EXCLUSIVEIconic 60s child actor who starred in classic family comedy with a twist spotted in rare Los Angeles outing
He found fame as a child, appearing in a classic family TV comedy with a twist.
For though they thought they were just an average close-knit clan, no-one else saw them quite like that.
Yes, there was the well-meaning father, the loving mother, the unsophisticated teen and the live-in relative with weird habits.
And this actor played the precocious youngest member, complete – of course – with his scene-stealing pet Spot.
The show ran for just two seasons on CBS in the mid-1960s, gaining a Golden Globe nomination but when ABC introduced Batman, ratings slumped and it was soon canceled, although it has run successfully in syndication ever since.
So can you guess who the 71-year-old who was doing some last minute Christmas shopping in Los Angeles on Monday.
The former child actor, now 71, was wearing a T-shirt which paid homage to his appearance in Geneseo, Illinois, at Spook the Loop
The actor, who is rarely seen in public, was pictured with a female companion doing some last minute Christmas shopping in Los Angeles on Monday
Patrick sported a classic pair of Ray-Bans, a dark pair of jeans, a black leather vest to complete the outfit and what appears to be a pair of green Slip-On Vans
It's Butch Patrick – Eddie from the Munsters.
If you look carefully, his T-shirt gives a huge clue. There is a picture of his most famous character – the child with the huge widow's peak – staring out at you.
Patrick – whose real name is Patrick Lilley – is rarely seen in public, was pictured with a female companion.
He was wearing a T-shirt which paid homage to his hometown appearance in Geneseo this year at Spook the Loop – a Halloween themed event featuring a classic car cruise and live music in a parade-like atmosphere.
The shirt had a green, black and yellow font and featured a younger picture of Patrick as his former character, child werewolf Eddie Munster.
He sported a classic pair of black Ray-Bans, a dark pair of jeans, a black leather vest to complete the outfit and green Slip-On Vans.
Patrick's companion wore a black long sleeve shirt, a white vest and striped gray leggings, along with a large brown purse and eye-catching brown sunglasses
The shirt was in a green, black and yellow font and features a picture of Patrick as his former character, child werewolf Eddie Munster
In his most famous role in The Munsters, he starred as Eddie Munster, a young werewolf who was the son of a Frankenstein monster, played by Fred Gwynne, and his vampire wife, portrayed by Yvonne De Carlo
Patrick was 11 years old when he was fitted with pointy ears and a toothy smile to play Eddie, the youngest member of The Munsters
As an 11-year-old, Patrick started his screen career as Eddie Munster, a young werewolf who was the son of Frankenstein monster Herman, played by Fred Gwynne, and his vampire wife, Lily, portrayed by Yvonne De Carlo.
The show ran for 70 episodes from 1964 to 1966 and was a play on the 1950s American household, but instead of the typical family it comprised of monsters.
Eddie's pet was no family dog, he was a fire-breathing dragon.
The beloved comedy fantasy show was cancelled after its second season's ratings plummeted. But Patrick told Fox News in a 2019 interview that the reason the show's popularity dropped was due to its rival Batman.
'I think Batman was to blame,' Patrick said. 'Batman just came along and took our ratings away.'
His next hit would be the ABC children's show Lidsville which ran from 1971 to 1973. Patrick starred alongside veteran actors Billie Hayes and Charles Nelson Reilly as Mark - a boy lost in a strange land where humanoid hats walked, talked and sang.
Pat Priest, now 88, and Patrick are the only two surviving members of The Munsters. They are seen in the 1965 episode Bronco Bustin' Munster
Patrick's next big hit was as Mark in Lidsville which ran from 1971 to 1973. The show had humanoid hats that walked, talked and sang as Patrick followed them around in a fantasy land
Patrick poses with the Munster Mobile at the Hollywood Collectors and Celebrity Show held at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in 2001, in North Hollywood, California
Most of his other roles were guest appearances in television shows from the 1980s till now.
He guest starred in 18 other television shows alongside heavy hitters such as Sidney Poitier, Judy Garland and Burt Lancaster leading up to the 2000s.
But throughout the 2000s, Patrick encountered trials and tribulations when it came to addiction and even a brush in with the law.
In 2021, the actor testified in court in Wisconsin after a woman charged with murdering her husband claimed five other people – including Patrick – were actually behind the shooting death.
The case took 15 years to come to court and Patrick maintained his innocence saying he had met the couple at the Monster Hall Raceway in 2006 but didn't know he had been accused of murder until six years after the incident.
'I was in the process of booking an event when someone says, "Have you seen the National Enquirer today?" I said, "No," and when I looked it up I noticed I was on the cover with the headline that says "Munster Murder Bombshell at Monster Hall" and that's how I found out about my... supposedly my involvement in it,' Patrick said during his testimony.
Crime lab witnesses did not find any evidence of Patrick or the four other suspects inside the couples' home, nor any DNA evidence linking him to the crime.
Eventually the wife, Cindy Schulz-Juedes was found guilty. She was in the process of appealing the verdict when she was killed by her cellmate in Taycheedah Correctional Institution in July 2023.
In 2021, the actor testified in court in Wisconsin after a woman charged with murdering her husband claimed five other people – including Patrick – were actually behind the shooting death
Patrick revealed in 2011 that he had been battling prostate cancer. This was only a year after he entered a rehab to combat his years of drug and alcohol abuse that plagued him throughout his adult years
Prior to this bombshell case, Patrick revealed in 2011 that he had been battling prostate cancer. This was only a year after he entered a rehab to combat his years of drug and alcohol abuse that plagued him throughout his adult years.
Fortunately, his disease was caught early by a doctor in the facility he stayed in and he was able to remove the small mass shortly after. The star attributed his push to get sober as the reason he's still alive today.
Patrick is one of only two surviving members of the fictional family, along with Pat Priest, who played his onscreen sister Marilyn and who is now retired from acting.
Gwynne, who played his screen father Herman, died in 1993, while Al Lewis, who played Grandpa passed away in 2006 and Yvonne de Carlo the following year.
The star has laid low for the past few years, but still continues to go to events that honor his old television show and attends several Comic Cons throughout the country for all things spooky.