Family Ties heartthrob Scott Valentine looked worlds away from his famous character more than 40 years after making his debut on the hit family sitcom.
The 68-year-old shared a snap from his friend’s birthday celebration in August, and included a photo of himself partying on a boat with loved ones. Scott was dressed in a yellow polo shirt and red shorts, and wore a wide smile on his face in the photo.
Back to the beginning
The star shot to fame in 1985 after appearing on Family Ties as Mallory Keaton’s boyfriend, Nick Moore, in a role that was intended to last for just one episode. Instead, Scott went on to act in 41 episodes of the series until it wrapped in 1989.
After Family Ties, he continued to build his Hollywood career and starred in CSI: NY, JAG and Murder, She Wrote, before deciding to step away from the entertainment industry altogether.
Leaving Hollywood behind
© NBCUniversal via Getty Images“I got sick of Hollywood, and I left in ’04. I became an investment banker,” he explained on the In the Spotlight podcast in 2023. Scott added that he was uncomfortable at times with the hefty paycheck he received from his work on Family Ties.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like the character. What was actually very difficult for me, at times, is I got paid so much money that it was really hard to justify that in my mind,” he said.
“I had this weird thing where I did voiceovers for a long time, got paid a lot of money to do it, and it was so easy, I’m thinking, ‘God, why am I getting paid this amount of money?'” Scott continued.
“And, Family Ties, some weeks I’d just walk out and say two [words]. Couple of them and I got paid a lot of money, and I’m thinking, ‘Teachers should get paid this kind of money. Engineers should get paid this. People that are saving our country should get paid this.’ It was hard to reconcile with.”
Bonding with the cast
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesThe father of four reflected on just how lucky he was to gel with the cast and crew of Family Ties despite entering the series later on.
“I was very fortunate to walk into a situation where the show’s already established. Established writers, established relationships, and to have such talented actors from Fox to Gross to Meredith to Justine to Tina Yothers. They’re all very talented people. I was very, very, very, very lucky.”
© InstagramHe co-starred on the show with Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross and Tina Yothers. The cast reunited via Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Scott married Kym Denyse Stephenson in the same year that he got his big break on Family Ties, and the pair welcomed four sons together before they divorced in 2012. He went on to marry Jennifer Wood in 2021.
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