Family Affair star Johnny Whitaker recently dished on the four “Hail Mary passes” in his personal and professional lives now, at 66.
During an interview with Women’s World published on May 7, the former child actor — who played Jody Davis in the ’60s sitcom — opened up about his “now or never” approach today.
“Well, I turned 65 last year… I’m now 66,” he pointed out. “And I decided that I was going to throw out four Hail Mary passes.”
One of those projects involves organizing cruises for family, fans, and friends. Whitaker takes on the role of Juanito El Bonito by handing out presents and singing with the children at orphanages. “My family said that that was the greatest Christmas they’d had in a long time,” he shared.
Hail Mary number two for the actor is a documentary on drug policy in Portugal. He explained, “I’m a person in long-term recovery from all mind-altering substances. I celebrated 28 years clean and sober.”
In a June 2025 interview with The DeSoto-Times Tribune, Whitaker said of the documentary, “Fifty years ago, I went there bringing a message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fifty years later, I am bringing a message from Portugal to the rest of the world that we do not have to incarcerate people to help them with a drug or alcohol problem. I try to help people understand that drug addiction is not an evil force like some people believe it to be.”
Additionally, Whitaker is working on a memoir, as well as a new short film, Skye Bleu. In it, he plays a southern white supremacist who discovers that he’s the only living relative to his mixed-race granddaughter.
“So that’s my today — four Hail Mary passes,” Whitaker concluded. “I figure, hey, 66 years old, it’s now or never.”
Family Affair aired for five seasons from 1966 to 1971. In addition to Whitaker, the show starred Brian Keith as Bill, Kathy Garver as Cissy, Anissa Jones as Buffy, and Sebastian Cabot as Mr. Biles French.
Family Affair, streaming on Tubi, Xumo Play, Pluto TV, Amazon Prime, Peacock, and FRNDLY TV.
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Originally published on tvinsider.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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