Willie Aames Made over $1M Yet Slept under Bushes While 'Eight Is Enough' Sister Connie Needham Chose Family over Career

• "Eight is Enough" saw Connie Needham and Willie Aames rise to fame in the 1970s. It was a famous sitcom that lasted five seasons.
• As teenagers, the co-stars dated in real life but soon realized their relationship wasn't going to last.
• Aames and Needham went their separate ways and chose totally different paths in life since then.

"Eight is Enough" navigated the lives of the Bradfords – a large brood consisting of Tom, Joan, and their eight children. When Joan passed away, Tom meets and later marries teacher Abby so their family could be complete again.

The eight Bradford kids ranged from 8 to 23 years old when the show started, and their highs and lows were aired every single week for viewers to tune into and ultimately, relate to.

The sitcom was based on a book of the same name by Thomas Braden. He was a newspaper columnist who raised eight kids as well.

"Eight is Enough" was so successful that it had two spinoff TV movies in "Eight is Enough: A Family Reunion," and "An Eight is Enough Wedding."

Two of the most notable stars on the sitcom included Willie Aames and Connie Needham. Aames played Tommy Bradford on 109 episodes, while Needham played his sister Elizabeth Bradford for 112 episodes.

Although they played siblings, nothing stopped their off-screen romance from blossoming. They dated for a while and split, leading completely different lives after separating.

Willie Aames' Up-and-Down Career

Aames never wanted to become a star. He was in school when his teacher's boyfriend introduced him to an agent because he dreamt of becoming one, too.

The agent whom he was introduced to handled Jodie Foster, and two weeks later, Aames got a call. His parents were reluctant to allow him. However, with a lot of begging from Aames, they agreed.

He was given three months to shoot his shot in the industry. It didn't even take a month before he landed his first commercial, and then his first show, "The Young Rebels."

Aames loved being a celebrity. It was on "Eight is Enough" that he got his groove, and he was very confident in his craft. He then went on "Charles in Charge," where he could be himself and laugh as much as he wanted.

In fact, Aames was so confident that while filming "The Family Nobody Wanted" on Christmas Eve, he made his makeup artist paint "Merry Christmas" on his butt. He then flashed the camera and greeted everyone a "Merry Christmas."

Little did he know, the whole company ended up seeing the clip. Shirley Jones, Alfred Hitchcock, Tony Curtis, and John Wayne all watched the video that was sent to all offices.

When "Eight is Enough" ended, Aames remained busy. He starred in several TV series like "Dungeons & Dragons," "Charles in Charge," and "Bibleman," with some additional guest roles through the years.

Aames also dabbled into reality TV, appearing on "Celebrity Fit Club," "MacMillan River Adventures," and "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp." He then transitioned to making Hallmark movies, something that he's been doing until the present time.

Despite the job opportunities, there was a point in Aames' life when he slept under bushes and parking garages. He was bankrupt, and that led to the foreclosure of his home.

During the peak of "Eight is Enough," Aames earned more than a million dollars a year. "Then suddenly there was no job, no bank account, no wife, no child," he said.

Aames was married to Vicki Weatherman from 1979 to 1984, Maylo McCaslin from 1985 to 2009, and now, to Winnie Hung whom he's been with since 2014. He has two children, a daughter, and a son.

Referring to his marriage to Weatherman, Aames said getting married so early on was a way of defiance. Ultimately, when he was struggling, Weatherman got up and left, taking their daughter with her.

The actor also said that he does not talk about his second wife to the press out of respect for his third wife, Winnie. He struggled a great deal before getting to such a healthy place with his third wife.

At one point, Aames was homeless – he needed to stay with friends, sleep in garages, and sometimes, even parks and parking lots. Throughout this challenging time, his wife left him and took their young daughter with her.

Aames narrated his struggles in the special documentary titled "Broke and Famous: Willie Aames." It was a show that aimed to show what it was like for celebrities to hit rock bottom, but at the same time, the producers wanted it to be a way for them to get back up on their feet.

VH1 got Aames a life coach, and he went through a painful and revealing process that he's glad he allowed himself to experience. He was never educated about money, and it led him down a path of destruction.

With a life coach, he learned that he neglected the responsibility of learning how money worked. His coach traveled all the way to Aames' local Kansas City, and together, they dove deep into what happened. He admitted that his poor choices led him to a life of poverty. He said:

"I went from eating at the White House to sleeping in the bushes. There are a lot of things that I care not to repeat, but the fact of the matter is I made those choices."

It took the actor years to get back on his feet, struggling to get a job before finally being hired. It was under the bushes one night when he finally realized he had enough. "I still have a mind. I'm going to start over," he said to himself.

Through it all, Aames is glad to have had support from his son. He calls him one of his best friends, and one of the few who never gave up on him.

Connie Needham's Lowkey Life

Needham's growing-up years were shown on screen. From 1977 to 1981, fans watched her bloom into a young woman on "Eight is Enough."

She related to her character a lot, a nice kid who was just the right amount of noisy, lazy, and talkative. "Just like I was," she once admitted.

After "Eight is Enough," Needham went on to appear on "Fame," "Police Squad," "Ellen," and "L.A. Law." She also joined the rest of the cast on the two spin-off TV movies for "Eight is Enough," where they all picked up where they left off.

Through the years, Needham kept in touch with a few of her co-stars, especially Dianne Kay. Admittedly, they never really got to say goodbye after the sitcom ended, as they were dropped abruptly by the network.

Needham's last appearance on screen was in 1995, and she chose to live a quiet life after that. For years, Needham worked as a dance instructor in Orange County, California.

She has a family of her own, sharing two children, Kimberly and Taylor, with her husband David. Like her, David was also in the industry. He was a set decorator on hit shows like "The Law and Harry McGraw," and is the son of director Hal Needham.

Her decision to leave the industry sprung from her priorities. Speaking about her family back when she was still an actress, she said:

"I think that's what life is all about – your own family. I'm lucky to be in the business, but you can be sure my family will remain number one."

The Stark Difference in Their Lives

While Needham's personal life was relatively more stable, Aames needed to start over again. Thanks to his determination, he didn't only eventually land a good job at a luxurious cruise line, but he also met the love of his life.

Nowadays, the actor no longer has just $10 to his name. The actor went from having a net worth of over a million to reportedly having $100,000.

He got his fresh start through a couple of jobs, first as a Dish Network installer. Then, he worked as a ping-pong and shuffleboard boy, before getting a job as a bathroom monitor and library cleaner on a cruise ship.

Within six months, he worked his way up the ladder until he became a cruise director. His job gave him the opportunity to travel around the world.

It was through his job that he finally got to meet his dream girl. He and Hung were pen pals for three decades – a fan who once wrote him a letter.

Knowing that not a lot of actors would write back or call the fans that write him letters, he decided he wouldn't be one of those who didn't reply. He gave her a call, and she asked if she could write him again.

They ended up being pen pals over the years, until one day, they reconnected on LinkedIn. Hung sent him a message and since then kept close contact. She broke the ice and asked if any of the cruise ships sailed to Vancouver.

Regardless of whether or not his ships did sail to Vancouver, he knew he was going to make it there. When one of the ships finally did dock there, he made his way to Hung.

After meeting for the first time, Aames was certain he was going to marry Hung. He took her with him, and they sailed together for a year.

"It's my favorite story in the whole wide universe," he admitted. It wasn't easy for Aames to break the friend zone, however, as Hung was determined to simply be a friend.

However, when they met, he knew he didn't want to be just friends. The afternoon they went out together, he bought her a bracelet charm that said "Fairytale." Then, he told her not to miss out on her own real-life fairytale.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect for Hung, who somehow already trusted Aames after writing to him for years. Aames also admitted that if he hadn't gone through all the challenges in his life, he may not have been the right man for Hung.

Now, Aames couldn't be happier with how his life turned out. He is the CEO of his own production company, tried his shot as a financial advisor, and is happily married to Hung.

While Needham's life hasn't been as tumultuous as Aames', she also went through some challenges of her own. She battled ovarian cancer at one point in her life, and after undergoing treatment, she went into remission.

It's unclear what her whole treatment plan was, but she has since posted several cancer awareness posts on her personal Facebook page. At the time, her two daughters were already grown up, and it had been a couple of years since she divorced her husband.

After her cancer journey, Needham has tried to raise awareness regarding women's health. She credits the early detection of her illness as the reason she's able to continue living.