James Lipton
James Lipton is known to many for the years he hosted Inside the Actors Studio, but what many don’t know is he had a lengthy career in soaps, too.
The host/actor, 93, died today, Monday, March 2 at his home in New York City, according to TMZ. His wife, Kedakai Turner, told the gossip/news site that Lipton had been fighting bladder cancer.
“There are so many James Lipton stories but I’m sure he would like to be remembered as someone who loved what he did and had tremendous respect for all the people he worked with,” Turner said.
On Inside the Actors Studio, Lipton interviewed a veritable “Who’s Who” of show business to get inside their heads about Hollywood and acting. His guests included Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Ian McKellan, Eddie Murphy, Faye Dunaway, Betty White, and numerous others.
As an actor, Lipton played Dr. Dick Grant on Guiding Light in 1953. He reunited with his fellow actors from the show on-screen during the 2002 Daytime Emmys on the occasion of GL’s 50th TV anniversary. A smiling Lipton can be seen when many cast members gathered on stage as part of the tribute.
Lipton was also a writer for daytime, including a stint at GL. He also wrote for Another World, The Edge of Night, The Doctors, and Return to Peyton Place. He was the head writer of Capitol when that soap went off the air. The show’s finale had Sloan (Debra Farentino) facing a firing squad. The camera cut to black before viewers learned if the weapons fired. Asked backstage in the press room to reveal Sloan’s fate at the Daytime Emmys in 2007, when Lipton received the Lifetime Achievement Award, he groused, “I’m never telling!”
Lipton achieved a level of fame not everyone had when he was spoofed on Saturday Night Live by comic actor Will Ferrell. Soap Hub sends sincere condolences to Kedaki and the rest of Lipton’s family, friends, and fans.
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