He was first urged into show business at age nine by his father's agent. He appeared in more than thirty commercials, including Colgate toothpaste, before his father was cast in the TV series, Arnie, and moved his family from Long Island to Los Angeles.[citation needed]
From his first marriage to Betsy Russell he has two sons: Richard and Vince. His second marriage, on April 15, 2003, was to The Young and the Restless actress Eileen Davidson; they have one child together, a son named Jesse Thomas Van Patten.[1]
In the fall of 1975, at age 18, Van Patten appeared as John Karras in a 12-week CBS drama series Three for the Road.[2] In 1978, he co-starred in The Bionic Boy, a two-hour ABC attempted spinoff of the popular Lee Majors vehicle The Six Million Dollar Man, that never went to series. He made a guest appearance in the final episode of the NBC television anthology series$weepstake$ in 1979.
In singles, Van Patten reached the third round of the US Open twice, in 1982 and 1983, and Wimbledon once, in 1985. In doubles his best Grand Slam event result was reaching the quarter-finals of the French Open in 1981, partnering with Mel Purcell. His highest doubles ranking was World No. 24, reached in September 1986.
Van Patten learned to play poker at the age of 14 from his father, actor Dick Van Patten.
In the 1990s, Vincent Van Patten put together his own Hollywood home game with famous regulars like Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire.[4]
He finished in the money at the 2010 World Series of PokerMain Event, finishing 481st in a pool of 7,319 entrants and received winnings totaling $27,519. (This amount was awarded to finishers in 460th through 531st place.)[5]
Since 2003, he has been a commentator on World Poker Tour.[6] The first four seasons were broadcast on Travel Channel; seasons five and six on Game Show Network, and, from the seventh through to the current season, it has aired on Fox Sports Networks.[7]
With Robert J Randisi, he wrote The Picasso Flop, a novel about Las Vegas poker.[8]
As of September 2020, Van Patten has $104,383 in live tournament earnings from seven events.[9]
