Key Takeaways: Patti Kendig, also known as Patti MacLeod, is a former American actress and singer best known as the second wife of The Love Boat star Gavin MacLeod. She married MacLeod in 1974, divorced him in 1982, and remarried him in 1985, remaining together until his death in 2021. Her acting credits include daytime serials such as As the World Turns and Another World, plus the film Pumpkinhead. Her exact net worth is not publicly disclosed; profiles of her life focus on her career, faith journey, and famous marriage.
Few celebrity spouses have a story as dramatic and redemptive as Patti Kendig. Born Patricia Ann Kendig and later known professionally as Patti MacLeod, she built a quiet acting career in American daytime television before becoming a permanent part of pop culture history through her marriage to Gavin MacLeod, the beloved Captain Merrill Stubing of The Love Boat.
Their love story is genuinely unusual: a marriage that broke apart at the height of fame, then reunited and remarried years later. This guide covers her biography, acting career, children, relationship with Gavin MacLeod, and what can honestly be said about her net worth in 2026.
Who Is Patti Kendig?
Patti Kendig is an American former actress and singer, born Patricia Ann Kendig on February 15, 1931, in Washington, D.C., according to online biographical listings. She is best known to the public as the wife of the late actor Gavin MacLeod, whose six-decade career made him a fixture of American television.
Before her marriage to MacLeod, Kendig had built her own credentials in entertainment as an actress and singer on some of the most popular daytime serials of the era. Unlike many celebrity spouses, she was not simply a partner in the background.
After acting, Patti reportedly moved into business, opening two restaurants. In later decades, she and MacLeod became well-known in evangelical Christian circles, speaking openly about their marriage, faith, and the road back to each other.
What Is Patti Kendig’s Net Worth in 2026?
There is no publicly disclosed, verified net worth figure for Patti Kendig. This is worth stating plainly, because some websites publish specific dollar estimates for her without citing any reliable source. As of 2026, no reputable financial publication, estate record, or public filing has established an exact number.
What can be said with confidence is context. Her late husband Gavin MacLeod was reported at the time of his death in 2021 to have an estate worth roughly $10 million, a figure cited by multiple entertainment outlets. The couple lived in the Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage area of California, and jointly owned property there. As his widow of 36 years, Patti Kendig was naturally a beneficiary of that estate, but the precise value of her personal holdings has never been made public.
A responsible rule applies here: when an exact figure has not been disclosed, the honest answer is that it is unknown. Patti Kendig’s public profile centers on her biography, career, and marriage, not on finances with the clearer reporting seen for figures such as Nicole Threatt.
What Was Patti Kendig’s Acting Career Like?
Patti Kendig worked primarily in American daytime television during the 1960s and 1970s, a golden era for soap operas. Online film and television listings credit her with appearances on two of the most iconic daytime serials ever produced:
- As the World Turns: The long-running CBS daytime drama that became a launching pad for many American actors.
- Another World: The NBC serial that ran from 1964 to 1999 and made stars of performers like Anne Heche and Kelsey Grammer.
- Wonder Woman (1975): She is listed with a credit on the iconic 1970s superhero series.
- The Love Boat (1977): She appeared on the very series that made her husband a television legend.
- Time Changer (2002): A faith-based film from the early 2000s, reflecting the couple’s Christian orientation.
- Pumpkinhead (1988): The cult horror film produced by Stan Winston is listed among her credits in some biographical profiles.
For an actress like Kendig, daytime television was steady, professional work rather than tabloid fame. She was a working performer, not a starlet chasing headlines.
Her career trajectory mirrors that of other actresses who found a niche in daytime TV before stepping back from the industry, a path also followed by figures like Ingrid Quinn, whose acting work preceded a quieter public life.
Who Were Patti Kendig’s Husbands?
Patti Kendig was married twice, to two different men. Her first marriage was to Harry Thomas Steele. According to online biographical profiles, they married in 1951 and divorced in 1967, and four children are attributed to that marriage. This first marriage came long before she was publicly associated with Hollywood royalty, and very little is documented about it in mainstream sources.
Her second husband was Gavin MacLeod, born Allan George See, the actor famous for playing Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat. They married in 1974, at a time when MacLeod’s career momentum was strong and his public visibility was growing.
It is worth noting the symmetry in their histories: MacLeod was also on his second marriage when he wed Patti. He had previously been married to Joan Rootvik from 1954 to 1972, with whom he had four children. Both Patti and Gavin entered their relationship having already experienced marriage and family life.
Why Did Patti Kendig and Gavin MacLeod Divorce and Remarry?
This is the most famous chapter of Patti Kendig’s story, and both spouses spoke about it openly. They divorced in 1982, during the run of The Love Boat, when MacLeod was at the peak of his fame. In interviews, he was candid about the causes: the relentless demands of his schedule and his struggles with alcohol. He admitted putting his work ahead of his marriage.
The separation lasted three years. During that time, Patti devoted herself to her Christian faith, and MacLeod later described a turning point: a phone call in September 1984 in which he asked if they could be friends, to which she reportedly replied that it was all she had ever wanted. They remarried on June 30, 1985.
Both became evangelical Protestants in the mid-1980s and credited their faith with bringing them back together. They went on to speak at Christian events, appeared on Christian television, and discussed marriage, recovery, and forgiveness. Their second marriage lasted 36 years, until MacLeod’s death on May 29, 2021, at their home in Palm Desert, California. He was 90.
How does their story compare to other celebrity remarriages?
Their journey from broken marriage to lasting partnership became, in their own telling, a message about faith and second chances. This redemptive arc echoes other faith-centered celebrity spouses, such as Kerri Browitt Caviezel.
Does Patti Kendig Have Children?
Patti Kendig’s family life spans two marriages. Four children are attributed to her first marriage to Harry Thomas Steele in online profiles, where they are listed under the surname Steele. From her marriage to Gavin MacLeod, she became a stepmother to his four children from his first marriage to Joan Rootvik: Meghan, Julie, David, and Keith.
Because so much of the public record focuses on MacLeod’s children, it is easy to conflate the two families. To be precise: the four children with MacLeod were his from his earlier marriage, not Patti’s biological children. Her own children came from her first marriage, and details about them have remained largely private, which appears to have been a deliberate choice by the family.
What Is Known About Patti Kendig’s Personal Life and Faith?
Their conversion to evangelical Christianity in the mid-1980s reshaped their public identities. On September 20, 2009, MacLeod discussed his conversion at The Rock Church in Anaheim, California, and the couple made further faith-based appearances through 2012 and beyond.
They became associated with faith-based media projects. MacLeod wrote a memoir, This Is Your Captain Speaking, and remained active as the global ambassador for Princess Cruises for more than 35 years, a role that kept the Captain Stubing persona alive long after the series ended.
Through it all, Patti was by his side. Their shared public appearances in later years were consistently framed around their marriage testimony, which they presented as evidence of what faith and commitment could rebuild. It was a genuine second act, both personally and in the eyes of their audience.
Where Is Patti Kendig Now?
Since Gavin MacLeod’s death in May 2021, Patti Kendig has kept a very low public profile. She has not pursued public interviews, media projects, or the kind of visibility that some celebrity widows maintain. This is consistent with her life before and during her husband’s fame: she was always the quieter half of the partnership.
Beyond that, honest reporting requires acknowledging a limit: little is publicly known about her current daily life, and speculation would be irresponsible. She remains the keeper of their shared story.
Patti Kendig: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Patricia Ann Kendig (also credited as Patti MacLeod, Patti Steele) |
| Date of birth | February 15, 1931 (per online biographical listings) |
| Birthplace | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Former actress and singer; later a businessperson |
| Known for | As the World Turns, Another World, Pumpkinhead; wife of Gavin MacLeod |
| First husband | Harry Thomas Steele (m. 1951, div. 1967) |
| Second husband | Gavin MacLeod (m. 1974, div. 1982, remarried 1985, until his death 2021) |
| Children | Four from first marriage (private); stepmother to MacLeod’s four children |
| Net worth | Not publicly disclosed; no verified figure exists |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Patti Kendig?
Patti Kendig is a former American actress and singer, born Patricia Ann Kendig, best known as the second wife of actor Gavin MacLeod. She appeared in daytime serials including As the World Turns and Another World.
What is Patti Kendig’s net worth?
Her exact net worth is not publicly disclosed, and no verified figure exists. Her late husband Gavin MacLeod was reported to have an estate of roughly $10 million at the time of his death in 2021, but Patti’s personal holdings have never been made public.
How old is Patti Kendig?
Online biographical listings give her date of birth as February 15, 1931, which would make her 95 years old in 2026. This date comes from entertainment database listings rather than an official statement.
Was Patti Kendig an actress?
Yes. She worked as an actress and singer, with credits on daytime serials As the World Turns and Another World, the series Wonder Woman and The Love Boat, the film Pumpkinhead, and the faith-based film Time Changer.
How many times was Patti Kendig married?
She was married twice, to two different husbands: Harry Thomas Steele (1951 to 1967) and Gavin MacLeod (1974 to 1982, then remarried in 1985 until his death in 2021). Because the MacLeod marriage happened in two parts, some summaries loosely count three weddings.
Why did Patti Kendig and Gavin MacLeod divorce?
They divorced in 1982 amid the pressures of MacLeod’s fame during The Love Boat, his demanding schedule, and his struggles with alcohol. MacLeod later spoke openly about putting his career ahead of his marriage. They reconciled and remarried in 1985.
Did Patti Kendig and Gavin MacLeod have children together?
No. Patti’s four children came from her first marriage to Harry Thomas Steele. MacLeod’s four children, Meghan, Julie, David, and Keith, came from his first marriage to Joan Rootvik. Patti was their stepmother.
Is Patti Kendig still alive?
As of 2026, there have been no public reports to the contrary, and she is understood to be living a private life following the death of Gavin MacLeod in May 2021. She has kept an extremely low public profile since then.
Patti Kendig’s story reminds us that some of Hollywood’s most meaningful narratives happen off camera: from daytime television to a broken and rebuilt marriage, her biography is defined by resilience. For more grounded portraits of celebrity spouses, see Alix Bailey, or browse the full digitalgeekspot.com net worth archive.
