Paris Themmen
Themmen in 2017
Born (1959-06-25) June 25, 1959 (age 64)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1967–present
Known forMike Teevee in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Spouse
Nikki Grillos
​
(m. 2014)​
[1]
ParentIvana Marburger Themmen (mother)
RelativesSusan Blu (sister-in-law)[2]
Websiteparisthemmen.com

Paris Themmen (born June 25, 1959) is an American former actor who started his career as a child actor. He is best known for his role as Mike Teevee in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. After leaving acting, he worked in business as a real estate broker and casting director.

Early life

Themmen was born on June 25, 1959, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Ivana Marburger Themmen and Harold B. Themmen, both classical musicians.[3] Themmen's mother was a renowned composer for orchestras in the late 20th century.[4][5] A guitar concerto of hers was in final contention for the 1982 Kennedy Center Friedheim Award.[6] Themmen's father, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, was a clarinetist and librarian for the American Ballet Theatre, and also played for the Boston Pops Orchestra.[7]

Career

Child actor

Themmen appeared in radio and TV commercials, voice-overs and theater performing on Broadway in Mame with Ann Miller in 1967 and in The Rothschilds in 1970. In 1971, aged 11, he got his breakthrough role in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as Mike Teevee.

Business careers

Declaring a hiatus from acting at age 14 to "just be a kid," Themmen went on to receive a B.F.A. in theatre from New York University. He founded Access International, a travel service that arranged Europe-bound charter flights for backpackers.

Following brief stints in real estate, film production, commercial casting, business representation at Walt Disney Imagineering, and a few other ventures, he now signs autographs at movie conventions, runs a photography business, and makes sporadic appearances in commercials, plays and TV shows.[8]

Film appearance

Themmen's adult acting appearances include "Virtuoso", a 2000, sixth-season episode of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager,[9] as a fawning fan. He was billed as a "former child star" in two 2008 episodes of the American game show Duel.[10][11]

On May 4, 2011, Themmen appeared on the British television morning show Daybreak, alongside the other child actors from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket), Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde) and Michael Bollner (Augustus Gloop). They made an additional 40th Anniversary reunion appearance on NBC's Today Show eleven days later.[12][13] He reunited with the partial Wonka cast again on the program in 2015.[14]

On January 23, 2015, Themmen appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast. The episode was recorded live in Wilmington, Massachusetts during North East ComicCon.[15]

Themmen was a Jeopardy! contestant on March 13, 2018, finishing in second place.[16][17] His wife, Nikki Grillos, previously appeared on the program in 2015, returning twice as a champion before being defeated on her third appearance.[1][18][19]

Personal life

Themmen has been married to Nikki Grillos since 2014.[1] Together, the couple currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[20]

Themmen's sister Allegra Themmen-Pigott (1967–2019) was a coloratura soprano opera singer and music therapist.[21] His sister Tania is married to voice actress and voice director Susan Blu.[22]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Mike Teevee

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1975 The Rock 'n' Fun Magic Show Himself
1994 Macross Plus Additional Voices TV mini-series
1999 Screenplay Mail Room Clerk TV movie
2000 Star Trek: Voyager Fawning Fan Episode: Virtuoso
2003 After They Were Famous Himself Documentary
2011 Daybreak 1 episode
Pure Imagination: The Story of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Documentary
Top Chef: Just Desserts Episode: Pure Imagination[23]
2011; 2015 Today 2 episodes
2012 Beyond the Marquee Episode: Meet the Wonka Kids[24]
Men with No Lives Episode: Who Is Hugh Jardon? Stan Lee's Comikaze Special
2016 Cake Wars 1 episode[25]
LeagueOne: In the Spotlight! Episode: Child Star Remembers Gene Wilder!
2018 Jeopardy! 1 episode[26]
2021 To Tell the Truth 1 episode[27]

Film work

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Until the End of the World Production Assistant Uncredited
2005 Citizen Candy Man: A Chocumentary Special Thanks
2011 Something Borrowed Production Assistant
2012 The Owner First Assistant Director

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
1967 Mame Performer
1970–1971 The Rothschilds Young Jacob Rothschild Broadway

References

  1. ^ a b c Corinthlos, Aurelle (March 16, 2018). "Willy Wonka Star Paris Themmen's Wife Nikki Grillos Was Also on Jeopardy! - and Took Home $32,000". People. Retrieved September 27, 2022 – via Yahoo! News.
  2. ^ Fury, Sol (September 8, 2013). "Congratulations Sue Blu and Garry Chalk!". TFW2005. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Fanfare Magazine, Volume 6, Issues 3-4, 1983 page 276
  4. ^ McLellan, Joseph (September 26, 1982). "Remember Music You Could Hum?". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  5. ^ American Woman Composers News, Volume 1, Issues 2-3
  6. ^ Tuck, Lon (October 4, 1982). "Pone's 'Avanti!' Wins Friedheim Prize". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  7. ^ Teck, Catherine. Music for the Dance: Reflections on a Collaborative Art. Greenwood Press, 1989, page 108
  8. ^ "The Official Paris Themmen Website". paristhemmen.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  9. ^ "Paris Themmen: From Willy Wonka To Voyager". Star Trek.com. June 8, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  10. ^ Duel April 18, 2008
  11. ^ Duel, July 4, 2008 broadcast
  12. ^ "'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory' Reunion: 'Today Show' Brings Together Stars For 40th Anniversary". The Huffington Post. May 18, 2011. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Wonka kids on today show. YouTube. 15 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22.
  14. ^ Dawn, Randee (November 11, 2015). "'Willy Wonka' reunion: Why the cast still feel like golden ticket winners". TODAY.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  15. ^ Reid, Ken (January 23, 2015). "TV Guidance Counselor LIVE! with Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee)" (Podcast) – via Sound Cloud.
  16. ^ "Today's Final Jeopardy - March 13, 2018 – The Jeopardy! Fan". The Jeopardy! Fan. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2018-03-13.
  17. ^ France, Lisa Respers (March 15, 2018). "'Willy Wonka' star on 'Jeopardy!' a treat for fans". CNN. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  18. ^ "J! Archive - Nikki Grillos". J! Archive. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  19. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (March 15, 2018). "Paris Themmen, Original Mike Teavee Actor in 'Willy Wonka,' Appears on 'Jeopardy!'". TV Insider. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Gurliacci, David (January 14, 2017). "Celebrity Chefs and The Amazing Kreskin at Chocolate Expo on Jan 29". Darienite.com.
  21. ^ Themmen-Pigott, Allegra. Life in the Key of Allegra: A Personal and Professional Journey with the Healing Powers of Music. 2019
  22. ^ Peeples, Jase (July 18, 2014). "Susan Blu: Transformation of an Animation Icon". Advocate. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  23. ^ Barrett, Annie (September 15, 2011). "'Top Chef: Just Desserts' has a 'Willy Wonka' reunion! Simply look around and view it". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Beyond the Marquee (August 23, 2012). Beyond the Marquee: The Web-Series (Episode 22): The WONKA Kids. Beyond the Marquee. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  25. ^ "'Willy Wonka' Star Paris Themmen, Who Played Mike Teevee, Appears on 'Jeopardy!'". TVOvermind. March 15, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  26. ^ "J! Archive: Show #7717 - Tuesday, March 13, 2018". J! Archive. March 13, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  27. ^ "Whatever Happened to Paris Themmen?". TVOvermind. 3 October 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2022.

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