| Paris Themmen | |
| Birth Date: | 25 June 1959 |
| Birth Place: | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1967–present |
| Known For: | Mike Teevee in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory |
| Spouse: | [1] |
| Parents: | Ivana Marburger Themmen (mother) |
| Relatives: | Susan Blu (sister-in-law)[2] |
Paris Themmen (born June 25, 1959) is an American 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.
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]
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.
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]
Themmen's adult acting appearances include "Virtuoso", a 2000, sixth-season episode of the TV series ,[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 Böllner (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]
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]
| 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 | 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] | |
| 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 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Mame | Performer | ||
| 1970–1971 | The Rothschilds | Young Jacob Rothschild | Broadway |