John McCook has been playing The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Eric Forrester since the show’s debut in 1987. Although the actor and his character are important parts of B&B, Eric has faced a few near-death experiences. But Eric overcame his health issues and is still standing.
Key Takeaways
- McCook is one of the original players on B&B.
- The actor has been playing Eric for 39 years.
- Eric’s suffered a few health crises that had fans worried about his fate.
Nothing Can Take Down Eric
As the Forrester patriarch and founder of Forrester Creations, Eric is a vital part of B&B. For years, fans have watched as Eric dealt with challenges at his fashion house while also wooing many women. In recent years, Eric’s had to deal with many health scares that left him at death’s door.
In 2023, he came down with a mystery illness that hindered his ability to design. Eric’s illness landed him in the hospital, and things looked dire. However, thanks to Finn (Tanner Novlan) performing surgery, Eric was miraculously saved.
Most recently, fans worried about Eric again when a confrontation with Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) had him struggling to breathe. Thankfully, Eric was fine, and his spell was nothing more than a panic attack.
Eric’s string of health crises always worries fans, who fear this might be the end for the character. However, McCook reassures that Eric isn’t going anywhere. “They’ve tried killing me off a couple of times in the last, late five years, it just doesn’t work,” the actor tells Us Weekly.
Playing Eric has been a “blessing” for McCook, who still enjoys his work. “It’s been great. I don’t know how many American actors – how many actors in the whole world – can say they’ve had a paycheck for almost 40 years in the same job.”
Back In Business
Following his latest health scare, Eric is back to doing what he loves most, designing. He was initially forced into retirement by Ridge and Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and took his talent to Katie’s (Heather Tom) fashion house. But now, Eric’s back at Forrester Creations and igniting a war with Logan.
After Katie used his designs for Logan’s launch, Eric and the Forresters are plotting their next move. Now that Katie and Bill (Don Diamont) have proved their tough competition, Eric and Ridge want to one-up them.
With father and son working together again, Eric and Ridge will prove why FC is still the best. However, Eric and Ridge’s collaboration might not be without issues.
Eric and Ridge are both headstrong men, and chances are they’ll clash over the couture line. With the two arguing over business, Eric could find himself forced out of the company again. If that happens, Eric could always ask Katie for his job back.
