Jonathan Prince

Prince embarked on an acting career following graduation from Harvard University. His most important roles include "Leo" in the 1981 CBS series Mr. Merlin, "Roy" in the 1983 sex comedy Private School and "Zach Armstrong" in the 1986 syndicated sitcom Throb. He also hosted The Quiz Kids Challenge in 1990. Prince said he decided to expand into other aspects of show business when he was on the cast of Mr. Merlin. Prince's next break came when George Burns asked him to co-write and produce Burns' feature film 18 Again. That led to a job as consultant on the Whatever Became of...? television specials, where Prince met Dick Clark.

That meeting with Dick Clark proved fortuitous because it led to the creation of American Dreams, an ensemble show tracking one Catholic family through the tumultuous years of 1963–1967. Clark's American Bandstand is a key part of the story and the episodes all include musical performances from the show. Prince is listed as the creator but he worked with Josh Goldstein to develop it. Price was instrumental in hiring Eric the Midget from Howard Stern in 2005 for a cameo as a midget going to a Cubs game, appearing with series regular Daphne Zuniga. Dick Clark also played a large role in the show's creation and he is listed as an executive producer.

Prince was born in Beverly Hills, California, the son of Gayle Prince (née Schlanger), a special education teacher, and Martin Harry Prince, an optometrist. He graduated from Beverly Hills High in 1976[1] Prince is Jewish.[2]

On June 17, 1995, Prince married actress Julie Warner.[3] They have one son, Jackson, born in 1997. He and Warner are now divorced.

• Jonathan Prince interview on American Dreams
• Jonathan Prince at IMDb