<P> Bateman was born in Rye, New York, and was 4 years old when his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and later to California . His mother, Victoria Elizabeth, was a flight attendant for Pan Am who was originally from Shrewsbury, the United Kingdom (UK). His father, Kent Bateman, is an American actor, writer, and director of film and television, and the founder of a repertory stage in Hollywood . His sister is Justine Bateman . He also has three half - brothers . </P> <P> Bateman told Best Life magazine that he and his sister Justine supported his parents with the paychecks they earned from their television shows; he also revealed that he was managed by his father until Bateman was 20 and dissolved the business relationship . </P> <P> Bateman first appeared in a cereal commercial for Golden Grahams in 1980 and began his television career on Little House on the Prairie as James Cooper, an orphaned boy who, along with his sister, is adopted by the Ingalls family . From 1982 to 1984, he was a supporting character on the television show Silver Spoons as Ricky Schroder's "bad boy" best friend Derek Taylor . He appeared in the Knight Rider third - season episode "Lost Knight" in 1984, and a number of other small television roles . In 1984, in response to his popularity on Silver Spoons, the show's producers gave Bateman his own starring role as Matthew Burton on the NBC sitcom It's Your Move, from September 1984 to February 1985 . In 1987, he appeared with Burt Reynolds on the men's team in the inaugural week of game show Win, Lose or Draw . </P> <P> Bateman earned the status of teen idol in the mid-1980s for his television work, most notably as David Hogan on The Hogan Family (originally titled Valerie and later, Valerie's Family, after Valerie Harper left the series). He became the Directors Guild of America's youngest - ever director when, aged 18, he helmed three episodes of The Hogan Family . After the series ended its run, he gained international recognition in the motion picture sequel Teen Wolf Too, which was a box office failure . In 1994, he played opposite Katharine Hepburn and Anthony Quinn in the television film This Can't Be Love . During this period, he had roles on four series--Simon, Chicago Sons, George & Leo, and Some of My Best Friends--none of which lasted longer than one season . He also directed an episode of Two of a Kind in 1999 . In 2002, he played the frisky sibling of Thomas Jane's character in the feature film The Sweetest Thing . </P>

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