Monday, July 7, 2008

Soap Vet Keith Charles Has Died

Keith Charles, a veteran Broadway and Off-Broadway actor and soap veteran, died at his home in New York City on July 1 at the age of 74. The cause was lung cancer.

At home in both musicals and straight plays, he starred opposite Lauren Bacall and later, Anne Baxter, in the Broadway musical "Applause" and Holland Taylor in "Breakfast with Les and Bess." He also appeared in "Celebration" and "Happy Birthday, Wanda June."

After graduating from the University of Texas and serving in the U.S. Army, he came to New York in 1959 to pursue an acting career. His first job was taking over the part of El Gallo in the long-running Off-Broadway musical "The Fantasticks."

He played roles on at least 10 daytime soap operas:
Rick Oliver, THE EDGE OF NIGHT
Nick Kane, THE SECRET STORM
Ross Cavanaugh, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
Robert Jardin, WHERE THE HEART IS
Ted Chandler, LOVE OF LIFE
Alex McDaniels, THE GUIDING LIGHT
Ralph Mitchell, AS THE WORLD TURNS
Ted Clayton, ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Homer Dowd, RYAN'S HOPE
Brandon Spaulding, GUIDING LIGHT

3 comments:

  1. I believe that Keith Charles may have had even more soap roles. Seems to me that he was one of (if not the last) Brandon Spauldings on Guiding Light. (Wasn't his the Brandon who was secretly alive and living with his second family in Barbados during the 1980s --- only to die sweetly holding the hand of his love while rocking on a porch?)

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  2. You are correct and well said. The story may have been a major rewrite of history but Mr. Charles definitely added his "class" to the role. His scenes with Beverlee McKinsey as father and daughter were wonderful. He will be missed.

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  3. He was my Uncle Keith actually cousin but I respected him always for his acting career. He always encouraged me to follow my acting dreams and to be the best I could be. I had dinner with him and my Aunt Nancy in New York in 2007.......we had a wonderful time. I will miss him very much!

    Kimball Keller

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