Hey, is that Peter Brady? Hey, is that Peter Brady? (November 04, 2005)

Former Pleasanton resident Christopher Knight comes back for film festival
by Rebecca Guyon

With its pretty paved streets and family-oriented atmosphere, many visitors say Pleasanton feels like it came right out of an episode of the "The Brady Bunch," the still popular '60's sitcom that espoused wholesome - some say unattainable - family togetherness. So it's no wonder that a member of "The Brady Bunch" actually did at one point make Pleasanton his home.

Christopher Knight, who in his younger days played Peter Brady on the sitcom, moved to Pleasanton in 1999 and lived near First Street and Kottinger Drive close to the downtown area until 2002. By that point, though, he had long since left the world of "The Brady Bunch" and was instead a recently divorced, swinging single.

"I always felt a little uncomfortable in Pleasanton because I wasn't pushing a baby carriage," Knight laughed. "I was afraid if they found out I'd be run out of town."

That's not to say he didn't enjoy his time living here. Knight still has many friends in the area, which is why he agreed to come back to the Tri-Valley when he was invited to attend the Seventh Annual California Independent Film Festival, which took place in Livermore Oct. 26-30.

In between viewing a 25th anniversary screening of "Motel Hell" at the Vine Cinema and playing a few rounds of golf in the "Movies, Mulligans and Merlot" Celebrity Golf Tournament at Poppy Ridge Golf Course, Knight planned on squeezing in a trip to downtown Pleasanton before heading back to southern California.

"I want to drive through the downtown and see how much it has changed," he said. "The Rose Hotel was just new when I left, and I hear downtown has grown up, but I'm sure it still has its nice family feel."

Although Knight left show business nearly 20 years ago, he came back into the limelight after agreeing to be on the "Surreal Life 4," a reality TV show on VHI that takes eight C-List celebrities and puts them in a house for two weeks. It was during those two weeks that he met and fell in love with 22-year-old model Adrianne Curry, who first gained fame after appearing on another reality TV show, "America's Next Top Model." After leaving the Surreal Life house, the two moved in together and their relationship became the subject of a spin-off show, "My Fair Brady," which chronicles the ups and downs of their May-December romance.

"Our relationship began in public, so if people are interested - and I'm shocked that they are - but since they are, we figured why not make it public," Knight said. "It's always nice being wanted, and I'm appreciative of that, but it is a unique and different experience having your life the center of a reality TV show."

Knight, 47, was slightly apprehensive when he was approached do to the Surreal Life, and even turned it down at first. But at the advice of some of his close friends, including his TV mom Florence Henderson, he decided to give the show a shot.

"The second time around I took the offer more seriously because I saw that it was a kitsch, fun show that had a lot of heart," he said. "And it turned out to be quite a wonderful thing since I met Adrianne."

Re-entering show business through reality TV and being tied to a much younger woman has given Knight a new audience that associates him more with VH1 than "The Brady Bunch."

"I get lots of street credit because of Adrianne," Knight joked. "But you develop a new audience no matter what you do."

Back when Knight was living in Pleasanton, he had a much quieter existence away from the bright lights of Hollywood. After leaving show biz, he got involved in the high tech industry during the dot com boom and was frequently commuting between southern California and Silicon Valley. He eventually moved to Pleasanton after selling his tech company, Eskape Labs, to Hauppauge Computer Works and as a condition of the deal the buyer asked him to move to the area. Although he was occasionally recognized around Pleasanton, for the most part he was left alone.

"There was a low level of awareness," he said. "If people didn't recognize me immediately, they might later because someone told them. I wasn't out to fool anybody or hide who I was, but at the same time people didn't make it an issue and I was free to live my life."

Knight was hoping to bring Curry with him to the film festival so he could show her his old stomping ground, take a spin through Napa's wine country and introduce her to friends, but unfortunately she had a scheduling conflict and couldn't come. Fans of "My Fair Brady" shouldn't worry though - he said the two are still living together, but he hasn't popped the question. That's not to say the couple won't be back in town soon. Knight said he frequently visits the Bay Area and was even up here last month for a wine tasting event at Wente Vineyards.

"Napa will always be here, the city's not moving, so there will be other chances," Knight said. "I'm an old neighbor and I'm glad to be back."

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