They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but we wonder what good is a picture when you can’t recognize the subject? Above is a snapshot of a future star of soaps, but can you guess who this surly fisherman grew up to be?
Star Of The Soaps
Obviously this young man (now all grown up) is either currently starring in, or is an alum of, one of the four remaining daytime dramas – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless – but that’s probably not enough of a hint.
So try these on for size. This performer did not plan on pursuing a career in acting – instead, he harbored ambitions to become a writer. He spent a year studying at the Sorbonne in Paris where he learned to speak French. He is best known for his starring role in a science fiction program. And he contributed two scripts to said program.
But just who can he be? Is this a photograph of Dylan Neal (Dylan Shaw, BB), Drake Hogestyn (John Black, DAYS), Joe Flanigan (Dr. Neil Byrne, GH), or Mark Grossman (Adam Newman, YR)?
Dylan Neal
Though he initially planned on becoming a professional squash player, Neal wound up deciding to make a career of acting. Aside from his two-year stint on BB, Neal is also well known for his starring roles in the horror fantasy Blood Ties and The Gourmet Detective film series. And though he penned scripts for the latter, he did not contribute to the former. So he isn’t the answer to today’s identity query.
Drake Hogestyn
Hogestyn had two ambitions: dentistry and baseball. After an injury scuttled his dream of becoming a professional batter, Hogestyn blithely entered a talent search held by Columbia Pictures and wound up winning a contract with the studio. But since he is most known for his turn as DAYS’ John Black – daytime’s answer to Jason Bourne – and not a role in a science fiction program, Hogestyn is not today’s featured star.
Mark Grossman
And neither is Grossman. Though he and the actor in question both sought a career other than acting. Grossman had his heart firmly set on becoming a professional motocross racer and he only got into acting as an extension of his eventual agreement to model.
Joe Flanigan
Flanigan took acting classes on the advice of a friend who assured him that it would help him overcome his shyness. Upon graduating from the University of Colorado with a degree in history, Flanigan pursued a writing career and found his articles published in the likes of Town and Country and Interview.
During the course of his association with Stargate Atlantis – the sci-fi series in which he would star for five years – Flanigan contributed scripts for the episodes entitled Epiphany and Outcast.
So, if you guessed that future star of soaps seen in the image above was Joe Flanigan – who learned to speak French thanks to a Junior Year Abroad program – then you were absolutely correct!
