Alan Thicke Biography

Fast Facts

• Worked as a disc jockey while in college
• Early in his career, was a successful talk-show host in Canada
• Composed the original theme song to Wheel of Fortune and, along with his then-wife Gloria Loring, wrote the theme songs to Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life
• Became a supporter of juvenile-diabetes research after one of his sons was diagnosed with the disease; established the Alan Thicke Centre for Juvenile Diabetes Research in London, Canada, in 1989
• Is the author of two books on parenting: How Men Have Babies: The Pregnant Father's Survival Guide (1999) and How to Raise Kids Who Won't Hate You (2006)
• How to Raise Kids Who Won't Hate You was reissued with an additional chapter on raising rock stars in 2009
• Portrayed himself on several episodes of How I Met Your Mother