The Young and the Restless’ Jerry Douglas: A Road to Greatness

[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]oung and the Restless alum Jerry Douglas made a huge name for himself as the much loved John Abbott.

Soap Shows wanted to honor this veteran actor, so we looked through his history and path to soap stardom to present these five fun facts about Jerry Douglas for your enjoyment.

5. His Real Name
Jerry Douglas was born on November 12, 1932, in Chelsea, Massachusetts and given the name Gerald Rubenstein.

4. His Original Life Plan
Douglas earned an economics degree from Brandeis University in Massachusetts. From there, he attended law school in New York. However, after a mere eight months, he gave up the books and pursued a career in acting.

3. His First Career
Douglas moved to San Fernando Valley to take acting classes and became an insurance salesman to pay the bills.

2. Divorce and a Custody Battle
In 1973, Douglas and then-wife Arlene Martel divorced after 11 years of marriage. After a heated battle, Douglas won custody of son, Jod. Douglas later married Kymberly Bankier in 1985 and the couple has one child together, Hunter.

1. Settling in Genoa City
Douglas landed the role of a lifetime as John Abbott on The Young and the Restless in 1982. This part would last nearly 25 years until the character’s on -death in 2006. Douglas still appears on the show as John’s ghost when one of the Abbott children is in trouble.

Y&R airs weekdays on CBS. Leave a comment in the section below or go to our forum!  For more The Young and the Restless spoilers and news updates, join the conversation on Soap Shows’ Y&R Facebook page, and follow Soap Shows’ Twitter for around-the-clock Genoa City updates. Also, connect with Soap Shows writer Amber Sinclair on Twitter@AmberWritesThis.