Todd Bridges(I)
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Actor Todd Bridges has seen and done it all. Todd has lived and worked
amongst some of the most famous and influential individuals in the
world. For over twenty-five years, he has victoriously survived a
rapidly changing business. He experienced his second rise to fame, as
"Juice" on
The Young and the Restless (1973).
Todd's career began and rocketed when he was only six years of age,
forcing his family to relocate from a quiet, friendly neighborhood in
San Francisco to the fast-paced stardom of Los Angeles, California in
the early 70s. His mother, actress
Betty A. Bridges, and father, the late
James Bridges, Sr., came to Hollywood in search of the American dream.
Betty went on to work quite a bit as an actress while James Sr. became
one of the first prominent black Hollywood agents. Betty later became
one of Hollywood's greatest managers and acting coaches, whose list of
clients (soon to become stars) included her oldest child,
Jimmy Bridges, her daughter
Verda Bridges, Todd (of course),
Nia Long
(The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990),
Love Jones (1997)),
Regina King
(Jerry Maguire (1996)),
Lamont Bentley
(Moesha (1996)), and
Aaron Meeks
(Soul Food (2000)).
It all began one day while watching Redd Foxx
display his comic genius on
Sanford and Son (1972). Todd,
then six, realized his dream of becoming an actor. He exclaimed
excitedly to his mother, "I want to do that", pointing to the
television set. He had asked on his own to enter a business which,
during that time, was very limited for black artists. Nevertheless,
Todd went on to make some remarkable strides in the industry,
pioneering the way for other young, black actors. His first job was a
Jell-O commercial, which starred the entire Bridges family. He later
accomplished over 60 national commercials. Todd was the first black
child actor to become a recurring regular on the hit series,
The Waltons (1972), and
Little House on the Prairie (1974)
with the late great
Michael Landon. He went on to
guest star on
Barney Miller (1975), which
eventually gained a spin-off show, starring
Abe Vigoda. The spin-off was titled
Fish (1977) and Todd became a series
regular for four years. Norman Lear, who
spearheaded the success of Tandem Productions, with such shows under
his belt as
The Jeffersons (1975),
Good Times (1974),
All in the Family (1971)
and
The Facts of Life (1979),
sought to create a new type of show that would cross the racial
boundaries set in Hollywood in the early years of television. He began
with the new kid in town,
Gary Coleman, and a TV veteran,
Conrad Bain, from the hit show,
Maude (1972). The wheels were spinning
and
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
was born. The show originated with a wealthy white businessman who
adopted his housekeeper's black child after she passed away. There was
only one problem. Who would the creators find to match wits with the
sassy Gary Coleman?
Conrad Bain then suggested the creation of
an older brother character to keep up with "Arnold's" wisecracks, a
strong young actor capable of bouncing the ball back in his court. No
one portrayed such qualities as Todd Bridges.
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
was introduced to American audience in the fall of 1978. With the new
concept of a racially-mixed cast, the producers and creators were
unsure how the viewers would react. To their surprise, the show was a
complete success and ran strong for eight years. Todd Bridges became an
international celebrity and household name by the age of 15. During his
success with "Diff'rent Strokes", Todd guest starred on such shows as
The Love Boat (1977),
The Facts of Life (1979),
Hello, Larry (1979),
Battle of the Network Stars VI (1979),
Circus of the Stars #6 (1981),
and many, many more. An even bigger opportunity came when he was chosen
to portray the role of Chicken George's grandson in the historical
television miniseries, Roots (1977),
where his performance is still applauded to this day.
After "Diff'rent Strokes" ended its long run in 1986, things became
difficult for Todd. All of a sudden, no one would hire him due to his
being typecast as "Willis Drummond". He began to experience turbulent
times, which would later lead to drug addiction and trouble with the
authorities. There would be a pause in his career and his life for
nearly ten years.
Todd Bridges has been clean and sober for twenty-six years. He is a working
actor, director, and producer and is well on his way to the rebirth of
a promising television and motion picture career. Together, Todd and
his brother, James Jr., have partnered to establish their own
production company, "Little Bridge Productions".
His recent film credits (as an actor) include
_1210 Camille Street_ with Faizon Love (Friday (1995),
The Replacements (2000)), Frat
(),
_Hollywood Horror (2000)_
with Tia Mowry and 'Tamara Mowry' (_"Sister Sister" (1994)_)
and A Testimony. He also recently completed a feature film in Utah
called The Climb (2002) for
Billy Graham's production company.
He directed, produced and starred in the short film about his life,
Building Bridges (2000), for
TBN. He also directed, along with his brother, a full-length feature
film titled Black Ball (2003) (aka
Full Circle), starring Lisa Sweat (wife of
R&B singer Keith Sweat),
Stoney Jackson,
De'aundre Bonds, his wife
Dori Bridges, and a host of other great
names. His directorial credits also include the feature film,
Flossin (2001), the life story of his
pastor and childhood friend, Pastor Ernest Johnson. On a more personal
note, Todd is a proud husband and father. He has been married, since
1998, to his wife, Dori Bridges, and they
have one son, Spencir Bridges. Todd has
traveled the nation speaking to over 6,000 kids per day in high
schools, middle schools, and churches warning about the dangers of drug
use, negative peer pressure, and proclaiming Christ Jesus!
amongst some of the most famous and influential individuals in the
world. For over twenty-five years, he has victoriously survived a
rapidly changing business. He experienced his second rise to fame, as
"Juice" on
The Young and the Restless (1973).
Todd's career began and rocketed when he was only six years of age,
forcing his family to relocate from a quiet, friendly neighborhood in
San Francisco to the fast-paced stardom of Los Angeles, California in
the early 70s. His mother, actress
Betty A. Bridges, and father, the late
James Bridges, Sr., came to Hollywood in search of the American dream.
Betty went on to work quite a bit as an actress while James Sr. became
one of the first prominent black Hollywood agents. Betty later became
one of Hollywood's greatest managers and acting coaches, whose list of
clients (soon to become stars) included her oldest child,
Jimmy Bridges, her daughter
Verda Bridges, Todd (of course),
Nia Long
(The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990),
Love Jones (1997)),
Regina King
(Jerry Maguire (1996)),
Lamont Bentley
(Moesha (1996)), and
Aaron Meeks
(Soul Food (2000)).
It all began one day while watching Redd Foxx
display his comic genius on
Sanford and Son (1972). Todd,
then six, realized his dream of becoming an actor. He exclaimed
excitedly to his mother, "I want to do that", pointing to the
television set. He had asked on his own to enter a business which,
during that time, was very limited for black artists. Nevertheless,
Todd went on to make some remarkable strides in the industry,
pioneering the way for other young, black actors. His first job was a
Jell-O commercial, which starred the entire Bridges family. He later
accomplished over 60 national commercials. Todd was the first black
child actor to become a recurring regular on the hit series,
The Waltons (1972), and
Little House on the Prairie (1974)
with the late great
Michael Landon. He went on to
guest star on
Barney Miller (1975), which
eventually gained a spin-off show, starring
Abe Vigoda. The spin-off was titled
Fish (1977) and Todd became a series
regular for four years. Norman Lear, who
spearheaded the success of Tandem Productions, with such shows under
his belt as
The Jeffersons (1975),
Good Times (1974),
All in the Family (1971)
and
The Facts of Life (1979),
sought to create a new type of show that would cross the racial
boundaries set in Hollywood in the early years of television. He began
with the new kid in town,
Gary Coleman, and a TV veteran,
Conrad Bain, from the hit show,
Maude (1972). The wheels were spinning
and
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
was born. The show originated with a wealthy white businessman who
adopted his housekeeper's black child after she passed away. There was
only one problem. Who would the creators find to match wits with the
sassy Gary Coleman?
Conrad Bain then suggested the creation of
an older brother character to keep up with "Arnold's" wisecracks, a
strong young actor capable of bouncing the ball back in his court. No
one portrayed such qualities as Todd Bridges.
Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
was introduced to American audience in the fall of 1978. With the new
concept of a racially-mixed cast, the producers and creators were
unsure how the viewers would react. To their surprise, the show was a
complete success and ran strong for eight years. Todd Bridges became an
international celebrity and household name by the age of 15. During his
success with "Diff'rent Strokes", Todd guest starred on such shows as
The Love Boat (1977),
The Facts of Life (1979),
Hello, Larry (1979),
Battle of the Network Stars VI (1979),
Circus of the Stars #6 (1981),
and many, many more. An even bigger opportunity came when he was chosen
to portray the role of Chicken George's grandson in the historical
television miniseries, Roots (1977),
where his performance is still applauded to this day.
After "Diff'rent Strokes" ended its long run in 1986, things became
difficult for Todd. All of a sudden, no one would hire him due to his
being typecast as "Willis Drummond". He began to experience turbulent
times, which would later lead to drug addiction and trouble with the
authorities. There would be a pause in his career and his life for
nearly ten years.
Todd Bridges has been clean and sober for twenty-six years. He is a working
actor, director, and producer and is well on his way to the rebirth of
a promising television and motion picture career. Together, Todd and
his brother, James Jr., have partnered to establish their own
production company, "Little Bridge Productions".
His recent film credits (as an actor) include
_1210 Camille Street_ with Faizon Love (Friday (1995),
The Replacements (2000)), Frat
(),
_Hollywood Horror (2000)_
with Tia Mowry and 'Tamara Mowry' (_"Sister Sister" (1994)_)
and A Testimony. He also recently completed a feature film in Utah
called The Climb (2002) for
Billy Graham's production company.
He directed, produced and starred in the short film about his life,
Building Bridges (2000), for
TBN. He also directed, along with his brother, a full-length feature
film titled Black Ball (2003) (aka
Full Circle), starring Lisa Sweat (wife of
R&B singer Keith Sweat),
Stoney Jackson,
De'aundre Bonds, his wife
Dori Bridges, and a host of other great
names. His directorial credits also include the feature film,
Flossin (2001), the life story of his
pastor and childhood friend, Pastor Ernest Johnson. On a more personal
note, Todd is a proud husband and father. He has been married, since
1998, to his wife, Dori Bridges, and they
have one son, Spencir Bridges. Todd has
traveled the nation speaking to over 6,000 kids per day in high
schools, middle schools, and churches warning about the dangers of drug
use, negative peer pressure, and proclaiming Christ Jesus!