David Joseph Madden (December 17, 1931 â€" January 16, 2014) was a
Canadian-born American actor. His most famous role came on the 1970s
sitcom The Partridge Family, in which he played the group's manager,
Reuben Kincaid, opposite Shirley Jones's character. Madden later had a
recurring role as diner customer Earl Hicks on the mid-1970s to
mid-1980s sitcom Alice.Madden was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada to
Verna (née Burleigh) and Roger Madden. He had three older siblings:
Sister Mary Roger (1919â€"), a practicing nun at Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana; Richard (1921â€"?); and Jack
(1926â€"1948). He spent his early childhood in Port Huron, Michigan,
and in 1939, was sent to live with his aunt and uncle Bess and Frank
Hoff, in Terre Haute, Indiana after his father's death and his
mother's job keeping her on the road. At age 13, a serious bicycle
accident left him immobilized. Madden spent months recuperating, a
time during which he took an interest in magic. He later worked magic
into his comedy act, which he performed around Terre Haute. He
graduated in 1950 from Otter Creek High School, where he served as
joke editor of the school paper, writing his own material. Madden
spent one semester at Indiana State Teachers College, and in 1951
dropped out to enlist in the United States Air Force. Assigned to
Special Services, he was sent to Tripoli, Libya, where he was a hit as
an entertainer in camp shows and native theater, even performing
before Idris of Libya, ruler at the time. After the Air Force, Madden
attended the University of Miami, where he graduated with a degree in
communications in 1959.After two unsuccessful years on the Southern
nightclub circuit, Madden travelled to Los Angeles, where a successful
opening night at a Beverly Hills nightclub led to a 10-week retention,
and a recommendation by patron Frank Sinatra to Ed Sullivan, who
signed Madden for three nights on The Ed Sullivan Show. These
appearances led to his first real acting engagement, a spot on Camp
Runamuck, in 1965.
Canadian-born American actor. His most famous role came on the 1970s
sitcom The Partridge Family, in which he played the group's manager,
Reuben Kincaid, opposite Shirley Jones's character. Madden later had a
recurring role as diner customer Earl Hicks on the mid-1970s to
mid-1980s sitcom Alice.Madden was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada to
Verna (née Burleigh) and Roger Madden. He had three older siblings:
Sister Mary Roger (1919â€"), a practicing nun at Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana; Richard (1921â€"?); and Jack
(1926â€"1948). He spent his early childhood in Port Huron, Michigan,
and in 1939, was sent to live with his aunt and uncle Bess and Frank
Hoff, in Terre Haute, Indiana after his father's death and his
mother's job keeping her on the road. At age 13, a serious bicycle
accident left him immobilized. Madden spent months recuperating, a
time during which he took an interest in magic. He later worked magic
into his comedy act, which he performed around Terre Haute. He
graduated in 1950 from Otter Creek High School, where he served as
joke editor of the school paper, writing his own material. Madden
spent one semester at Indiana State Teachers College, and in 1951
dropped out to enlist in the United States Air Force. Assigned to
Special Services, he was sent to Tripoli, Libya, where he was a hit as
an entertainer in camp shows and native theater, even performing
before Idris of Libya, ruler at the time. After the Air Force, Madden
attended the University of Miami, where he graduated with a degree in
communications in 1959.After two unsuccessful years on the Southern
nightclub circuit, Madden travelled to Los Angeles, where a successful
opening night at a Beverly Hills nightclub led to a 10-week retention,
and a recommendation by patron Frank Sinatra to Ed Sullivan, who
signed Madden for three nights on The Ed Sullivan Show. These
appearances led to his first real acting engagement, a spot on Camp
Runamuck, in 1965.
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