Vincent Van Patten Poker
Co-scripters Vincent Van Patten and Steve Alper get the insane thrill ride of high-stakes wagers, and the cast, led by Van Patten, is in sync with the serious loopiness of the enterprise at hand: a 280-mile trek from the San Fernando Valley to Sin City, for a seven-figure jackpot. WPT employees took turns verbally reducing Vince Van Patten to ash at the company's 'Vince Van Patten Roast,' an invite-only party that took place at The Capital Grille in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Vincent Van Patten is truly a renaissance man. He’s an actor, writer, producer, director, and novelist. As a former tennis star, he ranked 25th in the world. He is one of the most renowned poker experts in the game. He has been the host and commentator for 19 years on the biggest poker show in the world.
Vince Van Patten in 2019 | |
| Born | October 17, 1957 (age 63) |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actor, tennis player, commentator |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Spouse(s) | (m. 1989; div. 2001) (m. 2003) |
| Children | 3 |
| Tennis career | |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Turned pro | 1978 |
| Retired | 1987 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | $433,522 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 109–116 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 26 (November 2, 1981) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | 1R (1981, 1985) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1985) |
| US Open | 3R (1982, 1983) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 43–72 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | No. 24 (September 15, 1986) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| French Open | QF (1981) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1984) |
Vincent Van Patten (born October 17, 1957) is an American actor, former professional tennis player, and the commentator for the World Poker Tour.
Personal life[edit]
Van Patten was born in Bellerose, New York, as the youngest son of actor Dick Van Patten and his wife, Pat (née Poole), a former June Taylor dancer. He is of Dutch, English, and Italian descent.[citation needed] 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.[1]
Vince is related to several other well-known actors, actresses, and singers through blood and by marriage. Vince is a brother of James and Nels Van Patten, a nephew of Joyce Van Patten and Timothy Van Patten, and a cousin of Talia Balsam.[1]
Acting[edit]
As a child actor during the 1970s, Van Patten guest-starred in over three dozen classic television series, including Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Medical Center, Adam-12, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Wonder Woman, and a variety of television movies. He also had roles in the films Charley and the Angel (1973) and Chino (1973).[1] At age 16, he was cast in Apple's Way, a CBS drama series, in which he played the son of an architect who leaves the big city to rear his family in rural and fictional Appleton, Iowa.[1]
In the fall of 1975, at age 18, he appeared as John Karras in a 12-week CBS drama series Three for the Road. The story line is that of a father and two sons, grief-stricken over the death of their wife and mother, who sell their house, buy a recreational vehicle, and roam throughout the United States.[2]
Three years later, 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. In 1978, he starred in the cult film classic Rock 'n' Roll High School. He starred in several other films in the 1970s and 1980s, including the 1979 action thriller Survival Run (aka Spree), Yesterday (1981) as a Vietnam war veteran, the slasher film Hell Night (1981), Gidget's Summer Reunion (1985), The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (1987), and Camp Fear (1991). He wrote, produced, and starred in The Break (1995), distributed by Lions Gate with Martin Sheen.[1] Van Patten co-wrote and produced 7 Days to Vegas (2019), based on a true story, about a bet he made in 1995 that he could walk to Las Vegas, NV from Los Angeles, CA (280 miles), in seven days.[3]
Tennis[edit]
Van Patten was also a professional tourtennis player who in 1979 was awarded the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Rookie of the Year award. The highlight of his career came in 1981 when he defeated John McEnroe and two other top ten world ranked pros to win the Seiko World Super Tennis tournament in Tokyo. His career high ranking in singles was World No. 26, reached on February 11, 1982.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
Tennis Grand Prix Championship Series finals[edit]
Singles (1 title)[edit]
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | 1981 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet | Mark Edmondson | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 |
Poker[edit]
Vincent Van Patten Poker
Van Patten learned to play poker from his father, actor Dick Van Patten, at age 14.
In the 1990s, Vince Van Patten put together his own Hollywood home game with famous regulars like Ben Affleck or Tobey Maguire.[4]
He finished in the money at the 2010 World Series of Poker main event. He finished 481st in a pool of 7,319 entrants and received winnings totaling $27,519. (This amount was awarded to finishers 460th thru 531st.)[5]
Vincent Van Patten Parents
He is a commentator on World Poker Tour since 2003. 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 now airs on Fox Sports Networks.[6]
With Robert J Randisi, he wrote The Picasso Flop, a novel about Vegas poker.[7]
As of September 2020, Van Patten has $104,383 in live tournament earnings from seven events.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdeVincent Van Patten on IMDb
- ^'Three for the Road'. IMDb. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
- ^Fessier, Bruce. 'Vince Van Patten accepted a bet to walk from L.A. to Vegas. Then he made a movie about it'. The Desert Sun. Palm Springs.
- ^'Vincent Van Patten's Life: Biggest Profits, Losses and Net Worth'. Somuchpoker. July 31, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^'Event #57: No-Limit Hold'em Championship'. World Series of Poker. November 9, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^Profile, pokerlistings.com; accessed March 2, 2016.
- ^Van Patten, Vince; Randisi, Robert J. (February 21, 2007). The Picasso Flop. Grand Central. ISBN978-0759517073. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^'Vince van Patten's profile on The Hendon Mob'. The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
Vincent Van Patten Poker Announcer
Bibliography[edit]
- Holmstrom, John (January 1, 1999). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995 (second ed.). Norwich: Michael Russell. p. 319. ISBN978-0859551786.
External links[edit]
- Vincent Van Patten at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Vincent Van Patten at the International Tennis Federation
- Vincent Van Patten on IMDb
- Van Patten profile, PokerListings.com