Michael Nader, Dynasty and All My Children Star, Dead at 76

Michael Nader, best known to daytime and primetime soap fans for his roles as Dimitri on All My Children and “Dex” Dexter on Dynasty, has died. He was 76.

Michael Nader, Dynasty and All My Children Star, Dead at 76

Michael Fairman TV broke the news of Nader’s passing. The actor died on Monday, August 23 at his home in Northern California after a battle with cancer. The actor’s wife, Jodi Lister, was by his side along with Storm, his rescue dog.

“With heavy heart, I’m sharing the news of the passing of my beloved, Michael,” Lister told Fairman. “We had 18 wonderful years together with the many dogs we fostered and adopted. Recently, Michael was so thrilled to reconnect with his friends from the cast of Dynasty during Emma Samms [Fallon Carrington] virtual event to help raise funds for Long-Covid research. He was a beautiful and fascinating man with many talents and skills. I will miss him forever.”

Susan Lucci, who played opposite Nader for a good portion of his AMC run, took to her official Instagram account to share her thoughts. “MICHAEL NADER—so handsome, so talented—so wonderful and beloved as All My Children’s DIMITRI MARICK—and a great love of ‘Erica Kane'” she wrote. “I am so lucky to have played opposite Michael—playing some of the most romantic scenes ever—dancing in palaces in Budapest, our gorgeous Greek Orthodox wedding, complete with crowns. Michael was a doll to work with and to know. RIP, Michael”

“Michael was mostly with Joan [Collins, Alexis] but there were party scenes we were in together and, of course, the Moldavian Massacre,” John James (Jeff), Nader’s Dynasty co-star tells Soap Hub. “He was a nice guy. He had his demons and I think he looked up to me in a way.”

James shares that he encouraged Nader to purchase a home near his on Mulholland Drive that belonged to actress Susan Blakely (Rich Man, Poor Man). “He ended up buying it,” James says. One night, James heard a horrible crash near Nader’s home. He and a handyman went there to make sure the actor was all right only to discover a car had plowed into Nader’s home.

“We banged on his door and Michael came out and asked, ‘What’s up?'” James recalls. “We said, ‘Michael! There’s a car stuck in your house!’ He’d slept right through it! He was such a great guy.”

Another Dynasty co-star, Emma Samms (ex-Fallon; Holly, General Hospital) took to Twitter to share her thoughts about his passing. “Incredibly sad news about Michael Nader,” she began. “What a blessing it was to have had his participation and support for our Dynasty Reunion fundraiser back in March. Thinking of his wife Jodi and sending condolences to all of his many fans.”

Collins also paid tribute to Nadir in an Instagram post. “Very sad to hear of the death of my onscreen husband and lover #michaelnader aka #dexdexter – I loved working with him and his character was a wonderful mixture of tough and tender,” Collins posted. “#alexis was crazy to keep on rejecting him! #rip #ripmichaelnader.”

“[Michael] was professional and so very kind,” Terri Garber (ex-Leslie, Dynasty) tells Soap Hub. “We would go with our spouses out to dinner. He took me to Spago’s my first time. He also turned me on to his acting coach, Janet Alhanti. Everyone loved him. He will be missed.”

Born on February 19, 1945 in St. Louis, Missouri, Nader’s parents split up a few months after his birth. Nader moved to Los Angeles with his mother, Minette. He graduated from Palisades Charter High School in 1963. When he was only 16, Nader appeared as one of three surfers in a Life magazine photo spread about surfing.

Michael Nader first came to the attention of soap fans after being cast as Kevin Thompson on the New York-based serial As the World Turns. He appeared as Alexi on the short-lived nighttime soap Bare Essence on NBC which was based on the CBS mini-series of the same name. The actor then landed the popular part of Farnsworth “Dex” Dexter opposite Joan Collins (Alexis). Nader remained on the show until its finale season in 1989. Dex and Alexis fell off a balcony in the series finale. (Michael Nader did not appear in the 1991 reunion series that wrapped up many of the show’s storylines.)

Nader returned to New York and daytime drama when he was cast as Dimitri Marick opposite Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane on All My Children in 1991. He played the part for over a decade and later, reprised the role in the short-lived Prospect Park AMC revival in 2013.

Michael Nader’s other credits include appearances on Law & Order: SVU, The Flash, Cold Case, The Great Escape II: The Untold Story, and Lady Mobster (in which Lucci also starred). Nader is survived by his wife Jodi, stepmother Lillian, sister Stephanie, daughter Lindsay, ex-wife Robin, son-in-law Trevor, and granddaughter Juniper. Soap Hub sends deep condolences to Nader’s loved ones at this difficult time.