The cast of “My Three Sons” grew up on the show, and that meant major life changes for their characters – including the marriages of most of the titular sons. In later seasons of the show, actor Tina Cole came on board the series as Katie, Robbie’s girlfriend-turned-wife. Cole had worked as a musician and actor before “My Three Sons,” and took on a few additional acting roles throughout the ’70s before finding joy mostly in other endeavors.
In an interview with “The Jim Masters Show” in 2023, the host noted that Cole has worked teaching music, acting, and etiquette, while Cole herself noted that some of her most fulfilling work has been bringing the art of theater to kids. “I was the director for the Sacramento Children’s Theater,” Cole explained, noting that she “did it for 23, 24 years, and then COVID shut us down.” Despite the program’s bittersweet ending, it endured for a long time. “When we ended, we had produced 83 consecutive years of free musical theater for children kindergarten through third grade,” Cole proudly told Masters.
Aside from teaching, Cole has produced and starred in the 2017 film “Take It from the Top,” given reunion performances with her former family band The Four King Cousins, written the memoir “My Three Lives,” and appeared in shows like “Eleanor & Franklin,” movies like “Reawakened,” and game shows including “Family Feud” and “Showoffs.” According to Masters, Cole also has a prolific charitable track record: she’s been involved with March of Dimes, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Society For The Blind, and the Cancer League, plus she’s a founding board member of the Sacramento Child Abuse Council.