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Aired: 1985-92
Episodes: 166
Cast: Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Kirk Cameron, Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller, Ashley Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio
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Growing Pains
This half-hour family sitcom starred Alan Thicke as a hip psychiatrist who moves his practice into his home to keep an eye on the kids after wife Joanna Kerns returns to work. Kirk Cameron played the fun-loving son, Tracey Gold played his brainy younger sister and Jeremy Miller played their precocious little brother. After seven successful seasons on ABC, Growing Pains was canceled in April 1992. The cast members had their own growing pains. Gold nearly died from anorexia, and while Kerns played the perfect wife, she was dealing with a nasty divorce in real life. Cameron became a born-again Christian and was offended if there were sexual references in the scripts, while the actress who played the Seaver's nanny posed for Playboy.
What You Don't Know:
• Alan Thicke has written themes for more than 45 television shows, including Wheel of Fortune, Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.
• Tracey Gold's first onscreen kiss was with a 17-year-old Brad Pitt.
• At the age of 14, Kirk Cameron was receiving 10,000 letters a month.
• The Growing Pains cast was not invited to Cameron's wedding; they read about it in the tabloids.
• Leonardo DiCaprio, who joined the cast toward the end of its run, has said he learned about women from Thicke.
• Gold's character was sent to study in London to cover up Gold's suspension due to anorexia nervosa.
• Joanna Kerns' sister is Olympic swimmer Donna De Varona, a 1964 gold medalist.
• Jeremy Miller auditioned for more than 350 acting jobs before he landed his first commercial at age six.
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E! True Hollywood Story now available on satellite radio.
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