommy Bradford on the 1970s television show Eight Is Enough, TJ Latimer in Family, Buddy Lembeck on the 1980s sitcom Charles in Charge, and the lead role in the direct-to-video Christian series Bibleman from 1995 to 2003. He has also been credited under the name Willie Ames.

Early life

Aames was born in Newport Beach, California, in 1960. He attended Edison High School, where he was active in choir and participated in the Madrigal Ensemble.

Career

Starting his acting career as a child during the late 1960s, Aames appeared in television programs such as Gunsmoke, The Wonderful World of Disney, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. In 1971, he originated the character Leonard Unger on ABC's The Odd Couple. The next year, he provided the voice for Jamie Boyle in the animated show Wait Till Your Father Gets Home.

He made guest appearances on several series including The Waltons and took on the role of a young Benjamin Franklin in the 1974 miniseries Benjamin Franklin. In 1975, he co-starred in the series The Swiss Family Robinson.

In 1977, Aames secured the part of Tommy Bradford on Eight Is Enough. At the same time, he fronted a band named Willie Aames & Paradise, which landed a recording deal with CBS Custom Label. His film debut came with Scavenger Hunt. After Eight Is Enough concluded in 1981, he appeared in movies such as Zapped! alongside Scott Baio and Paradise featuring Phoebe Cates.

Prior to his role as Buddy Lembeck on Charles in Charge (1984–1990), Aames portrayed Robbie Hamlin on ABC's soap opera The Edge of Night. Between 1983 and 1985, he voiced Hank in the animated series Dungeons & Dragons. Subsequently, he served as host for the game show The Krypton Factor.

From 1995 through 2003, Aames starred as Bibleman, the lead character in a Christian superhero direct-to-video series.

In 2010, Aames shifted careers to become a cruise director for Regent Seven Seas Cruises, later working with Oceania Cruises and Viking Cruises. He made a return to acting in 2016.

Personal life

Aames identifies as a Christian. He has been married three times: first to Vicki Weatherman in 1979, with whom he has a son named Christopher; then to Maylo McCaslin in 1986, with whom he has a daughter named Harleigh Jean; and most recently to Winnie Hung in 2014.

He has openly discussed his struggles with alcohol dependency and revealed episodes of self-harm stemming from remorse over stealing whiskey. In 2009, following repossession of his vehicle, Aames organized a garage sale in Olathe, Kansas where he sold memorabilia and autographs. The event attracted fans and others affected by the economic downturn known as the Great Recession.

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971	The Odd Couple	Leonard	episode: "Win One for Felix"
1971–1972	The Courtship of Eddie's Father	Harold O'Brien	4 episodes
1971, 1973	Gunsmoke	Tom / Andy	2 episodes
1971, 1974	Adam-12	Young Boy / Billy Ray	2 episodes
1971–1975	Medical Center	Eric / Jeff	3 episodes
1972	Cannon	Petey Macklin	episode: "A Flight of Hawks"
1972–1974	Wait Till Your Father Gets Home	Jamie Boyle (voice)	38 episodes
1973	Adam's Rib	Boy	episode: "Katey at the Bat"
	Frankenstein	William Frankenstein	two-part episode of The Wide World of Mystery
1974	Benjamin Franklin	Benjamin Franklin (at age 12)	miniseries; episode: "The Whirlwind"
	The Wonderful World of Disney	Jeff Peterson	episode: "Runaway on the Rogue River"
1975	The Waltons	Danny Comley	episode: "The Beguiled"
	We'll Get By	Kenny Platt	12 episodes
1975–1976	The Swiss Family Robinson	Fred Robinson	20 episodes
1976	Rich Man, Poor Man Book II	Young Wesley Jordache	miniseries; episode: "Chapter I"
1976–1977	Family	T.J. Latimer	6 episodes
1977	Little House on the Prairie	Seth	episode: "Injun Kid"
1977–1981	Eight Is Enough	Tommy Bradford	111 episodes
1982	The Love Boat	Danny	episode: "Doc's Nephew"
1983	The Edge of Night	Robbie Hamlin	unknown episodes
1983–1985	Dungeons & Dragons	Hank the Ranger (voice)	main role
1984–1990	Charles in Charge	Buddy Lembeck	126 episodes
1986	Blacke's Magic	Eric Wilson	episode: "The Revenge of the Esperanza"
1987	Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion	Tommy Bradford	TV movie
1989	An Eight Is Enough Wedding	Tommy Bradford	TV movie
1995–2003	Bibleman	Miles Peterson / Bibleman	23 episodes
2005	Celebrity Fit Club, Season 2'	Himself	8 episodes
2006	Bugtime Adventures	Narrator	13 episodes
2007	MacMillan River Adventures, Season 1	Himself	27 episodes
2008	Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp, Season 8	Himself	8 episodes
2015	Harvest Moon	William Stone	Hallmark TV movie
2016	Dater's Handbook	Kyle	Hallmark TV movie
	Every Christmas Has A Story	Vernon Hollis	Hallmark TV movie
2017	Date My Dad	Principal Reed	2 episodes
2019	Love on the Menu	Martin Thomas	Hallmark TV movie
2020   |'Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage Death'     |'Neil Khan'     |'Hallmark TV movie'

  |'1979'     |'Scavenger Hunt'     |'Kenny Stevens'     | rowspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" | '1982' rowspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" | '2003'

Year	Film	Role
'Paradise'	'David'	'-'
'Zapped!'	'Peyton Nichols'	'-'
'Killing Machine' ('Macchina per uccidere 2')	'Tony'	alternative title listed as 'Killing Machine'
'Cut and Run' ('Amazon: Savage Adventure')	'Tommy Allo'	alternative title noted as 'Amazon: Savage Adventure'
'The Missy Files'	'—'	direct-to-video; served as director and writer
'Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'	'himself'	'-'
'2020'	'Bottle Monster'	'George'