Michael Paul Lookinland is an American former actor. He is best known for his role as the youngest brother, Bobby Brady, on the ABCsitcomThe Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974, and its many sequels and spinoffs.
Early life
Lookinland was born in Mount Pleasant, Utah, to parents Paul and Karen. He has two siblings: sister Theresa and brother, Todd, who starred in The Blue Bird with Elizabeth Taylor. Lookinland, who grew up as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began working as an actor at age 7, and by 9 had appeared in numerous television commercials for such products as toys, Cheerios cereal, and Band-Aid bandages.
Career
Lookinland was a TV-commercial actor before he was cast in The Brady Bunch, having done around thirty commercials. He has naturally sandy-colored, wavy hair. Because his hair color did not match Peter's or Greg's natural dark brown color, his was dyed dark brown and straightened. Occasionally, the lights on set were so hot that his dye would run down his face. During the last two seasons of The Brady Bunch, his natural hair color was allowed to show. His brother, Todd, appeared in a Brady Bunch episode that served as the pilot for a spin-off series, Kelly's Kids, about a husband and wife who adopt three boys, one white, one black, and one Asian. The series was not bought, however. Lookinland provided the voice of Oblio in the 1971 animated filmThe Point!. Shortly after the final season of The Brady Bunch wrapped filming, he appeared alongside Jennifer Jones and Paul Newman in the 1974 disaster film blockbuster The Towering Inferno and on the 1970s TV showThe Secrets of Isis. Lookinland reprised his role as Bobby Brady in the 1988 Christmas special A Very Brady Christmas and again in the 1990 sequel series The Bradys, in which Bobby Brady was involved in a racing-car accident, which made him a wheelchair user throughout the series. Lookinland spent several years as a television camera operator and made an uncredited appearance in the 2000 TV movie Growing Up Brady as a camera operator filming an episode of The Brady Bunch. He also joined with the other Brady Bunch children in the 2019 television series A Very Brady Renovation on HGTV. Having left show business, Lookinland operates a business that makes decorative concrete in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Personal life
Lookinland graduated from Chadwick School, an independent school located in Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles, California. He later attended the University of Utah but dropped out in order to pursue a career as a production assistant and camera operator. He wed Kelly Wermuth, an occasional actress, on May 1, 1987 and, together, they have two children, sons Scott Michael Lookinland, who portrayed him in Growing Up Brady, and Joseph Kelly "Joe" Lookinland, both born in Utah. The two worked together, with Lookinland as a production assistant and Wermuth as an extra on ' and '. Lookinland is a self-described Deadhead, having attended more than 100 Grateful Dead concerts and shows. In 1989, the California skate rock band Wonderful Broken Thing recorded their debut full-length album "Looking For Mike Lookinland"; several songs from this album were featured on the H-Street video "Hokus Pokus."
