| Johnny Whitaker | |
|---|---|
 Johnny Whitaker as Tom Sawyer, 1973 |
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| Birth name | John O. Whitaker, Jr. |
| Born | December 13 1959  Van Nuys, California |
| Official site | JohnnyWhitaker.com |
Johnny Whitaker (born December 13 1959) is an American actor best known for several notable television and film performances during his childhood. He played 6-year-old Jody Davis on Family Affair from 1966-1971, originated the role of Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital in 1965, played the lead in Hallmark's 1969 The Littlest Angel,[1] and the title character in the 1973 musical version of Tom Sawyer.
Biography
He was born John O. Whitaker, Jr. in Van Nuys, California, the fifth of eight children to Thelma and John O. Whitaker, Sr.[2] and started his professional acting career at the age of three by appearing in a television commercial for a local used car dealer. In 1965, he originated the character of the young Scotty Baldwin in the soap opera General Hospital. In 1966 he starred in a major feature film, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming which also starred Brian Keith, an actor who would later play Whitaker's uncle in the television series, Family Affair. The show Family Affair ran from 1966-1971. It starred Whitaker playing the role of a 6-year-old orphaned boy, Jody Davis, living in a high-rise apartment in New York with his sisters Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Cissy (Kathy Garver), his uncle Bill, and Bill's butler, Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot). While a regular on the show, he also starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production The Littlest Angel in 1969. After Family Affair he went on to star in the Sid and Marty Krofft series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters as well as in other films, including Snowball Express, The Biscuit Eater, Napoleon and Samantha, and The Magic Pony. His most prominent role during this period was playing the lead in the 1973 musical version of Tom Sawyer.[3] He graduated from Sylmar High School, and then spent two years in Portugal doing missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[2] Upon returning to the United States he attended Brigham Young University, graduating in 1986 with a degree in Communications. He worked as a computer consultant, and then joined a Los Angeles talent agency, Whitaker Entertainment, owned by his sister. Currently Whitaker holds acting workshops, and co-produces a radio talk show, The Dr. Zod and Johnny Show, which is broadcast over the Cable Radio Network.[2]
