What Happened To The Cast Of Eight Is Enough?

"Eight Is Enough" made its TV debut in 1977 and chronicled the everyday exploits of Sacramento newspaper columnist Tom Bradford (Dick Van Patten) and his wife Joan (Diana Hyland) as they raised eight rambunctious kids, ranging in age from 8 to 22. Based on Thomas Braden's book of the same name, the show was a hit with viewers, who clearly related to the joys and challenges the Bradford clan experienced.

When an unforeseen tragedy took place, the show was forced to evolve from a strict comedy to include more dramatic elements — essentially becoming one of TV's first dramedies long before anyone had even coined that particular term. That combination proved a winning one, allowing the show to carve out a niche as wholesome family entertainment that wound up running for five successful seasons.

The series ended its run in 1981 and remains fondly remembered by viewers. But what happened to all of the actors who played the Bradfords? As it turned out, their individual stories run the gamut from heartwarming to unspeakably sad, but all of them are fascinatingly memorable. For the full picture, read on to find out what the cast of "Eight Is Enough" is doing today.

Diana Hyland played mother-of-eight Joan Bradford on "Eight Is Enough" but appeared in just four episodes; her life was tragically cut short by breast cancer early in the show's run. She was 41 when she died, just 12 days after the series' premiere. Hyland's death left the series' producers in a tough spot, facing a decision to either recast the role and hope viewers wouldn't notice (a gambit taken the previous decade when Dick Sargent replaced Dick York as the bumbling Darrin Stevens on "Bewitched") or face the tragedy head-on by having Hyland's character die as well. They chose the latter. 

However, Joan Bradford wasn't killed off immediately; at first, the character was written off the show, said to be out of town visiting her sister. When "Eight Is Enough" returned for its second season, viewers learned that Tom was now a widower, mourning the loss of his wife. "I think that was hard emotionally on a lot of the kids," series creator William Blinn told the Television Academy Foundation of how the young actors who played Hyland's children were affected. "It wasn't just a funny TV show anymore. All of a sudden she's really dying." 

Early in that second season, a new character was introduced: Abby Abbott, played by Betty Buckley, who gradually became a love interest for Dick Van Patten's Tom; they tied the knot midway through the second season, with Abby becoming the kids' stepmom.

When "Eight Is Enough" had run its course, Lani O'Grady — who played the eldest Bradford daughter, Mary — stepped away from what had been a promising acting career to embrace another Hollywood vocation. Following in the footsteps of her mother, top talent agent Mary Grady, she became an agent herself. 

Over the course of O'Grady's life, she experienced severe anxiety and panic attacks, which her doctors misdiagnosed. As a result, they prescribed her heavy medication — including Xanax, Valium, and Librium — on which she eventually became dependent. "I drank two bottles of Chardonnay a day, took a ton of prescription pills," she told Geraldo Rivera in a 1994 interview. She went to rehab five times before finally becoming sober in the mid-1990s and taking a job as a recovery counselor with the doctor who'd treated her.

Later that decade, however, she was hospitalized for an addiction to Ativan, a powerful sleeping pill. In 2001, she died at the age of 46. The cause of death was ultimately ruled the result of a drug overdose, with the toxicology test revealing her blood contained lethal levels of Vicodin, a powerful painkiller, and Prozac, which doctors prescribe for depression. The coroner was unable to determine whether the overdose was intentional or accidental.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

After five seasons playing Susan Bradford on "Eight Is Enough," Susan Richardson landed a few more acting roles in the early 1980s, including guest spots on TV series including "Fantasy Island," "CHiPs," "One Day at a Time," and others. Her acting career, however, flatlined after that; Richardson's most recent screen credit was in the 1990 movie "Soldiers of Innocence." 

In a 2013 interview with the National Enquirer, she admitted she'd fallen on hard times in recent years. "I don't want to complain too much, but I've had my share of problems," she told the tabloid. While acting roles dried up, she experienced a series of health woes, including diabetes, strokes, and a digestive issue she said caused her to lose all her teeth. At the time, she was living in a squalid trailer in Pennsylvania, which she couldn't afford to heat. "There's always something wrong with it," she said. "I desperately need a new trailer but I can't afford it."

In a subsequent interview with "Inside Edition," she revealed she'd been diagnosed with achalasia, a rare hereditary condition that left her esophagus paralyzed and rendered her unable to eat solid food; instead, she was forced to use a feeding tube just to survive. However, she also noted that she'd defied doctors' expectations. "Eight years ago they told me I wouldn't be here," she said. "I'm here!" 

Laurie Walters played Joannie Bradford on "Eight Is Enough," and like several of her co-stars, she continued acting for a few years before shifting gears in the early 1990s. "It became clear I wasn't making the transition from ingenue to leading lady," she explained in an interview with Ojai Monthly. According to Walters, she'd had a love of nature since childhood, which led her to zero in on two key goals for herself. "I wanted to save the Earth and/or become a respected actress," she said. 

When acting roles eventually grew scarce, Walters decided to pursue her other interest and focused on working with the LA-based environmental group TreePeople. "I'm proud to say I've planted many trees in the urban forest of Los Angeles!" she declared. 

When she and her husband relocated to Ojai, California, she founded the Ojai Church of the Wild. She also served on the boards of the Green Coalition and the Ojai Shakespeare Festival. She established a lending library of environmental literature for the Green Coalition and then founded a theatrical library, The Slade Collection, at the Ojai Art Center. The library was named in memory of her husband, John Slade, who died in 2017. She also continued to act in theatrical productions in Ojai, a place that had become her home. "I've found a sense of place," she said.

Dianne Kay, who played Nancy Bradford on "Eight Is Enough," remained in Hollywood after the series' end. She starred in a few TV movies — including "Cass Malloy" and "Portrait of a Showgirl" — and on the series "Glitter," which ran for a single season in 1984 and 1985. More acting roles followed throughout the 1980s, but her credits became more sporadic in the following decade. Her final screen credit is a 1999 episode of Dick Van Dyke's "Diagnosis Murder," after which she retired from acting. 

While starring on "Eight Is Enough," Kay was cast in a major role in "1941," a World War II comedy directed by Steven Spielberg. While the film is now notorious as one of Spielberg's rare bombs, it was expected to be a huge hit, boasting a cast that included red-hot "Saturday Night Live" stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Her casting in what appeared to be a prestige project, she said, led to a bit of jealousy from some of her TV siblings. "And who wouldn't feel that way, to work with Steven Spielberg? I would have been jealous too," Kay said in an interview with the "Reimagine That" podcast. "But at the same time, maybe because it wasn't such a super hit, it all boiled down and everyone was fine with it."

In one of his earliest screen roles, Ralph Macchio played Jeremy Andretti, Abby's troubled nephew, who comes to live with the Bradfords during the final season of "Eight Is Enough." Not long after the series ended, Macchio hit it big when he was cast in "The Outsiders," which then led to the title role in "The Karate Kid," a major hit that propelled him to stardom (and two sequels). Subsequent movies also included "Crossroads," and "My Cousin Vinny." His acting career, however, shifted after the late 1990s, and he transitioned from star to supporting roles while steadily continuing to work.  

However, he made a big career comeback in 2018 with "Cobra Kai," a TV series based on the characters of "The Karate Kid," following their lives a quarter-century later. 

Discussing his career in an interview with Vanity Fair, Macchio said he was tapped for "Eight Is Enough" after ABC undertook a talent search for young actors they could add to existing series. "Apparently they didn't think eight was enough," he joked. "But I fortunately got to do 21 episodes that season. It was the final season, so I always say I might've been nine was too many." Becoming part of that ensemble cast, he explained, proved an education in acting that spurred him to improve. "So I dove deeper into the craft and studied acting after 'Eight Is Enough,' and right before "The Outsiders,'" he added.