Budding actors (and future soap stars) never know where their first big break is going to come from or who will offer it to them. It could be an impressed casting director, an intrigued agent, or even the president of a Hollywood empire.
Which Soap Star Was It?
All of these actors have either played a character, or are currently starring on one of the four remaining soaps – The Bold and the Beautiful, Days of our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless. But only one of them can claim that they were discovered by a founding member of the Warner Bros. film studio.
But who can that actor be? Is it John McCook (Eric Forrester, BB), Drake Hogestyn (John Black, DAYS), Stuart Damon (ex-Dr. Alan Quartermaine, GH), or Jess Walton (Jill Abbott, YR)?
Drake Hogestyn
Hogestyn’s participation in a talent search hosted by Columbia Pictures resulted in his hiring for the musical television series Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Though the show only aired for one season, it emboldened Hogestyn to continue his acting endeavors.
Stuart Damon
Damon is primarily known for his turn as Cinderella’s Prince Charming and Alan Quartermaine – GH’s always libidinous and sometimes homicidal physician. And though he isn’t the actor in question, he did appear in a Warner Bros. distributed film: Star 80.
Jess Walton
She’s well known for her three-decade-plus run as Jill Abbott, YR’s mercurial manicurist turned corporate executive. But prior to her appearance on the venerable CBS soap, Walton spent her time guest-starring on a plethora of primetime programs – and many of those jobs were the direct result of her contract with Universal Studios.
John McCook
McCook spent the early part of his acting career making a name for himself in musical theater. And it was while playing Tony in the New York City Center revival of East Side Story that McCook came to the attention of Jack Warner – the movie mogul who had formed Warner Bros. alongside his brothers Harry, Albert, and Sam.
While under contract with the studio, McCook was forced to adopt a stage name, though he was eventually able to return to his original. So, if you hazarded a guess that perhaps McCook was the actor in question, then you were absolutely correct!
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