Full
Name
David Bruce Cassidy
Birthdate
April 12, 1950
Birthplace
New
York City, N.Y
Height
5 ft.
6 in.
Eyes
Hazel
Hair
Brown
Marital Status
Children
Parents
Brothers
Pets
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 grand parents until the age of 10 when his mother decided to move them to Hollywood.
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. This 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.
music
Over the next five years, Cassidy sold over 25 million records, garnered multiple Grammy nominations, won a Golden Globe Award, sold out concert venues around the world, becoming the world's highest paid solo live performer by the age of 21.
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.
After The Partridge Family's successful four-year run, Cassidy continued for the next three years to record hit making recordings that reached the top of the rock charts throughout Europe with his three albums released on the RCA label. David then stopped recording records until 1985 when he returned to performing live and sold out such large arenas as The Royal Albert Hall, having had several more chart topping hit records through out Europe.
acting
David also returned to T.V. acting in 1978 playing an undercover cop in the T.V. special A Chance To Live, a telefilm that became the highest rated of the Police Story anthology and for which he was recognized by his pears by receiving an Emmy nomination for Best Dramatic Actor in a T.V. Special. This special lead to his starring role in the series David Cassidy/Man Undercover on NBC.
In 1979, Cassidy returned to the theater with his then wife, award winning actress Kay Lenz in the play The Voice of the Turtle. In 1981, he starred in Little Johnny Jones which toured the USA and broke the house record at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. In 1982 he did Bernard Slade's Tribute. Mr. Slade not only wrote such classic plays as Same Time Next Year but he was also the creator of the T.V. show The Partridge Family. David soon starred on the Broadway Stage in 1983 in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Cassidy's film credits include a leading role in Francis Ford Coppola's Spirit of '76 and Instant Karma with Craig Sheffer.
Cassidy was also fortunate enough to have starred in the play Time in London with Lawrence Olivier in 1987. This was Oliviers' last performance before his death and the play was a huge success.
the 1990's
In 1990 David recorded his first American L.P. in over 10 years and instantly had a hit single Lyin' To Myself, a song Cassidy also wrote. Cassidy along with his wife Sue Shifrin, also played an active role in 1994's Rebuild L.A. campaign, composing the efforts anthem, Stand And Be Proud. David also wrote the bluesy theme song to the John Larroquette Show and in 1994 won The Television Music Archives Award for Best Television Theme. He also wrote his autobiography C'mon, Get Happy: Fear and Loathing on the Partridge Family Bus which was published by Warner Books.
In 1993, Cassidy accepted another starring role, this time in the critically acclaimed Willy Russell production of Blood Brothers. Sharing the stage in this musical drama was half brother Shaun Cassidy, who is also a multi-talented award winning performer. The show ran on Broadway for a year and enjoyed a limited run on London's prestigious West End. David then joined the USA Canadian tour which ended in May 1995.
In August of 1996, Cassidy took over the starring role in MGM's Las Vegas production EFX. Cassidy replaced an ailing Michael Crawford who later bowed out of the show completely. Cassidy 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 Cassidy winning as Best Performer In Vegas.
In May 1998, David released his album Old Trick, New Dog. His single No Bridge I Wouldn't Cross hit the top 40 of the Adult Contemporary Charts in the U.S.A. This is the highest selling record of any Independent Label ever!
this century
On January 18, 2000 David opened his show David Cassidy At The Copa at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. Cassidy wrote and produced this new hybrid of a Broadway show and a Vegas show himself. It also co-stared the award winning singer Sheena Easton. This show opened for the press on Feb. 3, 2000 and it closed Jan. 21, 2001.
David's CD titled Then and Now was released in the fall of 2001 in the UK and went to number 5 on the UK charts. It's also gone platinum in the UK. The US release date was May 1, 2002. David toured the USA, UK and Australia throughout 2002. David's tour was very successful and a DVD of his April 2002 concert from Glasgow, Scotland was released in November 2002. He underwent yet another successful tour of the UK in 2004, after the release of his CD A Touch of Blue. David Cassidy Greatest Hits Live DVD was recorded during this tour. In 2007 David worked with producer-mixer Craig J to record high energy dance versions of some classic Partridge Family songs.
Headlining the Once in a Lifetime Tour throughout the UK in 2005, David was in the company of The Osmonds, The Bay City Rollers and David Essex. In 2007, David again toured the UK.
David continually tours throughout the USA when not involved in other projects.
The Downunder David Cassidy Fansite thanks Cat Ortiz-White for much of this information.