These days, Shaun Cassidy is a successful film and television producer, whose expansive credits include such TV series as “American Gothic,” “The Agency,” “Blue Bloods” and “New Amsterdam.”
Back in the 1970s, however, he was a bona fide teen idol whose pop singles (including the No. 1 hit “Da Doo Ron Ron”) made him a frequent presence in the pages of Tiger Beat, Teen Beat and their ilk.
Yet before that, Cassidy was an aspiring young magician who performed magic tricks at parties — including that of a future “Friends” star.
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Cassidy paid a recent visit to “The Drew Barrymore Show,” where he discussed his childhood obsession with magic.
“The first, like, public, anything I did: I did magic shows, 12-, 13-, 14-years-old, around Los Angeles,” Cassidy told guest host Valerie Bertinelli.
One of those parties, he recalled, was for a little kid who would go on to become one of the most famous women in the world. “And I did Jennifer Aniston’s fourth birthday party,” Cassidy recalled. “True story.”
Added Cassidy: “Which she has reminded me of. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes.”
A ‘Hardy Boys’ Connection
During the time of Cassidy’s pop stardom, he was also doing double duty as a TV star, appearing alongside onscreen sibling Parker Stevenson in “The Hardy Boys.”
That was when Bertinelli first met him, when she guest-starred on the popular whodunit.
“Do you remember?” Bertinelli asked Cassidy. “I don’t. I barely remember being on ‘The Hardy Boys.’ I was so young.”
Cassidy, however, did recall her appearance on the show. “I remember you because you were wildly famous, and very beautiful. Nothing has changed,” Cassidy said.
“I think you spent more time with Parker Stevenson, who was my co-star on the show,” Cassidy remembered. “But I remember being thrilled that you were on the show.”
He Credits Mom Shirley Jones For Remaining Grounded
During their conversation, Bertinelli asked Cassidy how he managed to turn out to be “such a normal man” despite spending decades working in “a very abnormal business.”
As Cassidy reminded, both his parents were famous — his father Jack Cassidy was a Hollywood actor, while mom Shirley Jones was famous to TV viewers as the singing matriarch in hit sitcom “The Partridge Family.”
He credited his ability to stay grounded to his mother, who recently celebrated her 92nd birthday.
“My mom, she’s a fairly grounded person even though she’s had a fairly extraordinary career, Academy Award winner and all,” he said, referencing his mother’s 1961 Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for the drama “Elmer Gantry.”
“She was a great model for how to manage this, but I think, like you, like Drew Barrymore, because we had a lot thrown at us as young people, for me it became less about what do I do next for my career, what do I do next to make money, or whatever. It became about how how do I have a good life,” Cassidy explained. “How do I use this to actually build a good life for myself? And I think I did it.”
’70s Teen Idol Performed Magic Tricks at Jennifer Aniston’s 4th Birthday