Thom Christopher has died.
Veteran soap actor Thom Christopher has died. The One Life to Live alum, who portrayed mob boss Carlo Hesser and his twin Mortimer Bern on the soap, was 84 when he passed. His former television son, Anthony Crivello, who portrayed Johnny, confirmed his death on social media.
Crivello shared the news on Facebook. He wrote, “My dear friend of many years, actor Thom Christopher passed today. He was always a gentleman, always supportive, and he and his wife Judith who proceeded him in death, where [sic] always gracious to me and welcoming. Thom and I worked together on the ABC daytime series One Life to Live in the 1990s…. It was a wonderful time, difficult hours and long days, but joyful each minute. May Thom fly on Wings of Angels to be beside his beloved Judith, and may they enjoy each other’s company once again, beside the ‘Pearly Gates’ of heaven.”
Thom Christopher was born on October 5. 1940. A native of Jackson Heights in Queens, New York, Christopher always had a flair for drama. He was accepted into the New York High School of Performing Arts and continued his acting studies at Ithaca College and the Neighborhood Playhouse.
At the age of 32, he landed on Broadway in the production of The Living Mask and scored his first role on a daytime serial the following year as the original Noel Douglas on The Edge of Night. Guest spots on primetime followed with appearances on such shows as Bronk, Movin’ On, Cannon, The Rookies, Harry O, and Kojak.
In 1977, he took on another soap opera by playing Earl Merrick on Love of Life. Christopher followed that up with three motion picture roles in Voices, opposite Michael Ontkean and Amy Irving, Firepower, opposite James Coburn and Sophia Loren, and S.H.E: Security Hazards Expert, opposite Omar Sharif and Robert Lansing.
Throughout his career, Christopher caught sci-fi fans’ attention with roles in such classics Space Raiders (1983), Wizards of the Lost Kingdom (1985), and Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988), but it was his role as Hawk in Buck Rogers and the 25th Century in 1981 opposite Gil Gerard that won their hearts and stayed in their memories.
He continued adding to his primetime repertoire with guest starring roles on McClain’s Law, The Renegades, Hunter, T.J. Hooker, Simon & Simon, Murder She Wrote, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Additional film credits included Betrayed by Innocence, Street Hunter, Blood and Wine, Ten Hundred Kings, Peril, The Stranger, Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot, Bridget, Nola, and ADDicted.
The actor would add more daytime dramas to his resume such as Dante Partou and Joe Young on Loving, and Colonel Dax on Guiding Light, but it was his dual role on One Life to Live as the evil Carlo Hesser and his meek, mild-mannered twin Mortimer Bern that earned Christopher a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1992.
As the drug trafficking kingpin Carlo, Christopher would reign terror over Llanview for almost two decades with such acts as kidnapping Sarah and Megan Gordon (Jensen Buchanan and Jessica Tuck), blackmailing Gabrielle Medina (Fiona Hutchinson) and Antonio Vega (Kamar de los Reyes), murdering his own brother Joseph Hobart, accidentally had Todd Manning (Roger Howarth) shot, faked his own death – twice, stole 30 million from Asa Buchanan (Phillip Carey), and sending Sarah Roberts (Justis Bolding) and Cristian Vega (David Fumero) plunging over the Iguazu falls (they survived).
He was the character One Life to Live fans loved to hate and found mesmerizing at the same time. Christopher’s scenes opposite fan favorites Viki Buchanan (Erika Slezak) and Alex Olanov (Tonja Walker) were classic soap at its best. His last appearance on the soap was left open-ended as he dumped Cristian in a Colombian prison, posing as his dead twin brother Mortimer and then taking off to some unknown destination.
Like his character, fans can imagine the consummate professional walking off into the sunset, destination exotic and unknown. Soap Hub sends its sincere condolences to family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.
With reporting by Sherrie E. Smith.
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