Alan Thicke

Alan Thicke became the sitcom-dad ideal of Generation X while playing the father on the 1980s family sitcom "Growing Pains" (ABC 1985-1992), even as, with much less fanfare, he achieved unqualified Renaissance Man status in American and Canadian television. A household name in his native Canada, Thicke gained a foothold in the U.S. as a comedy writer, cutting his teeth in Hollywood writing for and producing such influential fare as "Fernwood 2-Night" (syndicated, 1977) and "The Richard Pryor Show" (NBC, 1977), as well as producing pop music TV specials. Alongside then-wife Gloria Loring, Thicke even composed a handful of memorable theme songs, notably for the NBC sitcoms "Diff'rent Strokes" (1978-1986) and "The Facts of Life" (1979-1988). He returned to Canada to helm a popular, eponymous daytime talk show, though his first U.S. shot at stardom in front of the camera, the syndicated late-night talker "Thicke of the Night" (1983-84), proved a notorious bomb. Yet it also provided a springboard to what would become his signature role in American pop culture as patriarch Jason Seaver on "Growing Pains," leading to a solid, low-key career as a supporting actor in both TV and film. Though most widely remembered for his best-known role, Thicke nevertheless could claim one of the most eclectic résumés in show business. Even his death--of a heart attack while playing hockey with his son Carter at the age of 69 on December 13, 2016--was simultaneously very fatherly and very Canadian, the two attributes Thicke best exemplified throughout his career.