# Dave Madden
**Dave Madden** (December 17, 1931 – January 16, 2014) was a Canadian-born American actor and comedian best known for playing Reuben Kincaid, the manager of the family band, on the 1970s ABC sitcom *The Partridge Family*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dave-madden) Over a television career of more than three decades he was also a regular on *Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In* and a recurring presence on the sitcom *[Alice](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-american-tv-series)*.[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | December 17, 1931, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada; raised in Port Huron, Michigan, and Terre Haute, Indiana[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/) |
| Signature role | Reuben Kincaid, manager of the Partridge Family band, *The Partridge Family* (ABC, 1970–1974), appearing in all 96 episodes[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/) |
| Other series work | Comedy ensemble member on *Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In*; recurring role as Earl Hicks, a customer at Mel's Diner, on *Alice*[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) |
| Education | B.A. in Radio and Television, University of Miami, 1959[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/) |
| Memoir | *Reuben on Wry* (2007)[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dave-madden) |
| Died | January 16, 2014, at a hospice in Jacksonville, Florida, aged 82[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) |
## Early life and start in show business
Madden was born in Sarnia, Ontario, and grew up in the American Midwest, first in Port Huron, Michigan, and then in [Terre Haute, Indiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/terre-haute-indiana).[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/) After a semester at Indiana State Teacher's College he enlisted in the military; accounts differ on the branch, with [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) and TV Insider describing service in the U.S. Air Force and the Los Angeles Times describing the U.S. Army Special Forces.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) While stationed in North Africa he is said to have performed a magic act for King Idris of Libya.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/)
After his service he earned a degree in communications at the [University of Miami](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-miami), graduating in 1959, and worked the nightclubs of Miami and Los Angeles as a magician and stand-up comic.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) The turning point in his career arrived after an opening act caught [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra)'s attention, leading Sinatra to suggest Madden to [Ed Sullivan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sullivan) as a performer for three nights on Sullivan's nationally broadcast variety program.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/) His first acting job was on the short-lived sitcom *Camp Runamuck* in the mid-1960s, where he played Counselor Pruett.[5](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/dave-madden-obituary?pid=169136009) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/)
## The Partridge Family
Madden joined *The Partridge Family*, which aired on ABC from 1970 to 1974, as Reuben Kincaid, the manager of the title family's pop band.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dave-madden) The character, an irritable man who clashed constantly with the wisecracking pre-teen bassist Danny Partridge, played by [Danny Bonaduce](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-bonaduce), supplied much of the show's comic friction.[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) Madden appeared in all 96 episodes, and he and Bonaduce were close in real life during production; Bonaduce wrote after Madden's death that Madden had taught him to drive when he was ten.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/)
The series starred [Shirley Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/shirley-jones) as a widowed mother leading her five musical children, and it produced chart hits including "I Think I Love You" and the theme "C'mon Get Happy."[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/) Shirley Jones later described Madden as a rubber-faced comedy star and credited him as one of the reasons the show worked so well.[6](https://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/InPrintPages/Book_ShirleyJonesAMemoir.pdf) • [7](https://www.tvbanter.net/2014/01/farewell-to-professor-from-gilligans.html)
## Later career
After *The Partridge Family* ended, Madden worked steadily in television guest roles, appearing in series including *Starsky and Hutch*, *Barney Miller*, *The Love Boat*, *Fantasy Island*, *[Herman's Head](https://www.edgepedia.org/hermans-head)*, and *Married... with Children*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dave-madden) His last steady television role was as Earl Hicks, a regular customer at Mel's Diner, on the long-running CBS sitcom *Alice*, which ran from 1976 to 1985; IMDb credits him with 35 episodes in that part.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534573/)
In film he played Big Bubba Jones in [Ron Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-howard)'s *Eat My Dust* (1976) and voiced the Ram in the 1973 animated *Charlotte's Web*.[8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534573/) In the later part of his career he sometimes played parodied versions of his Reuben Kincaid persona on shows such as *The Ben Stiller Show*, *Boy Meets World*, and *Sabrina, the Teenage Witch*.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/) He reflected on his career in the 2007 memoir *Reuben on Wry*.[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dave-madden)
## Death
Madden died on January 16, 2014, at a hospice center near his home in the [Jacksonville, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacksonville-florida), area, at age 82.[5](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/dave-madden-obituary?pid=169136009) His wife, Sandra Madden, told the Los Angeles Times that the cause was complications of the blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome; IMDb lists heart and kidney failure as the cause.[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534573/) He was survived by his wife; Selena Madden and Michael Fox, the two children of his first marriage; stepdaughter Alexandra Martin; a sister; and two grandchildren.[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html) He had lived in Los Angeles for four decades before moving to Florida about eight years before his death.[2](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html)
## References
1. [Dave Madden, Television Academy profile](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/dave-madden)
2. [Dave Madden dies at 82; actor played manager on 'Partridge Family', Los Angeles Times (January 16, 2014)](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-dave-madden-20140117-story.html)
3. [Dave Madden, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/dave-madden/)
4. ["Partridge Family" star Dave Madden dead at 82, CBS News (January 16, 2014)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/partridge-family-star-dave-madden-dead-at-82/)
5. [Dave Madden Obituary, Legacy.com (Associated Press)](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/dave-madden-obituary?pid=169136009)
6. [Shirley Jones: A Memoir](https://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/InPrintPages/Book_ShirleyJonesAMemoir.pdf)
7. [TV BANTER: Farewell to Reuben Kinkaid from The Partridge Family](https://www.tvbanter.net/2014/01/farewell-to-professor-from-gilligans.html)
8. [Dave Madden, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0534573/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames M to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license