Partridge Family Child Star Jeremy Gelbwaks Spotted in New Orleans
The actor, who played Chris Partridge in the first season of the 1970s sitcom, now works as a technology planner.
Jeremy Gelbwaks, known for his role as Chris Partridge in the early days of the television series The Partridge Family, was recently seen during a rare public outing in New Orleans. Gelbwaks, who was 10 years old when he joined the cast in 1970, appeared in the show for less than a year. He is now 65 and works as a technology planner in Louisiana.
The ABC musical sitcom, created by Bernard Slade, loosely followed the real-life musical family band The Cowsills. It depicted a widowed mother and her five children forming a pop rock band.
Gelbwaks departed the series after its first season, with his role being taken over by Brian Forster. The show concluded its four-season run in March 1974.
According to his former co-star David Cassidy's 1994 memoir, C'mon, Get Happy, Gelbwaks's departure was attributed to his parents' decision to relocate. Cassidy described the young actor as having "a personality conflict with every person in the cast, and with the producers," and recalled him as "hyperactive" on set.
Following his family's move from California, Gelbwaks transitioned away from acting. His father's career in computer science influenced Gelbwaks's own academic and professional path. He pursued studies at Potsdam College, UC Berkeley, and Columbia University. Gelbwaks worked as a computer analyst and later a management consultant before settling in New Orleans with his wife, Patricia Polander, where he now works as a technology planner.