American actor Willie Aames, born Albert William Upton, was born on July 15, 1960 in Orange County, California, USA) is an actor best known for the roles of Buddy Lembeck on Charles in Charge and Tommy Bradford on Eight is Enough. Aames is the youngest the four Upton children, with two brothers and one sister. He attended Edison High School in Huntington Beach, CA and was in both the choir and the Madrigal Ensemble.
Aames began his career by making guest appearances on television in 1969. He appeared in the television move Unwed Father in 1974. In 1975, he was cast in Irwin Allen's adventure series The Swiss Family Robinson along with a young Helen Hunt. In 1977, Aames was cast to play Tommy Bradford, a rebellious teenager in the popular television series Eight Is Enough. The instant stardom, along with his curly hair, slim physique, and handsome face, made him a popular teen idol.
In 1979, Aames made his feature-film debut as Kenny Stevens in Scavenger Hunt. After the cancellation of Eight Is Enough in 1981, Aames appeared in several movies, including Zapped (1982) with Scott Baio. In 1984, Baio and Aames returned to television in the series Charles in Charge. Aames is probably best remembers as Buddy, the irresponsible friend to Baio’s character Charles. While filming Charles in Charge, Aames continued to appear in various films and television shows including Goma-2 (1984) and An Eight is Enough Wedding (1989).
In 1984, Aames’ five-year marriage Victoria Averbach ended in divorce. In 1984 while filming Rocky Road, he met Maylo McCaslin and in 1986, the two were married. Aames continued to battle with cocaine and depression throughout the 1980’s and became notorious in Hollywood for his erratic behavior. By the time Charles in Charge was canceled in 1990, he had cleaned up his act, become a born-again Christian.
In 1991, Aames and McCaslin, along their daughter and his son from his first marriage, decided to move to Kansas City. There he became a producer and director of videos and commercials. In the mid-'90s, he began starring as an evangelical superhero in the Bibleman series of youth-oriented videos. Aames is also involved in Bugtime Adventures, another evangelic child-oriented series. Aames and his family relocated to Portland, where he is very involved with Pamplin Entertainment Group and devoted to spreading his religious/family values.