East Idaho News
@eastidnews·585K subscribers·7.7K videos
How a former child star with ties to eastern Idaho got started in acting, overcame addiction
Posted
April 16, 2023
Views
21,379
Likes
612
Comments
127
Engagement
April 16, 2023
21,379
612
127
3.46%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
37:01Now Playing#eastidahonews #johnnywhitaker #familyaffair
IDAHO FALLS – Sporting a bushy white beard and slicked back hair, Johnny Whitaker isn’t immediately recognizable as he once was.
The 63-year-old California man became famous as a six-year-old curly-haired redhead when he was cast in the 1960s TV series “Family Affair,” which ran on CBS for five seasons. He later appeared in multiple Disney films throughout the 1970s and gave Jody Foster her first onscreen kiss in the film adaptation of “Tom Sawyer.” The 1973 film celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
With a documentary and film project in the works, Whitaker is back in show business again. His memoir is slated for release sometime next year.
But what many people don’t know is that Whitaker has ties to eastern Idaho. His mom, Thelma, grew up in Clifton about 12 miles northwest of Preston. Whitaker grew up in southern California as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and attended the same congregation as the Osmond Family. He and Marie are the same age.
During a Zoom conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Whitaker says his faith played a pivotal role in landing him his first acting gig at age three.
WATCH OUR ENTIRE CONVERSATION WITH WHITAKER IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.
► Subscribe to East Idaho News
► Download our free app
► Like us on Facebook
► Follow us on Twitter
► Follow us on Instagram
► Get East Idaho News merch
► Subscribe to our free newsletter
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
