Willie Aames (born Albert William Upton July 15, 1960 in Orange County, California, U.S.) is an actor best known for the roles of Buddy Lembeck on Charles in Charge, the film Zapped!, Tommy Bradford on Eight is Enough and the voice of Hank on the cartoon Dungeons & Dragons. He also hosted a game show The Krypton Factor from 1990-91.
He played the character of "Robbie Hamlin" on the ABC soap opera Edge of Night. He also originated the role of Leonard Unger, the son of Felix Unger (Tony Randall), on the ABC-TV series The Odd Couple, a part that was later played by Leif Garrett.
He attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach, CA, and was in both the choir and the Madrigal Ensemble.
During the late 70s/early 80s, he formed a rock band called "Willie Aames & Paradise," where he was lead singer/guitarist. Paradise was also the name of a 1982 movie in which he appeared with Phoebe Cates. He also appeared in the films Scavenger Hunt and Zapped! (with his future Charles in Charge co-star Scott Baio).
From 1995 to 2004, he starred in a video series and annual touring performances as the Christian superhero Bibleman, although he has since retired from the role.
In 2005, he appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club 2, where he lost 19 pounds. Aames is one of the more notorious contestants to appear on the show, after a huge blow-up with the trainer, Drill Instructor Harvey Walden IV. Aames gained weight at several of the show's weigh ins, but still managed to lose 10.2% of his body weight. Since appearing on the show, Aames has found a passion for hunting, and has his own hunting program on TV. Aames started Fit Club at 187 lbs, and finished the show at 168 lbs, but, subsequently gained back all of the weight climbing to 191 lbs. Aames is appearing on Celebrity fit Club:Boot Camp - to try to lose the 23 lbs that he gained back.
Aames struggled with drugs and alcohol for over twenty years.Aames.html" target="_blank">http://www.adherents.com/people/pa/Willie_Aames.html He became a _born–again Christian about three months before he married his second wife, Maylo McCaslin.
Aames has been married twice, and currently resides in Olathe, Kansas with his second wife (actress Maylo McCaslin) (whom he married on 15 March 1986), and their daughter Harleigh Jean (born 1990). He has one son, Christopher (born 1981), from his first marriage.
He and his wife were both victims of childhood sexual abuse and both now speak and do activism relating to that cause.
Aames has a son, Christopher, with his first wife. Aames met his second wife, Maylo McCaslin, in 1984 on the set of "Rocky Road" (1985), a cable sitcom in which she starred. They live in rural Olathe, Kansas with their daughter, Harleigh.
