Angela Cartwright couldn't escape romantic rumors in the Seventies

One rumor claimed she got engaged to Kurt Russell at 19.

In a bright yellow dress, Angela Cartwright appears in her guest role for Adam-12 as the picture of alarm. She's whisked from a heliport to the hospital where she hopes to donate her own blood to save her brother's life.

When "Assassination" aired in 1971, Cartwright was officially no longer a child star, having turned 19 just two months prior to the episode air date.

At this point in her career, she was ready to leave behind her image from wholesome TV shows like Make Room for Daddy and Lost in Space and movies like The Sound of Music. But even a few years later, meatier roles like this Adam-12 guest spot seemed harder to come by for the actor.

"I would like to try a part with a little more depth sometime, though," she told The San Francisco Examiner in 1973.

Although she may have experienced some trouble being taken seriously as an actor, the fan magazines knew her selling power. They had already begun churning out rumors linking the young and blossoming Cartwright to emerging leading men, including a whopper regarding her and Kurt Russell.

The same year she appeared on Adam-12, a fan wrote into The Hartford Courant asking, "Is there any truth to the rumor that Angela Cartwright of Make Room for Grandaddy and Kurt Russell are engaged?"

The columnist dashed the fan's hopes by confirming that not only was Russell not dating Cartwright, but he was already taken.

The young Russell was still smitten with his high school sweetheart, a girl named Liz who the columnist described as "really the apple of his eye, although he insists there's [sic] no marriage plans ahead."

As for Cartwright, she would continue to be romantically linked to celebrities she wasn't dating, and she thought this was because she kept her private life so private.

"None of my close friends are in the business," Cartwright told The San Bernardino County Sun in 1973. "With my parents and my friends, I'm just a regular person."

Cartwright didn't just prefer her quiet life with regular friends. She actually struggled to connect with other stars. She said that from a young age, she always made a point to say hi to other young actors onset, but, "I never know if they'll say hi back."

This didn't slow the rumors, though, linking Cartwright to any handsome young man she was glimpsed even briefly talking to. This happened once with Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz, at a time when Cartwright said she did have a boyfriend, "and he's not Mark Spitz."

"You know, I met [Spitz] once at a party, and he's really a nice guy," Cartwright explained. "So, this fan magazine writes that there's something going on between us."

Despite dealing with having to dispel occasional romantic rumors, Cartwright adjusted well to fame, learning to stay modest from her non-show business parents and learning to be a star from TV legend Danny Thomas, her onscreen stepdad.

"When I was working with Danny Thomas, I'd watch him all the time," Cartwright said. "He had a perfect sense of timing, and a knack for timing is a big part of it."

She said Danny Thomas was her greatest teacher, helping her become a more natural actor, unlike other actors who were formally trained. "I have my doubts about acting schools," Cartwright said.

Thomas was proud of his star pupil Angela.

"Angela Cartwright, I saw you on the screen again today and if you continue to steal this show from me, there's going to be trouble!" Thomas was quoted as saying in 1970 in The San Bernardino County Sun.

Cartwright's star continued shining long after she graduated from Thomas' "acting school" on Make Room for Daddy. She said what drove her to take on bigger challenges as an actor wasn't the need for fame or to date the hottest actors coming up in Hollywood, but something much more relatable.

"I never had a complex about thinking I was a big star," Cartwright said. "If anything, I had a complex about being a nobody."

Although she wasn’t rushing to marry Kurt Russell at 19 or Mark Spitz at 21, Cartwright did foresee a future where she started her own family — when she was ready.

"I can see myself settling down and having a family someday," Cartwright said. "But I don't know just when."

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24 Comments

Tonim57 32 months ago
I remembered William. Smith on Richman Poorman
Unvmyvdub 32 months ago
I loved her in the Lost In Space episodes, Mr. Nobody and All That Glitters. Those episodes were all about her not Will, Dr. Smith and the robot.
lifodi8144 33 months ago
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denny 33 months ago
She did date Billy Mumy back in the 60s.
shawnyfleming 33 months ago
I wanted to comment that on happy days,what happened to chuck Cunningham? Well one chuck turned out to be adult film star john Holmes but got bumped off the show forLARGER REASONS LOL.
AlbertCarpenter 33 months ago
She made it through the rough time but she made it.
trogg888 33 months ago
she was the best thing on make room for daddy
Sway 33 months ago
Even if it was just a rumor, not to shabby of a couple of guys to be linked to.
Kenner 33 months ago
Had the biggest crush on her back in the day.
Big3Fan 33 months ago
It's nice to read stories about child stars that were able survive this issues that so many weren't able to avoid. The Cartwright sisters, Ron Howard, Kurt Russell, Michael J. Fox, Margaret O'Brien. Shirley Temple, Jackie Coogan. Jackie Cooper, and all of the others that survived to lead good lives, whether they stayed in the industry or not.
JosephScarbrough Big3Fan 33 months ago
This is why, even though I'm not particularly a fan of his, I do have a lot of respect for Neil Patrick Harris, aka Doogie Howser, for being another one among those who managed to keep their names and reputations scandal-free and enjoy a prosperous career after their child star days.

Otherwise, I'm occasionally reminded of how the world thought Lindsay Lohan would go on to be "the next Meg Ryan," and, well, that certainly did not happen. . . .
kimmer 33 months ago
All's well that ends well....great story
vinman63 33 months ago
She eventually got married in 1976.
KMT6600 33 months ago
I like Angela she was a good in the roles she had Hope the rest works out for her .
Andybandit 33 months ago
Interesting story. Angela Cartwright looks more like the Kathy character on "The Birds". Then her sister Veronica who play the roll.
LoveMETV22 Andybandit 33 months ago
That's what I thought. I'll never be able to watch "the Birds" in the same way. LoL
LoveMETV22 33 months ago
From her role in "The Birds" to "The Sound of Music" and her character in "Lost in Space". She did OK for herself.
ElizabethKlug LoveMETV22 33 months ago
Her sister Veronica Cartwright was in the birds.
LoveMETV22 ElizabethKlug 33 months ago
Ooops my bad if I got that wrong . According to Wiki page for Angela it listed her in
The Birds. However the Wiki page for the Birds is says Veronica. I think your right and thanks for the info.
BrittReid 33 months ago
Penny Robinson, the girl next door. Nice in every way.
Yort 33 months ago
I had such a HUGE crush on Angela Cartwright. She had that "girl next door" quality. Just a beautiful girl and wonderful person.
Mike 33 months ago
Just so you all know:

In 2021, Angela Cartwright is now 68 years old.
She's been married for 45 years (to one guy, Steve Gullion by name).
They have two grown children: a daughter named Becca (who turns 40 next month) and a son named Jesse (now 35).
Offhand, I'd say that the marriage-&-family thing turned out OK for her ...
(Thanx to IMDb.)
MrsPhilHarris Mike 33 months ago
Nice to know.
rayforhorror Mike 30 months ago
Wow! That's interesting to know. And also, she's just a year older than my mom.
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