I read bios on Tuesday Weld only to discover that at an early age she ended up being the financial sorce for her family. Her character on Dobie Gillis, Thalia Menninger, felt she had to provide for her family by marrying a rich or soon to be rich guy.

What other examples of this are there from TV shows?

Bill Cosby mirrored his real life family on The Cosby Show. He also had five children in real life. Four girls and one boy.

In In the heat of the night Bubba Skinner played football for Bear Bryant at Alabama. Alan Autry was a football player in real life.

Bobby Sherman played a paramedic on Emergency and later became a paramedic in real life.

Erik Estrada played a cop on Chips and later became a cop in real life.