15:41Classic TV · 1969My Three Sons Cast Then and Now
Episode: My Three Sons (1960): Cast Then & Now 2026 — Who's Still Alive After 66 Years?
From Hollywood Legends Era · 16 min ·
About the My Three Sons Cast Then and Now
The My Three Sons cast then and now tells the story of one of television's longest-running family comedies and the people who lived in the Douglas house. The series premiered on ABC on September 29, 1960, and ran for 12 seasons and 380 episodes, ending on April 13, 1972.
The show moved to CBS for the 1965–66 season after ABC declined to pay for color production. Don Fedderson was the executive producer, and George Tibbles created the series. Its saxophone theme and animated opening became instantly familiar.
Sixty-six years after the premiere, most of the grown-ups from that house are gone. Several of the children are still with us, and their stories are some of the warmest in television history.
Who Lived in the Douglas House?
Fred MacMurray as Steve Douglas
Fred MacMurray was born in Kankakee, Illinois, and started out playing saxophone and singing with dance bands. In 1944 he played against type as a man drawn into murder in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity, a role he later called his favorite.
As widowed aeronautical engineer Steve Douglas, he anchored all 12 seasons. His contract had all his scenes filmed first in two month-long blocks, so the rest of the cast filmed around him. He was also the first person named a Disney Legend, in 1987, after films such as The Shaggy Dog and The Absent-Minded Professor.
He lost his first wife, Lillian, in 1953 and married actress June Haver in 1954. Fred MacMurray died of pneumonia in Santa Monica on November 5, 1991, at 83.
Tim Considine as Mike Douglas
Tim Considine was the grandson of theater owner Alexander Pantages. He made his film debut opposite Red Skelton in The Clown (1953), played Spin in Disney's Spin and Marty and Frank in The Hardy Boys, and worked with MacMurray in The Shaggy Dog (1959).
He played Mike, the oldest son, in the show's early years. Later he played the soldier slapped by General Patton in Patton (1970). He also became a photographer, and his picture of Joni Mitchell is on the cover of her 1971 album Blue. He wrote books on soccer, auto racing and the language of sport.
Disney named him a Disney Legend in 2006. Tim Considine died at his home in Mar Vista, California, on March 3, 2022, at 81.
Don Grady as Robbie Douglas
Don Grady was born Don Agrati in San Diego and was a Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club before joining the show as Robbie, the middle son.
Music stayed at the center of his life. In 1967 he was the drummer for The Yellow Balloon, whose song of the same name was a minor hit. Later he wrote the theme for The Phil Donahue Show and composed music for Blake Edwards' film Switch. In 1985 he married Virginia "Ginny" Lewsader, and they had two children.
Don Grady died of myeloma on June 27, 2012, in Thousand Oaks, California, at 68.
Stanley Livingston as Chip Douglas
Stanley Livingston had already worked on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet when he became Chip, the youngest son. He played Chip for all 12 seasons, growing up in front of millions of viewers.
He later worked as a producer and director. He and his real-life younger brother Barry remain close and often appear together at fan events. Stanley Livingston is 75, and he is the last living member of the three original sons.
Barry Livingston as Ernie Douglas
Barry Livingston joined the show in 1963 as Ernie Thompson, Chip's bespectacled friend. When Mike left, Steve Douglas adopted Ernie, and Barry stayed until the end.
The glasses had cost him an earlier job. He was cast with his brother as one of Paul Newman's sons in Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! (1958), but was dropped after being told he needed glasses. He has kept working as a character actor in Zodiac, The Social Network, Argo and Mad Men, and wrote the memoir The Importance of Being Ernie. Barry Livingston is 72.
Tina Cole as Katie Miller Douglas
Tina Cole, the daughter of musician Buddy Cole, had a recurring role on Hawaiian Eye before she joined the show. She played Katie, who married Robbie in the 1967 season premiere, from 1967 to 1972.
After television, she directed the Sacramento Children's Theatre. Tina Cole is 83.
Dawn Lyn as Dodie Harper Douglas
Dawn Lyn joined in 1969 as Dodie, the daughter of Steve's new wife, Barbara, and Steve adopted her in the story. She is the younger sister of singer Leif Garrett.
In October 2022 she had surgery for a non-malignant brain tumor and then developed bacterial meningitis, leading to a long recovery. In September 2025, Parade reported that she appeared at The Hollywood Show in Burbank and told fans she loved them and loved the show. Dawn Lyn is 63.
Remembering the Grown-Ups of My Three Sons
William Frawley as Bub O'Casey
Already famous as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy, William Frawley played Bub, the gruff grandfather who ran the kitchen. In 1964 the studio judged him too ill to continue, partly because insuring him had become too costly.
He died of a heart attack while walking on Hollywood Boulevard on March 3, 1966, at 79. Desi Arnaz placed a full-page notice in the trade papers that read "Buenas noches, amigo."
William Demarest as Uncle Charley O'Casey
William Demarest had been a familiar face in Preston Sturges comedies and earned an Oscar nomination for The Jolson Story (1946). He joined as Uncle Charley midseason and stayed until the end, earning an Emmy nomination for the 1968–69 season. He died in Palm Springs on December 28, 1983, at 91.
Beverly Garland as Barbara Harper Douglas
Beverly Garland played Barbara, the widowed teacher Steve married in 1969, for the last seasons of the show. She was also known for the Beverly Garland hotel in North Hollywood. She died at her home in the Hollywood Hills on December 5, 2008, at 82.
Meredith MacRae as Sally Ann Morrison Douglas
Meredith MacRae, the daughter of Gordon and Sheila MacRae, played Mike's girlfriend and then wife, Sally, from 1963 to 1965. She went on to play Billie Jo on Petticoat Junction and won a local Emmy in 1986 for hosting Mid-Morning Los Angeles. She died of complications of brain cancer on July 14, 2000, at 56.
Why My Three Sons Still Feels Like Home
My Three Sons showed a single father raising boys with patience, humor and a lot of help from the people around him. It was gentle television, and it never needed loud jokes to hold its audience.
Off screen, the bonds lasted too. The Livingston brothers still share a stage at fan events, and Dodie's return to her fans in 2025 showed how much this TV family still means.
Which member of the Douglas family would you have wanted living in your house, and what do you remember about the show's famous opening?
Sources and Further Reading
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