Sunday, December 29, 2013

In Memoriam -- Those We Lost in 2013


As we close out 2013 We Love Soaps wants to pay tribute to those we lost this year both in front of and behind the camera. Below is the 2013 In Memoriam list which includes a number of legends from the world of daytime and primetime serials. Click on the name to read the obituary.

Karla Alvarez
The actress began her career in 1992 in the telenovela MARIA MERCEDES with Thalia. Her last role was playing 'Irasema' in the telenovela QUE BONITO AMOR.

James Avery
The THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR star also appeared on L.A. LAW, GREY'S ANATOMY, CHARMED, SOUL FOOD and THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Conrad Bain
He played Dr. Charles Weldon in the daytime soap opera THE EDGE OF NIGHT, and Mr. Wells (the clerk at the Collinsport Inn) on DARK SHADOWS.

Fran Bascom
Longtime casting director for DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Bascom received a total of 14 Casting Society of America nominations during her career.

Paul Bhattacharjee
Bhattacharjee played Inzamam Ahmed (Masood's brother) in EASTENDERS in 2008 and 2010.

Eileen Brennan
Her TV guest appearances included 7TH HEAVEN and THIRTYSOMETHING.

Jacqueline Brookes
For a year and a half starting in April 1975, Brookes played Beatrice Gordon, the Cory housekeeper, on ANOTHER WORLD. Beatrice left Bay City to take care of her son Ray's children in California. Ray was played by Ted Shackelford, who had just exited the soap.

Her other soap roles included Sister Mary Joel in RYAN'S HOPE, Mrs. Barens in GUIDING LIGHT, Ursula Winthrop on THE SECRET STORM, Miss Thompson in AS THE WORLD TURNS, and Flora Perkins on A FLAME IN THE WIND.

Sylvia Browne
Played herself on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS in 2006 and 2010.

Dr. Joyce Brothers
In 1972, Brothers appeared on ABC daytime soap opera ONE LIFE TO LIVE, helping the residents of Llanview starting with Meredith Lord. In 1981 she guest-starred on AS THE WORLD TURNS as an old friend of Bob Hughes and counseled Sofia against using angel dust. She also appeared on SANTA BARBARA in 1989 and MELROSE PLACE in 1995.

Dennis Burkley
He played truck driver Mac Slattery on MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN.

Mary Carver
On television, the Los Angeles native had stints on many shows including MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN (as Mrs. Standfast) and STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE.

Linden Chiles
His daytime soap opera roles included Edward Nichols in SANTA BARBARA, Brian Helmsley on TEXAS, and Paul Britton in THE SECRET STORM.

Alan Coleman
Considered a pioneer of Australian soap opera. Executive producer of Australia's NEIGHBOURS, and also worked on PRISONER and THE YOUNG DOCTORS.

Jeanne Cooper
For more than 39 years she played Katherine Chancellor on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1993 and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys in 2004. She finally won the Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in 2008, and was nominated nine other times.

Cooper crossed over to THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL in 2005 as Katherine Chancellor. She also appeared near the end of GUIDING LIGHT in 2009 as a wedding guest.

In 2010 Cooper was voted #7 by a We Love Soaps panel of industry experts in the 50 Greatest Soap Opera Actresses list. In 2012 Katherine's longtime rival with Jill on Y&R earned the pair the #1 spot on the We Love Soaps 30 Dynamic Duos of Daytime list.

Todd Davis
He played roles in two daytime soaps: Josh Hall on ONE LIFE TO LIVE in 1977 (replacing Lawrence Fishburne) and Bryan Phillips in GENERAL HOSPITAL from 1978-1987. In one memorable storyline, Sammy Davis Jr. guest-starred as Bryan's long-lost father in 1982.

Dennis Farina
He starred in the HBO drama series LUCK.

Joan Fontaine
She received a Daytime Emmy nomination for outstanding guest appearance in the daytime soap opera RYAN'S HOPE in 1980.

Steve Forrest
In 1986 he played Wes Parmalee on DALLAS, a character that was believed by some to be a returned from the dead Jock Ewing.

Bonnie Franklin
She appeared on the daytime soap THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS as Sister Celeste in 2012.

James Gandolfini
He became a household star for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano on HBO gangster soap opera THE SOPRANOS, a role which earned him three Primetime Emmys and six total nominations. He won a Golden Globe in 2000 for the role.

Ivan Giovanettina
Former art director for SOAP TALK who was working as a prop supervisor at THE CHEW when he was shot and killed, the victim of a street robbery in Brooklyn.

Luis E. Godinez
Longtime boom operator at THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Martha Greenhouse
Greenhouse's TV credits included THE EDGE OF NIGHT, RYAN'S HOPE and THE DOCTORS AND THE NURSES. In 1975 she played Mrs. Huber on RYAN'S HOPE, a tenant in a building with no heat or hot water than Frank Ryan helps.

Sophiya Haque
From 2008 to 2009 she played Poppy Morales in CORONATION STREET.

Julie Harris
Television viewers knew Harris as the free-spirited Lilimae Clements on the primetime soap opera KNOTS LANDING from 1980 to 1987. Lilimae was the mother of Valene (Joan Van Ark) and Joshua (Alec Baldwin).

Robert Hover
His soap roles included Russ Matthews on ANOTHER WORLD, Brian Ellison on AS THE WORLD TURNS, Adrian Shepherd on ALL MY CHILDREN, and Lane Wilton on THE EDGE OF NIGHT.

Joyce Jacobs
A character actor who played Esme Watson in the long-running Australian family drama A COUNTRY PRACTICE.

Elinor Karpf-Hager
Co-creator of the daytime soap opera CAPITOL. Karpf-Hager also wrote episodes of DYNASTY.

Lisa Robin Kelly
In 1996 Kelly appeared on 26 episodes of DAYS OF OUR LIVES as Jill Stevens.

Gail Kobe
As an actress Gail Kobe (born Gabriella Kieliszewski) starred on television in PEYTON PLACE (as Doris Schuster) and BRIGHT PROMISE (as Ann Boyd Jones). After moving behind the camera, Kobe worked as a producer on RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE (the show that replaced BRIGHT PROMISE), ANOTHER WORLD, DAYS OF OUR LIVES and THE EDGE OF NIGHT. In 1981 she took over as executive producer at NBC daytime soap opera TEXAS.

After TEXAS was canceled, Procter & Gamble moved Kobe to GUIDING LIGHT. She brought a number of people from the TEXAS cast and crew with her including actors Harley Jane Kozak and Michael Woods, and writer Pamela Long (the final head writer at TEXAS). Kobe and her team had a great eye for talent casting new superstars as well as veterans in key roles. When William J. Bell launched new daytime soap THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL in 1987, Kobe was one of the first people he wanted to bring on board as a producer.

Lori March
Known as the "First Lady of Daytime Television" for her decades of work in serials. She played Valerie Hill Ames Northcoate on CBS’ THE SECRET STORM from 1964 to 1974. She appeared on other soaps including THE BRIGHTER DAY (Lenore Bradley), AS THE WORLD TURNS (Nurse Harris), SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (Lillian Hayes), ONE LIFE TO LIVE (Adele Huddleston/Eugenia Randolph Lord), THE EDGE OF NIGHT (Mrs. Hinson), TEXAS (Mildred Canfield), ANOTHER LIFE (Barbara Gilbert), GUIDING LIGHT (Lady Agnes Gilmore) and ANOTHER WORLD (Abigail Kramer).

Briony McRoberts
McRoberts appeared in Scottish drama TAKE THE HIGH ROAD for nine years and also starred in EASTENDERS. The 56-year-old TV star was married to DOWNTON ABBEY actor David Robb.

Jon Mercedes
In 1978, Mercedes founded Mercedes/Cohen Management and United Public Relations, and two years later launched The Mercedes Co. His clients included Charlene Tilton (DALLAS), Claudia Lonow (KNOTS LANDING), Tracey Bregman (THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) and Jimmy Baio (SOAP).

Don Mitchell
In daytime, Mitchell played Ed Lawrence on the CBS soap opera CAPITOL in 1985-86.

Shirley Mitchell
In 1976 she played Sylvia Chase on CBS daytime soap opera THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Cory Monteith
He played heartthrob Finn Hudson in the Fox hit GLEE. He previously appeared in primetime serials KYLE XY, SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE. Monteith also starred as Gunnar in the MTV drama KAYA.

Tony Musante
On daytime television, he played Rose's (Martha Byrne) adoptive father, Joe D'Angelo, on AS THE WORLD TURNS. He also appeared as Robert McKenzie Houston in LOVING.

Marvin Paige
When he worked as casting director at GENERAL HOSPITAL in the mid to late 1980s, he often cast stars like LASSIE's June Lockhart and TOPPER star Anne Jeffreys.

Arnold Peters
Veteran actor best-known for his role as Jack Woolley in radio soap opera THE ARCHERS for more than 30 years.

Rick Porter
He played Larry Ewing on the NBC soap opera ANOTHER WORLD from 1978 to 1986, returning for a day in 1989 for Mac Cory's funeral. Porter also played Hank Tobin in DAYS OF OUR LIVES.

George Reinholt
On television, Reinholt played Erik Fulda in THE SECRET STORM for a year starting in 1967. He was best known for originating role of Steven Frame on ANOTHER WORLD in July 1968. He played Steve until 1975 and was part of one of the most famous romantic pairings in daytime television, Steve and Alice (Jacqueline Courtney). Along with Rachel (Robin Strasser, Victoria Wyndham), they also formed one of the most memorable triangles in the history of soaps.

After being let go from ANOTHER WORLD in 1975 after clashing with head writer Harding Lemay and producer Paul Rauch, Reinholt starred for two years as Tony Lord on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, once again being paired with Jacqueline Courtney.

Dale Robertson
His soap opera roles included Walter Lankershim in DYNASTY and Frank Crutcher in DALLAS.

Mann Rubin
He pennedn episodes of many popular shows including DYNASTY, KNOTS LANDING and HOTEL. He served as executive story editor during the fourth season of KNOTS LANDING.

Robin Sachs
The actor (who was just four days shy of his 62nd birthday) is best known for playing villainous character Ethan Rayne on the hit series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. He also played roles in BABYLON 5, STAR TREK: VOYAGER, TORCHWOOD and UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS. In 1991 he played Adam Carrington in the DYNASTY reunion movie.

Jean Stapleton
On television, her first big break was a recurring role as Gwen on the 1950s soap opera WOMAN WITH A PAST, created by Mona Kent and starring Constance Ford. Stapleton spoke about doing live TV in an Archive of American Television interview.

"It was very demanding in soap opera," she said. "Yuu had to learn things quickly but it worked. And you had to get up very early in the morning. To do a show live was amazing."

"I will thrilled to get the job," Stapleton added about being hired in 1954 at WOMAN WITH A PAST. "Everything you do at the beginning of a career you learn so much. She (Ford) was very lovely."

Maxine Stuart
Her soap roles included Grace O'Keefe in THE EDGE OF NIGHT, Mrs. Korman in THE YOUNG MARRIEDS, Mrs. Hewitt on PEYTON PLACE and Mrs. Dawson in GENERAL HOSPITAL.

In 1993, she joined THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS as Margaret Anderson. William J. Bell, the show's co-creator, cast Stuart after seeing her play a 70-something intern on MURPHY BROWN.

Frank Thornton
In later years, he had a role in ITV soap EMMERDALE as Bert Dingle.

Richard Thorp
Veteran actor who played Alan Turner in UK soap opera EMMERDALE for more than 30 years.

Often described by tabloids as “the nation’s heart-throb”, he was a regular on EMERGENCY WARD 10 for 10 years and became so popular with its mainly female audience that its producers employed two secretaries purely to deal with his fan mail.

Malachi Throne
Throne's daytime soap opera roles included Morgan Rutherford in ALL MY CHILDREN and Edgar Daniels on RYAN'S HOPE.

Paul Walker
Walker played Brandon Collins on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS from 1992-1993.

Marcia Wallace
In 2009, Wallace played Annie Wilkes on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, who was involved in Katherine's kidnapping story.

Ron Weaver
Supervising producer of THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL. Weaver was also vice president of BBL Distribution, Inc., the distribution arm of the series' production company, Bell-Phillip Television Productions. He won three Daytime Emmy Awards as a B&B producer.

Anna Wing
She played sharp-tongued matriach Lou Beale in EASTENDERS.

Lee Thompson Young
Young co-starred on UPN's SOUTH BEACH, and had recurring roles on FLASHFORWARD and SMALLVILLE. He also appeared in primetime serials THE EVENT and LINCOLN HEIGHTS.

9 comments:

  1. Than you for putting together this list every year.

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    1. It's always a bit overwhelming to see the names in one long list.

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  2. It's officially New Year's! A tradition. =) Thank you, Roger!

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    1. A sad one but can't let the year end without honoring those we lost who contributed to the art of continue stories in daytime and primetime.

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  3. Thank you for acknowledging the passing of Todd Davis, unlike the other soap opera insiders. Thank you, Roger!

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    1. Donald, I think many GH fans were hoping he would return this year for the show's 50th anniversary. I wish I had a high quality photo of Todd from his GH days. I have some magazine scans but they're not in the best shape.

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  4. I know death is inevitable, but it does not make it easy to say good bye to such great talent. Thank you for doing this for us. May they find the rest they deserve for bringing such memoral characters to life, whether they were them, wrote them or created them...they will be missed.

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  5. Thanks Roger for always putting this list together. So much great talent. All will be missed.

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  6. Yes. Thank you for putting together this list each year. The Daytime Emmy folks should hire you to do it, since they are very neglectful.

    Also, I recently read that psychic, Sylvia Browne, died last month. Somewhat noteworthy as it relates to soaps, because she appeared in several episodes of THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS as herself when showrunner, Lynn Marie Latham, called upon her to explain the horrible retcon she was writing that Phillip III (Thom Bierdz) hadn't really been Phillip (since Kay had supposedly switched babies on Jill) and the real Phillip (now Cane Ashby) had been spirited off by some woman named Violet Montgomery to end up raised by her brother, Langley Ashby, down in Australia. As I recall, the young man we knew as Phillip who died in the 1989 car crash even spoke to Sylvia from beyond the grave during a seance giving Sylvia messages for both Jill and Kay. But when Maria Arena Bell came in and undid all that with her own retcon, they never mentioned or explained why Sylvia Browne had been wrong. So in that regard, Browne was part of No. 10 on your "25 Biggest Blunders in Daytime Soap Operas."

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