Biography David Cassidy

Some Interesting Facts

Full Name

David Bruce Cassidy

Birthdate

Wednesday, April 12, 1950

Birthplace

New York City, N.Y

Height

5 ft. 8 in.

Eyes

Hazel

Hair

Brown

Parents

Evelyn Ward (May 21, 1923 – December 23, 2012) was an American actress known from her stage musical performances and television appearances.

John Joseph Edward Cassidy (Jack Cassidy) (March 5, 1927 - December 12, 1976) was an American actor and singer and a Tony Award recipient.

Operations

David had his gall bladder removed in July 1971 at the Mt. Sinai Hospital in Hollywood.

An operation on his left optical nerve which was wrapped around a blood vessel sometimes results in a "lazy" eye when he's over-tired.

Allergies

David Cassidy is allergic to garlic.

Fan Club

At his peak, David Cassidy was the world's highest paid live entertainer, and his official fan club was the largest in pop history -- exceeding Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

Musical Talents

David plays the following instruments:
Guitar
Piano
Drums
Clarinet (He started learning when he was 8 years old.)

David's First Band

David, Sam and Jim formed The Pains Of Glass when David was 14 yrs old. They played a few gigs at parties.

Merchandising

Out of the approximate $500 million that "The Partridge Family" and David Cassidy merchandising earned in the 1970's, David was allegedly only paid around $15,000.

David has been married three times:

Sue Shifrin (3 January1991 - May 2016) 1 child (divorced)

Meryl-Ann Tanz (15 December 1984 - 22 May 1988) (divorced)

Kay Lenz (3 April 1977 - 1983) (divorced)

The best man at David and Sue's wedding was their son, Beau Devin Cassidy (b. 8 February 1991). They were married again for Hello Magazine photo shoot on 30 March 1991.

Beau, David and Sue Cassidy

Beau, David and Sue Cassidy

Children

A son Beau Devon Cassidy (born Feb. 8, 1991) and a daughter Katherine Evelyn Cassidy (aka Katie born Nov. 25, 1986 from a previous relationship).

Parents

Actress Evelyn Ward (born May 21, 1923 died Dec. 23, 2012) actor Jack Cassidy (born March 5, 1927 died Dec. 12, 1976)

Brothers

Three half brothers from his father's second marriage with actress Shirley Jones (born March 31, 1934): Shaun (born Sept. 27, 1958), Patrick (born Jan. 4, 1962) and Ryan (born Feb. 23, 1966)

Jack and David Cassidy

Father and Son.

The Early Years

David's first desire to become a performer was when he was only three years old when his mother actress Evelyn Ward took him to see his father, the famous Tony & Emmy award winning star Jack Cassidy perform on the Broadway stage. David's parents divorced when he was only four years old. He grew up in West Orange, New Jersey with his mom and grandparents until the age of 10 when his mother decided to move them to Hollywood.

David's High School

Rexford High School, Beverly Hills, CA (1968)

David's first professional Head shot in 1967.

David's first professional head shot in 1967.

Opening night of "Wait Until Dark"

David attended the opening night of this play starring both Shirley Jones and his father Jack Cassidy.

Broadway Debut

David made his Broadway debut in 1969 in the musical "The Fig Leaves Are Falling" at the same time his father and stepmother, Jack Cassidy and Shirley Jones, opened on Broadway in their only play together, "Maggie Flynn". Both shows were notorious flops, the former closing in less than two weeks.

After Graduation

David graduated from Rexford, a private high school in Beverly Hills and even before graduating had performed in a couple of plays and one TV show. For a year after his graduation David was accepted into the prestigious Los Angeles Theater Company (L.A.T.C.) David Cassidy then moved to New York city and studied with David Craig and Stanford Meisner. His first Broadway musical was titled The Fig Leaves Are Falling, with such well known performers as Dorothy Loudon and Barry Nelson. David returned to Los Angeles and was signed for many dramatic guest starring roles in such T.V. shows as Bonanza, Ironside, Medical Center, The Mod Squad, and more. David then landed the role of Keith Partridge in the ever-popular, now classic T.V. show, The Partridge Family. The Partridge Family show catapulted David Cassidy to stardom and at the young age of 19, he was an international phenomenon with the largest fan club in history.

Most Promising Actor

In 1971 David won a Gold Medal Award for Most Promising Actor.

Best Singer Award

Readers of the German teen magazine "Bravo" voted David the best singer in 1973, 1974, 1975. David was presented with the "Goldener Otto" which looks like a little Winnetou. In 1976 David was awarded the Bronce (Bronze) Otto. Pictures here.

David's 30th Birthday Party

Kay and his family arrranged for a surprise Casablanca themed party.

Fashion Award

In May 1983 the Fashion Foundation of America made their annual announcement of 1982's Best Dressed Males in 10 Catagories. David Cassidy was announced as Best Dressed in the Stage Category. At the time David was starring on Broadway in "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".

Best Television Theme

David wrote the bluesy theme song to the John Larroquette Show "Skrewy St. Louis Blues" and in 1994 won The Television Music Archives Award for Best Television Theme.

Best Performer in Vegas

In August of 1996, David took over the starring role in MGM's Las Vegas production EFX. David replaced an ailing Michael Crawford who later bowed out of the show completely. David brought new life into the struggling production by changing much of the script and adding new, more contemporary songs. The show then became a tremendous success and was voted Best Show In Vegas, with David Cassidy winning as Best Performer In Vegas.

Teen Idol

David was ranked #1 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (23 January 2005 issue).

In an attempt to break from his Keith Partridge persona, he posed nude for Annie Leibovitz for a photo in the 11 May 1972 "Rolling Stone" magazine.

David Speeding

On the Mark and Brian show in 1990 a caller rang in to say he was at the same Traffic School for speeding as David. David was late to the Traffic School because he got caught speeding on the way to it.

Injuries

April 22, 1981 David fractured a toe on his left foot while performing in Little Johnny Jones.

Alias

Jackson Snipe was the name David used for his Phone Service in the 70's. Jackson Snipe was the name made up by Kevin, a friend of David's from Drama class at Rexford High School.
David was going to call his "The Higher They Climb - The harder They Fall" LP "The Rise And Fall Of Jackson Snipe". RCA were also releasing David Bowie's new LP called "The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust" so David decided to change the name of his LP.

David's hero

"As a 6 year old kid I had a hero: Mickey Mantle". (Russell Harty show 1976.)

The Brit Awards 1986

David attended the 1986 Brit Awards in London.

Special Olympics Honor

David Cassidy and his wife, Sue Shifrin-Cassidy, were honored for their commitment to, and support of, Special Olympics Nevada on April 1, 2001.

David as guest radio host

David was guest host on The Paul Perry Morning Show, Oldies 104.3; April 18th through April 22nd, 2005 from 7am to 9am.

David Cassidy - Grand Marshall

December 13th, 2003

2003 Cingular Wireless Winterfest Boat Parade.

The Winterfest is a Florida not-for-profit organisation that produces annual events for family entertainment. It culminated in the boat parade in which David was Grand Marshall. The theme for the year was "Once Upon A Time".

On September 23, 2003 David was announced as the Grand Marshall and the press gathered for a photo opportunity. See separate page for pictures from this event.

April 17, 1999

The 49th Annual Henderson Heritage Days included a parade at noon of floats, bands and costumes. David Cassidy was Grand Marshall for the second time.

Editor's note: Date of the first time is unknown.

David on your Voicemail

David recorded a message for Virgin Mobile for your voicemail. The message is titled, "It's Not Keith".
NOTE: This is no longer able to be purchased from www.virginmobileusa.com

Listen to a sample below.

Listen to the sample.

David was Best Man

David was best man at Ryan and Bonnie's wedding on July 26, 2008.

David was charged with DUI

David was arrested and charged with DUI on November 3, 2010.

Silver Eagle Patriot Award

David was presented with this award while attending the Celebrity Sock Hop, a fundraising event for the Foundation of Brain Injured Veterans on April 16, 2011.

The 5th Annual New Jersey Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony

On June 9, 2012 David performed at the 5th Annual New Jersey Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey.

IEBA Conference

David attended the 42nd annual IEBA Conference Award Dinner on Tuesday Oct. 9, 2012 in Nashville. David also attended the Paradise Artists Agency Classic Rock and Pop party earlier in the afternoon. The International Entertainment Buyers Association (IEBA) is a non-profit trade organization for live entertainment industry professionals and showcases the best and brightest talent in all genres of music and all fields of entertainment.

Lifetime Achievement Award

David was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Film, Recording & Entertainment Council's Star Gala Ceremony on November 3, 2012 at Magic City Casino. Pictures

In Popular Culture

Images and references to David Cassidy have appeared in numerous movies, TV shows, plays and songs.

David Cassidy