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For years, people have thought of Alan Thicke as the ultimate father figure: first, he was Kirk Cameron's TV dad on 'Growing Pains'; lately, he's been better known as R&B singer Robin Thicke's actual dad... But if there's one thing all awesome dads have in common, it's those crazy stories from their past - the stuff you never knew that make you see them in a whole new light. Alan Thicke? Well, he's no exception.
You might not know it, but Alan's a genuine jack of all trades: He broke into show biz with the CBC, where he did all kinds of stuff: wrote musical segments for Tommy Hunter; did some comedy with SNL creator Lorne Michaels; basically, it was a crash course in television.
After moving to LA, he worked as a TV writer for a list of Hollywood legends: Richard Pryor. Flip Wilson. Bill Cosby; talk about having a window into history. Plus, he never stopped writing music. Theme song for 'Diff'rent Strokes'? Written by Alan. Or, how about 'The Facts of Life'? That's Alan, too.
He did experience his share of disappointment: In the 80s, he had a late night talk show that took on Johnny Carson, and lost. But once he found his role as Dr. Jason Seaver on Growing Pains, Alan found a career-defining role.
Ever since, Alan's spent most of his career in front of the camera. Now, he's back on CBC to talk about another lifelong passion: hockey. He defended 'The Game' by Ken Dryden in this year's edition of Canada Reads. It might just be the greatest hockey book ever written, but it also raises universal questions about character, toughness, and what it takes to succeed.
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