You can’t list the best family sitcoms of the 80s and not mention Family Ties. It’s where most of us fell in love with Michael J. Fox for the first time. But in later seasons, there was a character that definitely made us tune in every week. The introduction of actor Scott Valentine in season four was a smart move, and his character helped capture the female demographic.
The show’s been off the air for decades, so what has the actor behind the hunk of Nick Moore been up to since then? Let’s see if Scott’s been boosting the ratings of any other shows.
Background info
The Saratoga Springs, New York native that is Scott Eugene Valentine was born to parents Beverly Ann (Hanna) Valentine and Edward Eugene Valentine on June 3rd, 1958. He spent a bit of his childhood performing in the garage for his parents, but it wouldn’t be until he was a bit older that he’d really get into acting.
He discovered his talent while attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, a private performing arts college in New York City. He excelled so much he only needed a year and a half to complete a degree that usually takes three years.
His acting career would have started when he finished, but he had a bit of a roadblock. After his screen test in 1981 for the feature film The Lords of Discipline, he was in a horrible accident where a truck hit him, ran him over, and dragged him around a bit. You could see why he needed time to recover after that.
Scott made his on-screen debut in the 1982 comedy Waitress! as Swingdog Dope Busboy. His first TV role was in an episode of the hit crime drama Knight Rider in 1985. That year – and his next role – would put Scott on the map and in every living room in the country.
Family Ties
Once Valentine recovered and was ready to get back to acting, he landed a role as the character Nick Moore on the popular series Family Ties for seasons four through seven. The show was huge, with cast members Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter, Justine Bateman, and Michael Gross rounding things out.
The series also had notable guests like Tom Hanks, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, Geena Davis, Wil Wheaton, and River Phoenix on various episodes. Courtney Cox was even a series regular on seasons six and seven from 1985 until 1989.
Scott portrayed Nick Moore, the character Mallory’s boyfriend, for the final few seasons. He was an environmental artist and was so well-liked that he snagged a few spin-off series. One was titled Taking It Home but was canceled when fellow lead actor Herschel Bernardi passed away during filming.
Scott then played Nick in the 1987 sitcom The Art of Being Nick, which starred Kristine Sutherland and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Despite positive ratings and interest in the show, it wasn’t picked up, as they were afraid of the fate it would leave Family Ties with removing a favored character.
What Did He Do After Family Ties?
But, his time on the show ended in 1989, and once Family Ties wrapped, Scott stuck to the small screen, appearing in various shows and TV movies throughout the 90s and into the early 2000s, including a 22 episode stint on the tv show Black Scorpion.
The 90s saw Valentine on episodes of Midnight Caller, The Hitchhiker, and Lady Boss. Scott voiced The Chemist/Raymond Bell for two episodes of Batman: The Animated Series from 1992 until 1994, while on the other end voiced one episode of Lous & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman in 1995. He voiced Dark Aegis for one episode on the animated series Iron Man in 1995 and Sam Coralli for one episode of Superman: The Animated Series in 1996.
Sticking with voiceover work, Scott voiced Kit Walker Jr./24th Phantom for 35 episodes on Phantom 2040 in 1996
What is Scott Valentine Doing Now?
Scott kept appearing in projects, though they were a little further in between in time. In 2004, he popped up in an episode of CSI: NY and starred in the Stephen Baldwin-led TV movie Harpies in 2007. Valentine appeared in the shorts Cardboard by Your Name in 2019 and Thicker Than Water and Carmonizer in 2022.
Valentine has one project in the works titled The Walkers, a dark comedy drama in pre-production.
Outside of acting, you could catch Scott on various podcasts. He was a guest on the Still Toking Podcast, where he talks about being an 80s heartthrob and his time in the industry since, on Classic Conversation with Jeff Dwoskin, and on Podcasting After Dark.
Scott also attended the virtual Family Ties reunion in 2021, which featured Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Tina Yothers, Brian Bonsall and Marc Price.
Scott became a Managing Director of the company Excelsior Capital Partners, which cares about helping those in the sustainable and renewable energy areas.
But that’s about it as far as Scott’s outside activities go. He’s not really on social media, doesn’t do conventions, and doesn’t bless fans with the opportunity for a cameo message. He keeps things pretty low-key and his private life under wraps.
Personal life
Valentine was first married in 1985 to actress Kym Denyse Stephenson. The couple went on to have four sons, Trevin John, born in 1986, Shayler Stephenson, born in 1988, Jesstin Jay-Owen, born in 1992, and Caden Edward, born in 1998. We love the unique names. After almost 30 years together, the pair divorced in 2012.
He found love again when he married his second wife Jennifer Wood in late 2021. In a cute story, Jennifer is from his hometown of Saratoga Springs. We wonder if they knew each other when they were younger.
While Scott seems to be a pick pickier with his roles, it looks like he’ll still be acting for as long as he can. But if anyone wants to relive his glory days of old, his look on Family Ties is what the 80s were made of.
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