“I always looked at Michael with great awe. He had so much charisma and was the consummate professional.
“Michael always availed himself to me and was kind and supportive. He faced this awful disease without pity but with a persevering determination. He inspired me the way he faced his adversity. I miss Michael.” — Michael O’Leary, Rick Bauer on GL
“Working with Michael Zaslow and the pairing of Mindy and Roger was a turning point for me as an actress on Guiding Light. Prior to that point, Mindy was written with a lot more fluff and superficiality.
“I loved working with Michael. He loved to improvise and “push the limits,” but he was a consummate professional. He was so gracious and really so fun and engaging. He loved his wife dearly and was so proud of his daughters.
“He was always a gentleman and I learned so much from working with him. His character was most often the villain and he told me once he loved the romantic storyline between Roger and Mindy because he felt it gave him a chance to be seen as a romantic leading man and not just the villain.” — Kimberley Simms, Mindy Lewis on GL
“I vividly remember Michael Zaslow as a gentleman and a true professional. He was great to work with — always had a twinkle in his eye when he was on set. You could just tell he loved playing his character.” — Jean Carol, Nadine Cooper on GL
“He was a pillar. Somebody you hope to get on a show, with great chops and broad shoulders that can carry tons of story and make everybody around him better.” — Grant Aleksander, Phillip Spaulding on GL
“Zaz was a giant, one of the industry’s great leading men and complex villains. Besides his talent, his fierce intelligence informed everything he did. And he didn’t suffer fools lightly. I liked and admired him. He was an original in an industry where archetypes rule.” — Mimi Torchin, founding Editor-in-Chief of Soap Opera Weekly
“One day during high school I stopped battling my sister for control of the cable box long enough to actually listen to an episode of her favorite show, Guiding Light. It was the episode in which Roger Thorpe, played by the incomparable Michael Zaslow, had cornered Rita Stapleton Bauer in a hall of mirrors.
“I was mesmerized. To one day write for the character of Roger and also the incredibly talented actor who portrayed him was a dream come true and an absolute highlight of my life.” — Garrett Foster, former GL breakdown writer; former Editor-in-Chief Soap Opera Magazine
If you would like to share what Michael Zaslow meant to you, please let us know in the comments section below.
Video Credit: celebratingthesoaps
Video Credit: applcinamn
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