Philip McKeon, the former child actor who played young Tommy Hyatt on the 1976-85 CBS sitcom Alice, died today in Texas after a long illness. His death was announced by family spokesman Jeff Ballard. The elder brother of Facts of Life actress Nancy McKeon, was 55.
McKeon began his career as a model at age 4, followed by roles in stage productions and films. He landed Alice after lead actress Linda Lavin saw him performing on Broadway, and the show ran from 1976 to 1985. McKeon’s other TV credits included CHiPs, Fantasy Island, and The Love Boat.
McKeon was born in Westbury, New York, the son of Barbara and Donald McKeon, a travel agent. His younger sister is actress Nancy McKeon.
McKeon’s professional career began when he was 4. His parents took him and Nancy, then age 2, to a nearby modeling audition and he began his career as a child model appearing in magazines, newspapers, and television commercials.
Over the next several years, he landed numerous modeling stints, followed by several parts on stage and in films. Linda Lavin, who played Alice, first saw Philip at a Broadway performance and thought he was bright and talented and recommended him for the part of Tommy.
After Alice ended in 1985, McKeon continued to make periodic acting appearances, including Sandman (1993) and Ghoulies IV (1994). He also produced or directed a few films, such as Teresa’s Tattoo (1994) which starred his sister Nancy McKeon, Murder In The First (1995), and The Young Unknowns (2000).
After 2000, McKeon worked on radio, first in the news department at KFWB AM 980 in Los Angeles and then as co-host of the morning radio show The Breakfast Taco on KWVH-LP 94.1FM in Wimberley, Texas.
McKeon died in Texas on December 10, 2019, following a long illness. He was 55 years old.
