Tina Cole's Blonde Daughter Gets Strong Reaction from Users on 38th Birthday: 'Beautiful Like Her Mom'

• Tina Cole was a famous screen mom of triplets in the "My Three Sons" series.
• In real life, she is the mother of four.
• Now she celebrates the 38th birthday of her youngest daughter, who looks like her mom.

Tina Cole became a household name after her role as the matriarch, Katie Miller Douglas, on the hit '60s sitcom "My Three Sons." Many fans loved her character and wished for her to be their mother.

In reality, she is the mother of more children and is proud of each of them. Recently Cole and her family celebrated one of her children's birthdays. The family remains close even though they have forged their own paths in life.

When Cole was younger, she didn't know she would become a Hollywood actress. Instead, she had dreams of becoming a teacher. However, when she began landing minor roles in "My Three Sons," she knew she wouldn't be a teacher.

Although she became known as Katie Miller Douglas, Cole initially had minor featuring roles in the show. In season four, she starred as Ina in the episode "House for Sale." In season six, she starred as Joann in the episode "Robbie and the Little Stranger.”

Most people might remember the role of Robbie Douglas' friend, Sherry, in the season five episode "The Coffee House Set." Only later in the series did Cole finally get her big break.

By season eight, the show needed a matriarch, and Cole auditioned with 2000 other women for the role. She was picked, along with about nineteen others, to do a screen test and interview.

While Cole did her interview, she did not do the screen test. As she got up to leave for her screen test, the casting director ran after her with a contract, asking her to sign it as she had landed the job.

Cole described the moment as "surreal" and said the casting director told her they would begin shooting in a week and a half. She was grateful for the opportunity but overwhelmed by the speed at which it happened.

Cole's Youngest Daughter is Her Mini-Me at 38

Cole's real-life family consists of her four children; Volney Howard, Chelsea Crank, Samantha Crank, and Paj Crank. While she is close with her children, she is not married or in any sort of relationship. She joked:

"I haven't met a man I'd trade a good book for. And I'm okay with that. It's an attitude. Happiness is a choice."

The actress hopes that that's what people will see when they hear her life story. Cole wants people to know that you can only be as happy as you choose to be and that choosing yourself is always the best option.

Instead of focusing on a man, Cole focuses on her children and spends most of her time with them, celebrating special occasions or simply enjoying their company on an ordinary day.

In 2019, Cole shared a photo of herself, her son, and two other men on Easter. They all smiled at the camera as Cole wore a brimmed straw hat decorated with Easter bunnies on top.

That same year, Cole shared a photo of her entire family on Thanksgiving. In the photo, Cole stands on a bridge alongside her children, their spouses, and their children.

The entire family smiles at the camera, and Cole shared that they had had a "mini" Thanksgiving celebration that weekend. She then named everyone seen in the beautiful photo.

On Valentine's Day this year, Cole took to Facebook again to celebrate her daughter's birthday. Cole's daughter was born on February 14, so her tribute to her daughter read:

"My Valentine, baby! Happy birthday to my Samantha, and Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!"

Cole then said that she felt the day was about sharing her love with friends and family dear to her heart. Fans wished Cole a Happy Valentine's Day and Samantha a happy birthday.

Others said Samantha was beautiful, and some said that Samantha was strikingly similar to her mother. Most said they loved Cole and were glad she was still happy and healthy.

Cole Realized Her Dream of Being a Teacher After the Series

When "My Three Sons" went off the air on August 24, 1972, Cole finally realized her dream of becoming a teacher. She had always had a love for children and wanted to impart knowledge.

Although she loved her career as an actress, being an iconic mother on TV for many years, she confessed:

"I always wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I wanted to teach the third and fourth grades because my teacher was such an inspiration to me. I was always good with children."

Yet because her father was musician Buddy Cole and her mother was singer Yvonne King, Hollywood was always a part of her life, and she landed up being an actress before she could think of being a teacher.

When her son, Volney, was in the fifth grade, she and a few other parents formed a school. She noticed that her son would have to travel an hour to school and back and knew other parents in her region would also not enjoy that thought.

Cole knew that transport safety would eventually become a problem for her son, so she and some of her friends who were parents formed River Oaks School on old church grounds they purchased.

River Oaks School accommodated children from kindergarten to eighth grade. Cole led a music program at the school, and other parents took on the other extracurricular activities. Talking about the school, Cole gushed:

"We had 250 students and accredited teachers. It was a real group effort, and it was just one of the most wonderful things I've ever done."

She also realized her dream of teaching younger children when she took over the music program at a grammar school in Sacramento where her children went. The school faced budget cuts, and she stepped in to help, teaching kindergarten through third grade.

Although she did not get to teach children how she thought she would, she fulfilled her dream of imparting what knowledge she had to younger generations and building the future.

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