Stuart Damon

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Stuart Damon

Born Stuart Michael Zonis
February 5, 1937 (1937-02-05) (age 71)
New York, U.S.
Spouse(s) Deirdre Damon

Stuart Damon (born Stuart Michael Zonis; February 5, 1937) is an American actor. He is known for 30 years of portraying the character Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera General Hospital, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999.

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[edit] Personal life

Damon was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Eva (née Sherer) and Marvin Leonard Zonis, who was a manufacturer.[1] His parents were Russian Jewish immigrants, making their home in America after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution.[2][3] Damon has been married since 1961 to Deirdre Ann Ottewill. They have two children, Jennifer and Christopher, and adopted their grandson, Alexander, in 2000.[4]

[edit] Acting career

After a series of appearances on Broadway, Damon's appearance as the Prince in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella helped pave the way to a long career in television and soap opera.

Moving to England in the 1960s, Damon appeared as secret agent Craig Stirling, alongside Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt, in the cult series, The Champions. He also partnered with Roger Moore in an episode of The Saint which has been credited as an inspiration for the later series, The Persuaders!, with Damon's role being played by Tony Curtis. Damon also played magician Harry Houdini in a lavishly staged London musical, Man of Magic.[5]

In the 1970s, he was cast alongside Gene Barry and Catherine Schell in the The Adventurer series, appearing briefly in two episodes. Damon has since spoken candidly about the fact that Barry did not want him in the series because of his height.[citation needed] At over six feet, he towered over the relatively small Barry. After acting roles in several other British television series, including children's favourite The Adventures of Black Beauty where he played a hypnotist, he returned to the United States.

In 1977, he began his most famous role, that of Dr. Alan Quartermaine, Sr. on General Hospital. He also repeated the role on the short-lived GH spinoff Port Charles (1997-2003).

In 1999, Damon won the Best Supporting Actor Emmy, for his portrayal of Alan, a physician, addicted to the painkiller hydrocodone. In 2005, Damon was reunited with Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt for the first time in almost 40 years, to provide audio commentary on a DVD release of The Champions. In December 2006, it was reported that Damon had been fired by Jill Farren Phelp' on the orders of Anee Sweeney and Brian Frons from General Hospital[6] and his last air date was scheduled for February 26, 2007, when his character died. The reason behind his release was not made public.[7] The taping of the final scene occurred on February 5, coincidentally Damon's 70th birthday.[8] Fellow actors on General Hospital spoke to the press about how upset they were over Damon's firing, with Damon's on-show wife Leslie Charleson saying, "This is the 30th anniversary for the two of us, in August. The timing leaves me very discouraged about the way soaps are going, the total disregard for history and the blatant disregard for the veterans."[9]

Despite the death of the character, Damon has remained on the show, playing the ghost of Alan Quartermaine, haunting his sister Tracy about forging Alan's will.

In late February 2007, rumors surfaced that CBS soap opera Guiding Light was considering Damon for a recast of the character Ed Bauer, who was previously played by Peter Simon, and Lynn Marie Latham considered casting him as Carl Williams.[10]

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • Daytime Emmys Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor (1999)
  • Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Supporting Actor (1982, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1996, 1997)
  • Soap Opera Award Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor (1997)

[edit] Works

[edit] Broadway

[edit] West End

[edit] Television

[edit] Film

[edit] Recording

  • Stuart Champion Damon, Reflection Records 1970

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/16/Stuart-Damon.html
  2. ^ http://www.soapcentral.com/gh/theactors/damon.php
  3. ^ http://web.telia.com/~u13205463/damon/quotes/quotes.htm
  4. ^ Stuart Damon Biography. TV.com.
  5. ^ The Great Escape: Hollywood's Struggle to Bring Houdini Back to Life by John Cox, MAGIC Magazine, October 2006
  6. ^ General Hospital Fires Stuart Damon. TVGuide.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-20.
  7. ^ "Heartbreaker: Stuart Damon's 30-Year GH Run Ends", December 21, 2006, soapcentral.com
  8. ^ ABC Soaps, March 27, 2007, p. 88
  9. ^ Soap Opera Weekly, February 13, 2007, pp. 1-2
  10. ^ "Recast?", Soap Opera Weekly, 2007-02-27, p. 5. 

[edit] External links

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