You might remember “Welcome Back Kotter” as the hit 70s sitcom that has brought Arnold Horshack to your TV screens. Horshack, the class clown of his high school friends, aka the Sweathogs. Playing Horshack was none other than Ron Paolillo, whose hyena-like laugh still rings in everyone’s ears to this day.
Ron’s fame stretched beyond the realm of “Welcome Back Kotter,” and he played lots of characters on the big screen as well as the small one. You might remember him from “Laverne and Shirley in The Army” or from “Friday The Thirteenth” and others. He has also branched out and worked as a Broadway director, a fashion designer, and even a children’s books author. He sadly passed from a 2012 heart attack.
Suzanne Crough
Little Tracey Partridge was the second-to-youngest sister and played the tambourine. Played by Suzanne Crough, she was loved by many and kept acting in productions such as "Mulligan's Stew." Despite being a child actress, her education was important to her, and she went on to finish school and graduate from college.
She later owned a bookstore, got married, had two daughters, and went off the grid after 1980. Sadly, in 2015, Suzanne passed away suddenly. The entire cast attended the services for the sad occasion.
Pilar Crespi
Being the daughter of a countess who is a member of the International Best Dressed List puts the spotlight on you at a young age. And Pilar Crespi flourished under that spotlight. Becoming a young model, Pilar stunned the fashion world with her breezy, effortless beauty.
She went on to become an editor at "Vogue" and a well-known name in the fashion industry, but she's most proud of her philanthropic endeavors. She started an organization with her husband, Stephen Robert, called Source of Hope, which provides educational programs, grants, and scholarships to low-income cosmetology students.
Shirley Jones
Shirley Jones turned down a role in "The Brady Bunch" to play the mother of "The Partridge Family," so she would have made her mark on the 70s one way or another. She could’ve been Carol Brady, but she said playing a housewife, and nothing more, was not her style. So she played the lead in what can only be described as an American TV rendition of "The Sound of Music."
The difference being, she was a hippie-dippy widow, managing all of the children on her own just fine. Since she was married to Jack Cassidy until 1974, she was not only a TV mom, but she also was a stepmom to David Cassidy in real life. Shirley Jones is a stage actress with a six-decade career under her belt.
Brian Forster
The youngest sibling of the Partridge Family was Chris, the cute little drummer brother. This character was played by Brian Forster, but not until 1971, a year into the show. (Back then, making changes to the cast during the show was still a thing). The former child actor was Jeremy Gelbwaks.
Brian played Chris for the remainder of the series. He’s the son of British film actor Peter Forster and step-grandson of British acting legend Alan Napier. And, are you ready for this? He’s the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens. His days of stardom are long behind him as he hasn't been on any non-partridge-related roles since 1974.