Kristoff St. John: From Child Star To Emmy-Winning Adult

The late Kristoff St. John will always be remembered for his portrayal of Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless. Fans of the actor will also fondly recall him as a performer from many other programs. He was rare in that he successfully segued from child thespian to a successful adult actor.

Born in New York City, St. John made his television debut on the sitcom That’s My Mama in 1975. Next came the role of Booker Brown on the hit ABC series Happy Days, which St. John recently shared memories of on social media, following the passing of his co-star Penny Marshall.

St. John played a young Alex Haley, Jr. in Roots: The Next Generations. Then came the regular role of Ahmad Abdul Rahim in The Bad News Bears (based on the movie) in which St. John co-starred alongside future YR cast mate Tricia Cast.

The actor began successfully transitioning into young adult roles when he was cast in an episode of The Cosby Show.

He portrayed Denise’s (Lisa Bonet) almost “too perfect” date, David James, a student who challenged Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby).

After that Cosby guest spot, St. John was cast as Charlie Richmond, Jr. on Charlie and Co., a primetime family sitcom starring the late Flip Wilson and Gladys Knight.

The series only lasted one year. Had it continued, daytime might not have been lucky enough to cast St. John in Generations, which debuted on NBC in 1989.

St. John played Adam Marshall on the short-lived sudser, sharing screen time with Jonelle Allen (ex-Doreen), Vivica A. Fox (ex-Maya), and Kelly Rutherford (ex-Sam).

After Generations ended in 1991, St. John was…continue reading on the next page —>

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After Generations ended in 1991, St. John was cast in a four-episode role on YR as rising Jabot executive Neil Winters.

While taping those episodes, series creator/head writer/senior executive producer William J. Bell called the actor while he was on stage and asked him if he’d like to stick around.

St. John and his on-screen love interest Victoria Rowell (ex-Dru) shot to supercouple stardom as Neil and Dru’s love story played out on-screen.

The actor shined when scripts and storylines called for him to play the man of Dru’s dreams, furious over her antics. He was also a loving dad to Lily (Christel Khalil) and Devon (Bryton James), and conveyed the feelings of utter betrayal over Hilary’s (Mishael Morgan) infidelity.

St. John won his first of two Daytime Emmys as Neil in 1992 for Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in a Drama Series. He won his next one for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2008.

St. John also earned back-to-back Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series nominations in 2016 and 2017.

During his run on Y&R, St. John made time for additional roles. He recurred as Eric on Hanging With Mr. Cooper in the mid-90s, and guest-starred on other sitcoms including Suddenly Susan and The Jamie Foxx Show

In 2017, St. John reunited with his former daytime leading lady Vivica A. Fox in the holiday movie, Christmas Cruise.

St. John and his actor/director father Christoff St. John produced the film A Man Of God, an award-winning documentary that told the St. John family’s spiritual journey from Los Angeles to Southern India as they searched for God.

On St. John’s IMDB page, his most recent credits are listed as No Place Like Home, which also stars Stacy Haiduk (ex-Patty/ex-Emily, Y&R; ex-Susan/ex-Kristen, DAYS), and Kelly Kruger (ex-Mac, Y&R), and The Wind of Heaven.

At press time, it was not announced if St. John’s final YR episode has already aired or not.

Not only was he a talented performer, but he was kind and gracious to everyone. He will be greatly missed.

Soap Hub sends its deepest and heartfelt condolences to St. John’s family and friends. Please see our tribute to the actor in the video below.