Former Child Star Butch Patrick is Now 71: From TV's 'The Munsters' to 'Lidsville' and Beyond

Photo byFacts.net

He remains one of the most popular former child actors in the history of the entertainment industry. He initially found fame in the 1960s on TV's supernatural sitcom, The Munsters, and then in the 1970s Saturday morning live-action classic, Lidsville. His name is Butch Patrick and he's now 71 years young.

A Closer Look

Butch Patrick was born Patrick Alan Lilley on August 2, 1953, in Los Angeles, CA.

Seven years later, the young future star accompanied his little sister to an Amos Carr photo shoot. She was supposed to be the center of attention, but it was his headshot that eventually wound up a Hollywood Blvd. window!

Patrick's mother Patti, and talent agent, Mary Grady (mother to former child stars Don My Three Sons Grady and Lani Eight is Enough O'Grady) subsequently created the stage name, Butch Patrick.

Patrick had left Hollywood for Illinois to reside with his grandmother by the time The Munsters pilot had been cast. Fred Gwynne was cast as the Frankenstein-like Herman Munster, Al Lewis was cast as Dracula-like Grandpa, Joan Joan Marshall was cast as Lily Munster (Herman's wife and Grandpa's vampiric daughter), Beverly Owen (before Pat Priest) was hired to play oddball-but-traditionally-attractive Cousin Marilyn, and Nate Derman was to portray little Eddie Munster.

However, CBS executives decided not to utilize Marshall and Derman, the latter of whom was replaced by Yvonne De Carlo.

They approached the iconic De Carlo, of feature films like The Ten Commandments, to play Lily for her star power, then put out a casting call for Eddie.

As Patrick explained in one interview from 2023, a casting call was then placed to fill the role of Eddie. “My agent got wind of it and told them, ‘You need to look at Butch.’ And they go, “We looked at every kid in Hollywood.’ And she said, ‘Well, that’s the problem. He’s in Illinois with his grandmother.’ She got them to fly me out, and I went from the airport to the studio. I did a screen test with Yvonne De Carlo, and they said, ‘Report to work Wednesday.'”

At that point, Patrick moved in with his uncle and hired a woman to drive him to work every day.

Before and After The Munsters

Before and after The Munsters, Butch Patrick made countless TV appearances including Westerns like Bonanza and Gunsmoke, and The Smith Family dramedy, which premiered in 1971.

Around that time, Patrick was cast in his second hit sci-fi/fantasy series, Lidsville, which was produced by the dynamic Sid & Marty Kroft siblings (H.R. Puffnstuff).

An Inspiring Conclusion

According to IMDb.com entertainment journalist James Vogle, Patrick "receives scripts and works the indie movie circuit, giving back to the industry that served him well."

A cancer survivor, Patrick "works with people with addiction issues, as well," Vogle noted. "He had his own issues with his life and, after 40 years of alcohol and drug abuse, he's been clean and sober [for] nearly 10 years. He married Leila Murray in 2016."