Dimitri Marick
Encyclopedia
Dimitri Marick is a fictional character
from the ABC
daytime drama All My Children
, a long running soap opera
set in the fictional city Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
. Former Dynasty
star Michael Nader
originated the character. Anthony Addabbo took over the role on April 6, 2001, and played Dimitri until July 9, 2001. Agnes Nixon
and Lorraine Broderick
created the part in 1991, twenty-one years after the series debuted. They designed Dimitri as a brooding and mysterious character based on heroes from gothic literature
such as Maxim de Winter from Daphne du Maurier
's Rebecca
and Wuthering Heights
's Heathcliff
. The character's introduction raised All My Children in the Nielsen ratings
and saved the highly criticized Natalie and Janet storyline.
Soon after his debut on the show, Dimitri became a complex leading man and took part in some of the most notable plots of the 1990s. Those stories included popular romances with Susan Lucci
's Erica Kane
and Finola Hughes
's Alexandra Devane Marick as well as a loving yet antagonistic fraternal relationship with John Callahan's Edmund Grey
.
Nader's two firings and arrest brought him and the character to the center of a large fan campaign organized by a group called the Loyalists, as well as a highly publicized lawsuit
catching the attention of People
and Entertainment Tonight
among other media outlets. In 2004, Nader's suit was subsequently thrown out.
and Lorraine Broderick
created the character Dimitri Marick in 1991. His original purpose was to rescue Natalie Marlowe
from the well her sister, Janet Green, trapped her in. He was also designed as a rival for Natalie's current love interest, Trevor Dillon. Trevor and Natalie were a popular couple at that point and the writers wanted to create a viable obstacle for them. "We wanted a really exciting love triangle
," said Broderick. "So we were looking for a really exciting, romantic, handsome leading man, so that there would be a real impediment; you know we'd have a really exciting love story between Trevor and somebody as different from Trevor as we could get...because Trevor is a wonderful, warm, teddy bear, lovable, down-to-earth, right-out-there guy- and Dimitri is very much opposite from that."
Nixon and Broderick also crafted the character as a darkly brooding and mysterious man in the same vein as Gothic literary heroes such as Wuthering Heights
's Heathcliff
, Jane Eyre
's Edward Rochester, and Rebecca
's Maxim de Winter. Nixon used these characters as inspiration for Dimitri because, as she told Soap Opera Weekly
, "In doing the 'stolen life' story, I felt that we needed something to follow that was also a little larger than life, very romantic, and gothic." The characters played a part in shaping Dimitri as well as his environment and storylines. Maxim de Winter's estate, Manderley
, provided the inspiration for Dimitri's Pine Valley
estate, Wildwind. The design was taken from both the description in Du Maurier's book and the depiction from the film Rebecca, a 1940 adaptation of the novel by Alfred Hitchcock
. Like Mr. Rochester, the wife Dimitri falsely claims died years ago is revealed to be alive just before his marriage to another woman.
Nixon infused elements of those literatures into the Dimitri and Natalie romance with as well. "There's a gothic quality to it", she said, referring to the couple. "It's Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Everybody loves somebody who has a past and a secret- and certainly Dimitri does- which we haven't divulged yet. That heightens ones interest and suspense. It's a special situation but what really makes it special is the actor's talent, personalities, good looks, and chemistry."
Since the writers created Dimitri as a very mysterious character, Michael Nader mostly stayed away from the press in order to help maintain that image. Whenever he did do an interview, he discussed the character in such a way as to add more mystery. Nader compared Dimitri to the Dynasty character he once portrayed, Dex Dexter. On Dynasty, "John James
(Jeff Colby
) played the 'aw, shucks;' nice guy, and I played the guy who was on the edge, who would take care of business and not take any bull", he said. "Dimitri is sort of a darker Dex. Though I don't know exactly how dark to make him yet." Nader, as an actor, also provided the writers with more inspiration on the character. "The more we see of him, the more he inspires us", Broderick said. "It's just a wonderful marriage of actor and character[...] He's giving us so many levels and such depth, that it's a challenge. But it's exciting. Dimitri is one of the characters that is so much fun to write."
, tested between fifteen and twenty actors, and could not find the right actor for the job. Wilson then learned that the former Dynasty star, Michael Nader was available and suggested the show offer him the part.
Before All My Children offered him the role of Dimitri Marick, Nader already planned on working in both Los Angeles
and New York
. "My fiancee, Beth Windsor, had literally just worked into being bicoastal," he said. "She had an apartment here and I had been seeking out some theater here in New York and would have been spending time both here and in L.A. So after we made the decision to go ahead with that game plan, this offer (Dimitri) came on the table and when we worked out all the figures moneywise it was a great opportunity." Despite Nader's prime time
success as Dynasty's Dex Dexter
, he did not look down on daytime television
. "The fact of the matter is we're in a different era," he said. "And if you look at the cutbacks in Hollywood, being on a soap is not of any less or more value than being in any other medium at this time." Another factor that contributed to his decision to join All My Children was the actors strike. He intended to stay on All My Children for a year. That year turned into more because the actor fell in love with New York.
Since finding the right actor to play Dimitri took such a long time, the show had already begun taping around the character for two weeks. Nader spent his first weeks on All My Children working overtime to catch up. "By the time we had resolved some of the terms," he said, "they were really against the wall in terms of back story...In retrospect, I should have just slept on the set because it was like sixty or seventy pages a day!" Nader also taped his scenes out of sequence while dealing with sixteen different scripts from different points in the story. To keep each scene straight he gave them each a name that described the scene's main action. After those scenes were taped, they were spliced into the otherwise completed episodes. This went on for two weeks until the episodes were all caught up.
Another complication Nader dealt with was the wardrobe. He said, "They had devised this sort of 'tapestry' layered look for Dimitri and it was like doing scenes inside a sauna." This was eventually rectified, but not before the actor lost around twelve pounds in the two weeks.
Michael Nader was fired from All My Children in July 1999, due to budget considerations. The character Dimitri was killed off. This led to a fan outcry from viewers who campaigned for the actor's return. To partially appease them, the show's executive producer
, Jean Dadario Burke
, offered Nader his job back on a recurring
basis. He rejected this offer because "after being a major character for so long, it didn't make any sense to me. So I declined. But if the network was interested in seriously discussing Dimitri's return on a contract basis I would love to go back."
In May 2000, he was rehired and brought back into the role with a multi-year contract. The return story scripted for the Dimitri character centered around the romance between his brother Edmund and his wife Alex. Dimitri was revealed to be alive just as his wife, Alex, and brother, Edmund, had sex for the first time. Nader said he wanted to create a deeper layer in the character instead of focusing solely on the love triangle between Dimitri, Alex, and Edmund. "I do hope to pursue some sort of subtle spiritual change, some perception that Dimitri is different," he said. He questioned the writers' storyline choice in not exploring the popular Dimitri and Erica romance again. "I found it sort of odd that they'd move me so far away from Susan[Lucci, Erica
]," Nader said. "They're trying to explore these other themes."
Nader lost the role again in February 2001 as a result of the actor getting arrested for allegedly selling cocaine
to an undercover police officer
. All My Children released an official statement
saying, "If Mr. Nader gets the help that he needs and addresses his problem, and it makes sense for the show, we would be prepared to speak with Michael in the future." The network put Nader on probation and ordered him to seek help for his problem.
Anthony Addabbo temporarily took over the role, first airing on April 6, 2001. To prepare for the role, he watched tapes of Nader's portrayal of Dimitri in order to see the relationships between Dimitri and other characters. Despite the fan protest against the role being recast, Addabbo told Soap Opera Digest
he was not worried. "I don't find it intimidating," he said. "I know how they can come to love a certain actor portraying a role and how he plays the role and everything, but this happens in daytime so frequently that I didn't find it intimidating at all." Soap Opera Digest considered him an odd choice for a Dimitri recast since Addabbo usually portrayed "all-American good guys" such as Generations Jason Craig and Guiding Light
s Jim LeMay. A large number of All My Children fans rejected Addabbo in the role and continued to campaign for Nader's return. The controversy forced the writers to lessen Dimitri's role on the show until July 2001 when Addabbo was let go "for storyline reasons", according to ABC's official statement.
During an interview, Nader told Soap Opera Digest that in late September 2001, ABC called a meeting with him to inform him that, though he resolved his personal problems, they had no intention of ever bringing him or the character back due to lack of story. Nader argued that other storyline possibilities existed since he and Dimitri received "a tremendous response" from viewers. "For years, Dimitri and Erica were a popular coupling," he said. "A good friend of mine, Jack Scalia
(Chris), is on...that alone would be a dynamic triangle."
city Llanview, which he inherits from his parents. That is also where his fictional estate, Wildwind
, is located. Later, during Dimitri's 1992 story with Erica Kane
, he is revealed to also be Hungarian royalty as Count Andrassy. He inherited his title and his Hungarian castle, Vadzel, from his father's side. Both of his parents were dead by the time Dimitri first appears on All My Children. He spends his childhood years growing up in Europe and on the Wildwind estate. He and his half-brother Edmund are rivals, and his childhood sweetheart was Angelique, the daughter of his nanny, Helga. Helga later becomes his housekeeper. Eighteen years prior to Dimitri's appearance on-screen, he and Angelique married. On their honeymoon, a riding accident leaves her in a coma. He spends three years trying to find her a cure before giving up and becoming reclusive for the next fifteen years because of the guilt he feels over her condition. Finding Natalie in 1991 brings him out into society again.
In 1992, he leaves Angelique for Erica Kane. Dimitri and Erica's storylines include a tumultuous romance leading to two failed marriages and a miscarriage. In that same year, Edmund Grey returns to town to see his childhood friend Angelique. While at Wildwind, he finds the will of Hugo Marick and learns he is not only his illegitimate son, but that he is the lawful heir to Wildwind. Helga destroys the evidence in order to keep the estate for Angelique. The truth eventually comes out and Helga dies.
Dimitri also finds out his ward, Anton Lang, who he supported through medical school, is really his son with his maid, Corvina Lang (Margaret Sophie Stein
). He attempts to forge relationships with Anton and Edmund, which is sometimes difficult. Dimitri disapproves of his son's marriage to Kendall Hart because of her history of manipulating people. Anton leaves town in 1995 after divorcing Kendall. Dimitri and Edmund bond as brothers but they also continue to have a standing rivalry. Their complicated relationship has its ups and downs until Dimitri leaves the show permanently in 2001 with his current wife, Alex Devane Marick
.
as well as saving the Natalie, Trevor, and Janet storyline. In that storyline, the character Janet Green imprisons her sister Natalie in a well and masquerades as Natalie to seduce her fiance Trevor. Fans and soap opera press criticized the story. In Soap Opera Weekly, Marlena De Lacroix said, "Dimitri was the saving grace of the storyline I'd earlier called an artistic disaster: the Janet and Natalie body switch." She described Dimitri as a "cross between Rudolph Valentino
's Sheik
and the gothic Maxim de Winter from Rebecca." Viewers found the character "irresistible"; so much so that Soap Opera Digest
questioned whether the character was a diversion from the failed storyline. All My Childrens head writer Agnes Nixon denied this. "We expected to get negative mail on Janet/Nat," she said, "they [the viewers] don't like it but they [keep] watching."
The character gained further success with the popular Dimitri and Erica pairing. In 1993, viewers named them a supercouple
, along with One Life to Live's Bo
and Nora
and Days of our Lives Roman
and Marlena
. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly
listed them among the top seventeen supercouples. Soap Opera Digest compared them to the real life couple Elizabeth Taylor
and Richard Burton
because of their tumultuous nature.
The romance between Dimitri and Finola Hughes' Alexandra Devane Marick also rose in popularity. Soap Opera Update named them the best couple of the year in 1999 for All My Children despite the fact that their love story played out through brief flashbacks. The magazine compared the couple's relationship to the television series Once and Again
. Soap Opera Update also referred to them as the "break out supercouple of the year".
The Dimitri character took a darker turn in the 1997, in what Soap Opera Digest considered an effort to make Erica more sympathetic after her role in the kidnapping of the baby Maddie Grey (then known as Sonja). Soap Opera Digest praised the move in an article naming Nader Performer of the Week, saying, "Nader has been surprisingly effective as a meanie, and nothing short of brilliant taking an already complex character and making him more compelling." Soap Opera Weekly's Gabrielle Winkel expressed similar sentiments, saying, "Michael Nader is far more entertaining and compelling now that Dimitri is out for himself than when he was as Erica's devoted husband...AMC was right on target when it developed Dimitri's dark side. Nader's brooding looks and raspy voice have always given Dimitri that evil edge. Nader, though, wisely keeps Dimitri's obsessiveness sufficiently in check to make it believable." At the conclusion of the storyline Soap Opera Digest again named him Performer of the Week for "unleashing the sort of go-for-broke fury and fray that actors are usually reluctant to release unless they're certain their character is about to be killed off."
Their relationship gained positive feedback from both viewers and the soap opera media. Soap Opera Digest named them Best Brothers of 1994, saying, "In Michael Nader (Dimitri) and John Callahan (Edmund), AMC has charismatic performers with chemistry, and they're making the most of it." Complications in the brother's relationship included childhood jealousies, the revelation that they were brothers, the paternity of Maddie Grey, and the Dimitri, Alex, and Edmund triangle. Along with the conflict, they displayed a loving relationship where they stood by each other. In describing the relationship, Nader said, "The storyline with Edmund and Dimitri, the Marick brothers, there wasn't a brother duo on television that had the sort of power that John and I could bring to that relationship."
Storylines they featured in met with both praise and negative reactions. With the plot centering around Maddie Grey's paternity and kidnappings, All My Children "fans revolted en masse." Yet Soap Opera Digest hailed the plot as "one of the best told, most fascinating storylines of the year." In the Dimitri, Alex, and Edmund triangle, viewers took two opposing views on which brother should end up with Alex. Soap Opera Weekly proclaimed the triangle a hit, while Soap Opera Update rated it a ten out of ten. In the storyline, Alex and Edmund fall in love while her husband Dimitri is presumed dead. They eventually become engaged. When he returns and witnesses their happy relationship, Dimitri decides not to interfere. "The dilemma for Dimitri is his brother's happiness," Nader said. "As much as he loves Alex, he's made the choice to give her to Edmund." Alex discoveres Dimitri alive first. They reunite and engage in sex. Edmund finds out and feels betrayed by them both. The scenes of the confrontation between all three characters was written to express the views of both the Dimitri and Alex and the Edmund and Alex fans. The viewers who rooted for Edmund argued that Dimitri and Alex betrayed him by having sex immediately after reuniting. Viewers who supported Dimitri argued that the reunion was not a betrayal since Dimitri was Alex's husband. Alex ends up with Dimitri, which changes "Edmund from a jaded, one-note character into a far more multidimensional and intriguing hero." Soap Opera Weekly praised All My Children for not dragging the triangle out and instead using it as a catalyst for character development.
Nader thanked the Loyalists for their support and expressed his surprise at the size of the response. "[T]he expanse and impact were quite astounding to me," he said. "In my years of doing this, I never experienced this kind of support." Susan Lucci commented on the fan response, saying, "So many people stop me on the street and ask me, 'Will Dimitri ever come back and will he and Erica ever get together.'"
At a fan luncheon, the Loyalists confronted All My Children's executive producer Jean Dadario Burke with a petition asking for Nader's return. They also organized a tune-out of the show on November 5, 1999. To appease them at least in part, Burke offered Nader his job back on a recurring basis, which he refused. In 2000, All My Children rehired him on a contract basis. His co-star, Hughes was happy about the news, saying his return would "give a huge injection of 'fuel'" to the Alex and Edmund romance.
In 2001, Nader was arrested for cocaine possession. All My Children suspended him and demanded he get treatment. They cast Addabbo in the role as a temporary replacement. Fans of Nader, the Loyalists in particular, rejected the recast. Though the majority of the viewers did not take to him, Addabbo gained an amount of support from fans who wanted him to continue in the role or portray a different character once Nader returned. Soap Opera Digest criticized the casting of Addabbo because the actor usually portrayed "all-American good guys", the opposite of the Dimitri Marick role. In July of that year, Addabbo was let go and Dimitri was officially written out.
After Nader got help for his drug addiction at Hazelton Clinic in Minnesota, All My Children opted not to bring him back. Nader filed a $31.7 million lawsuit
against ABC for breach of contract
under the Americans with Disabilities Act
. ABC's lawyers cited Nader's violation of the morals clause in his contract as justification for not rehiring him. The firing and lawsuit
caught the attention of non-soap opera medias such as TV Guide
, Inside Edition
, People
, Celebrity Justice
, Extra
, Entertainment Tonight
, and Larry King Live
. Manhattan Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff
threw out the suit in 2004.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
daytime drama All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, a long running soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
set in the fictional city Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera All My Children. It is a small suburb of Philadelphia...
. Former Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
star Michael Nader
Michael Nader
Michael Nader is an American actor of Lebanese descent, known for his role on the ABC primetime soap opera Dynasty from 1983 to 1989 as Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter, the third husband of Alexis Colby .Nader's first soap opera role was opposite actress Marie Masters playing the character of Kevin...
originated the character. Anthony Addabbo took over the role on April 6, 2001, and played Dimitri until July 9, 2001. Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
and Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:...
created the part in 1991, twenty-one years after the series debuted. They designed Dimitri as a brooding and mysterious character based on heroes from gothic literature
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
such as Maxim de Winter from Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
's Rebecca
Rebecca (novel)
Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was published in 1938, du Maurier became – to her great surprise – one of the most popular authors of the day. Rebecca is considered to be one of her best works...
and Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
's Heathcliff
Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...
. The character's introduction raised All My Children in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and saved the highly criticized Natalie and Janet storyline.
Soon after his debut on the show, Dimitri became a complex leading man and took part in some of the most notable plots of the 1990s. Those stories included popular romances with Susan Lucci
Susan Lucci
Susan Victoria Lucci is an American actress and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the daytime drama All My Children. The character is considered an icon, and Lucci has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by TV Guide, with New York Times and Los Angeles Times citing her as the...
's Erica Kane
Erica Kane
Erica Kane is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children.The character has been portrayed by actress Susan Lucci since the show first aired in January 1970, until the last broadcast television episode aired in September 2011. Erica is considered to be the most popular...
and Finola Hughes
Finola Hughes
Finola Hughes is an English actress, television host, author and former dancer, best known for role as Anna Devane on the General Hospital, All My Children and General Hospital: Night Shift , and her role as Anna Devane's identical twin sister, Doctor Alexandra Devane Marick, on All My Children...
's Alexandra Devane Marick as well as a loving yet antagonistic fraternal relationship with John Callahan's Edmund Grey
Edmund Grey
Edmund Grey is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama All My Children. John Callahan portrayed Edmund from April 1992 to March 2005.-Character history :...
.
Nader's two firings and arrest brought him and the character to the center of a large fan campaign organized by a group called the Loyalists, as well as a highly publicized lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
catching the attention of People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
and Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
among other media outlets. In 2004, Nader's suit was subsequently thrown out.
Writing and portrayal
Agnes NixonAgnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
and Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick
Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:...
created the character Dimitri Marick in 1991. His original purpose was to rescue Natalie Marlowe
Natalie Marlowe
Natalie Dillon is a fictional character from the daytime soap opera All My Children...
from the well her sister, Janet Green, trapped her in. He was also designed as a rival for Natalie's current love interest, Trevor Dillon. Trevor and Natalie were a popular couple at that point and the writers wanted to create a viable obstacle for them. "We wanted a really exciting love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
," said Broderick. "So we were looking for a really exciting, romantic, handsome leading man, so that there would be a real impediment; you know we'd have a really exciting love story between Trevor and somebody as different from Trevor as we could get...because Trevor is a wonderful, warm, teddy bear, lovable, down-to-earth, right-out-there guy- and Dimitri is very much opposite from that."
He's certainly a man who wants to be in control. He's a very strong man, he's a very passionate man. He's had a troubled, tragic background, and is just beginning to come out into the world again after being quite reclusive for the past fifteen years. He is guarded, and he plays everything close to the vest. He is very slow to let other people in- except Natalie, with whom he feels a special and unique bond, because he rescued her and because he fell in love with her very quickly, which we hope will be part of the mystery.
—Broderick, Soap Opera Update
Soap Opera UpdateSoap Opera Update was a magazine dedicated to the coverage of soap operas, co-founded by Angela Shapiro in 1988, and purchased by Bauer Media Group in 1992. The magazine became popular on news-stands in the mid-1990s. However, due to a lack of subscriptions, no promotion, and being criticized for...
Nixon and Broderick also crafted the character as a darkly brooding and mysterious man in the same vein as Gothic literary heroes such as Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
's Heathcliff
Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
Heathcliff is a fictional character in the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Owing to the novel's enduring fame and popularity, he is often regarded as an archetype of the tortured Romantic hero whose all-consuming passions destroy both himself and those around him.Legend has stereotyped...
, Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
's Edward Rochester, and Rebecca
Rebecca (novel)
Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was published in 1938, du Maurier became – to her great surprise – one of the most popular authors of the day. Rebecca is considered to be one of her best works...
's Maxim de Winter. Nixon used these characters as inspiration for Dimitri because, as she told Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly
Soap Opera Weekly is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
, "In doing the 'stolen life' story, I felt that we needed something to follow that was also a little larger than life, very romantic, and gothic." The characters played a part in shaping Dimitri as well as his environment and storylines. Maxim de Winter's estate, Manderley
Manderley
Manderley is the fictional estate of the character Maxim de Winter, and it plays a central part in Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel, Rebecca, and in the film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock...
, provided the inspiration for Dimitri's Pine Valley
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
Pine Valley, Pennsylvania is the fictional setting for the long-running American soap opera All My Children. It is a small suburb of Philadelphia...
estate, Wildwind. The design was taken from both the description in Du Maurier's book and the depiction from the film Rebecca, a 1940 adaptation of the novel by Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
. Like Mr. Rochester, the wife Dimitri falsely claims died years ago is revealed to be alive just before his marriage to another woman.
Nixon infused elements of those literatures into the Dimitri and Natalie romance with as well. "There's a gothic quality to it", she said, referring to the couple. "It's Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Everybody loves somebody who has a past and a secret- and certainly Dimitri does- which we haven't divulged yet. That heightens ones interest and suspense. It's a special situation but what really makes it special is the actor's talent, personalities, good looks, and chemistry."
Since the writers created Dimitri as a very mysterious character, Michael Nader mostly stayed away from the press in order to help maintain that image. Whenever he did do an interview, he discussed the character in such a way as to add more mystery. Nader compared Dimitri to the Dynasty character he once portrayed, Dex Dexter. On Dynasty, "John James
John James (actor)
John James Anderson is an American actor, best known to television audiences for playing the character of Jeff Colby in both the prime-time soap opera Dynasty and its spin-off series The Colbys throughout the 1980s....
(Jeff Colby
Jeff Colby
Jeffrey Broderick "Jeff" Colby is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.The role was originated by John James in the show's first episode in 1981, and the character was eventually spun off onto a separate series called The Colbys...
) played the 'aw, shucks;' nice guy, and I played the guy who was on the edge, who would take care of business and not take any bull", he said. "Dimitri is sort of a darker Dex. Though I don't know exactly how dark to make him yet." Nader, as an actor, also provided the writers with more inspiration on the character. "The more we see of him, the more he inspires us", Broderick said. "It's just a wonderful marriage of actor and character[...] He's giving us so many levels and such depth, that it's a challenge. But it's exciting. Dimitri is one of the characters that is so much fun to write."
Casting
Casting the part of Dimitri gave All My Children difficulty. The show's casting director, Judy Blye WilsonJudy Blye Wilson
Judy Blye Wilson is an American television soap opera Casting Director. She has been casting for soaps operas for over 25 years. She had a role in a film titled Nine Deaths of the Ninja as Woo Pee/Woo Wee back in 1985....
, tested between fifteen and twenty actors, and could not find the right actor for the job. Wilson then learned that the former Dynasty star, Michael Nader was available and suggested the show offer him the part.
Before All My Children offered him the role of Dimitri Marick, Nader already planned on working in both Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. "My fiancee, Beth Windsor, had literally just worked into being bicoastal," he said. "She had an apartment here and I had been seeking out some theater here in New York and would have been spending time both here and in L.A. So after we made the decision to go ahead with that game plan, this offer (Dimitri) came on the table and when we worked out all the figures moneywise it was a great opportunity." Despite Nader's prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
success as Dynasty's Dex Dexter
Dex Dexter
Dex Dexter is a fictional character on the American TV series Dynasty.The character was introduced as a love interest for Alexis Colby in episode 69. He will become her third husband, and arguably the second great love of her life, after Blake...
, he did not look down on daytime television
Daytime television
Daytime television is the general term for television shows produced that are intended to air during the daytime hours on weekdays. This article is about American daytime television, for information about international daytime television see Daytime television....
. "The fact of the matter is we're in a different era," he said. "And if you look at the cutbacks in Hollywood, being on a soap is not of any less or more value than being in any other medium at this time." Another factor that contributed to his decision to join All My Children was the actors strike. He intended to stay on All My Children for a year. That year turned into more because the actor fell in love with New York.
Since finding the right actor to play Dimitri took such a long time, the show had already begun taping around the character for two weeks. Nader spent his first weeks on All My Children working overtime to catch up. "By the time we had resolved some of the terms," he said, "they were really against the wall in terms of back story...In retrospect, I should have just slept on the set because it was like sixty or seventy pages a day!" Nader also taped his scenes out of sequence while dealing with sixteen different scripts from different points in the story. To keep each scene straight he gave them each a name that described the scene's main action. After those scenes were taped, they were spliced into the otherwise completed episodes. This went on for two weeks until the episodes were all caught up.
Another complication Nader dealt with was the wardrobe. He said, "They had devised this sort of 'tapestry' layered look for Dimitri and it was like doing scenes inside a sauna." This was eventually rectified, but not before the actor lost around twelve pounds in the two weeks.
Michael Nader was fired from All My Children in July 1999, due to budget considerations. The character Dimitri was killed off. This led to a fan outcry from viewers who campaigned for the actor's return. To partially appease them, the show's executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, Jean Dadario Burke
Jean Dadario Burke
Jean Dadario Burke is an American television New York City-based soap opera producer and director.-Positions held:All My Children*Executive Producer *Senior Producer *Director...
, offered Nader his job back on a recurring
Recurring status
In the U.S. soap opera world, recurring status is a term used to describe the status of a performer who consistently performs in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and is therefore let out of their multi-year contract in order for the show to save money...
basis. He rejected this offer because "after being a major character for so long, it didn't make any sense to me. So I declined. But if the network was interested in seriously discussing Dimitri's return on a contract basis I would love to go back."
In May 2000, he was rehired and brought back into the role with a multi-year contract. The return story scripted for the Dimitri character centered around the romance between his brother Edmund and his wife Alex. Dimitri was revealed to be alive just as his wife, Alex, and brother, Edmund, had sex for the first time. Nader said he wanted to create a deeper layer in the character instead of focusing solely on the love triangle between Dimitri, Alex, and Edmund. "I do hope to pursue some sort of subtle spiritual change, some perception that Dimitri is different," he said. He questioned the writers' storyline choice in not exploring the popular Dimitri and Erica romance again. "I found it sort of odd that they'd move me so far away from Susan[Lucci, Erica
Susan Lucci
Susan Victoria Lucci is an American actress and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the daytime drama All My Children. The character is considered an icon, and Lucci has been called "Daytime's Leading Lady" by TV Guide, with New York Times and Los Angeles Times citing her as the...
]," Nader said. "They're trying to explore these other themes."
Nader lost the role again in February 2001 as a result of the actor getting arrested for allegedly selling cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
to an undercover police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. All My Children released an official statement
News release
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy...
saying, "If Mr. Nader gets the help that he needs and addresses his problem, and it makes sense for the show, we would be prepared to speak with Michael in the future." The network put Nader on probation and ordered him to seek help for his problem.
Anthony Addabbo temporarily took over the role, first airing on April 6, 2001. To prepare for the role, he watched tapes of Nader's portrayal of Dimitri in order to see the relationships between Dimitri and other characters. Despite the fan protest against the role being recast, Addabbo told Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
he was not worried. "I don't find it intimidating," he said. "I know how they can come to love a certain actor portraying a role and how he plays the role and everything, but this happens in daytime so frequently that I didn't find it intimidating at all." Soap Opera Digest considered him an odd choice for a Dimitri recast since Addabbo usually portrayed "all-American good guys" such as Generations Jason Craig and Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
s Jim LeMay. A large number of All My Children fans rejected Addabbo in the role and continued to campaign for Nader's return. The controversy forced the writers to lessen Dimitri's role on the show until July 2001 when Addabbo was let go "for storyline reasons", according to ABC's official statement.
During an interview, Nader told Soap Opera Digest that in late September 2001, ABC called a meeting with him to inform him that, though he resolved his personal problems, they had no intention of ever bringing him or the character back due to lack of story. Nader argued that other storyline possibilities existed since he and Dimitri received "a tremendous response" from viewers. "For years, Dimitri and Erica were a popular coupling," he said. "A good friend of mine, Jack Scalia
Jack Scalia
Jack Scalia is an American actor. He has had many roles in television series , television movies, and feature films.-Early life:...
(Chris), is on...that alone would be a dynamic triangle."
Character backstory
To further the mystery element and add an international twist to the story, Nixon scripted Dimitri as having close European roots, though he is an American. His parents are Russian and he spends much of his time in Europe. Originally, his wealth comes from all the land around Pine Valley and the One Life to LiveOne Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
city Llanview, which he inherits from his parents. That is also where his fictional estate, Wildwind
Wildwind
Wildwind is a mansion located in the fictional town of Pine Valley, Pennsylvania . Originally owned by the Maricks, a family of Hungarian nobility, the mansion has been home to a great many Pine Valley residents over the years....
, is located. Later, during Dimitri's 1992 story with Erica Kane
Erica Kane
Erica Kane is a fictional character from the American daytime drama All My Children.The character has been portrayed by actress Susan Lucci since the show first aired in January 1970, until the last broadcast television episode aired in September 2011. Erica is considered to be the most popular...
, he is revealed to also be Hungarian royalty as Count Andrassy. He inherited his title and his Hungarian castle, Vadzel, from his father's side. Both of his parents were dead by the time Dimitri first appears on All My Children. He spends his childhood years growing up in Europe and on the Wildwind estate. He and his half-brother Edmund are rivals, and his childhood sweetheart was Angelique, the daughter of his nanny, Helga. Helga later becomes his housekeeper. Eighteen years prior to Dimitri's appearance on-screen, he and Angelique married. On their honeymoon, a riding accident leaves her in a coma. He spends three years trying to find her a cure before giving up and becoming reclusive for the next fifteen years because of the guilt he feels over her condition. Finding Natalie in 1991 brings him out into society again.
Storyline
Dimitri Marick first appears on All My Children in 1991 when he rescues Natalie Marlow from the well her sister, Janet Green, trapped her in, on the Wildwind estate. She resembles his wife, Angelique, which attracts him to her. While he nurses her back to health, Dimitri becomes obsessively in love with her. His housekeeper, Helga, warns him not to get involved with her because of his marriage to her comatose daughter, Angelique. He lies to Natalie that his wife died years ago. Once Natalie recovers and everyone learns what happened to her at Janet's hand, Natalie's fiance, Trevor Dillon, tries to reconcile with her. She rejects him because Janet fooled him so easily. Dimitri and Natalie become engaged. Unbeknown to Dimitri, Angelique awakens from her coma. Helga reveals Angelique is out of her coma by bringing her to Wildwind during Dimitri and Natalie's engagement party. Natalie leaves Dimitri and reunites with Trevor. Dimitri reconciles with his wife.In 1992, he leaves Angelique for Erica Kane. Dimitri and Erica's storylines include a tumultuous romance leading to two failed marriages and a miscarriage. In that same year, Edmund Grey returns to town to see his childhood friend Angelique. While at Wildwind, he finds the will of Hugo Marick and learns he is not only his illegitimate son, but that he is the lawful heir to Wildwind. Helga destroys the evidence in order to keep the estate for Angelique. The truth eventually comes out and Helga dies.
Dimitri also finds out his ward, Anton Lang, who he supported through medical school, is really his son with his maid, Corvina Lang (Margaret Sophie Stein
Małgorzata Zajączkowska
Małgorzata Zajączkowska, aka Margaret Sophie Stein, born January 31, 1956 in Warsaw is a Polish actress and writer. In the years 1979-1981, she acted in the Teatr Narodowy before moving to the U.S. in 1981. Using the pseudonym of Margaret Sophie Stein, she continued her acting career in television...
). He attempts to forge relationships with Anton and Edmund, which is sometimes difficult. Dimitri disapproves of his son's marriage to Kendall Hart because of her history of manipulating people. Anton leaves town in 1995 after divorcing Kendall. Dimitri and Edmund bond as brothers but they also continue to have a standing rivalry. Their complicated relationship has its ups and downs until Dimitri leaves the show permanently in 2001 with his current wife, Alex Devane Marick
Alex Devane Marick
Dr. Alexandra "Alex" Devane Marick is a fictional character on the soap opera All My Children . She is played by British actress Finola Hughes who also plays Alex's twin sister Anna Devane.- Character history :...
.
Reception
Dimitri became a popular leading man soon after his debut on All My Children in 1991 and "was prominent in some of the show's most memorable tales of that decade." The character and his portrayer, Michael Nader, were credited with lifting the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
as well as saving the Natalie, Trevor, and Janet storyline. In that storyline, the character Janet Green imprisons her sister Natalie in a well and masquerades as Natalie to seduce her fiance Trevor. Fans and soap opera press criticized the story. In Soap Opera Weekly, Marlena De Lacroix said, "Dimitri was the saving grace of the storyline I'd earlier called an artistic disaster: the Janet and Natalie body switch." She described Dimitri as a "cross between Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
's Sheik
The Sheik (film)
The Sheik is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, and Adolphe Menjou...
and the gothic Maxim de Winter from Rebecca." Viewers found the character "irresistible"; so much so that Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
questioned whether the character was a diversion from the failed storyline. All My Childrens head writer Agnes Nixon denied this. "We expected to get negative mail on Janet/Nat," she said, "they [the viewers] don't like it but they [keep] watching."
The character gained further success with the popular Dimitri and Erica pairing. In 1993, viewers named them a supercouple
Supercouple
A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...
, along with One Life to Live's Bo
Bo Buchanan
Beaufort Oglethorpe "Bo" Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live.-Casting and awards:The role was originated in 1979 by Robert S. Woods, who briefly left the series in 1986 but returned in 1988, and currently portrays the role...
and Nora
Nora Hanen
Nora Hanen Buchanan is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera One Life to Live. The role was originated by Hillary B. Smith in September 1992.-Casting:...
and Days of our Lives Roman
Roman Brady
Roman Augustus Brady is a fictional character on the television drama Days of our Lives. Roman was played by Wayne Northrop from 1981 to 1984 and 1991 to 1994, and has been played by Josh Taylor since 1997, with a brief hiatus in early 2004, when he was a victim of the show's now-infamous serial...
and Marlena
Marlena Evans
Dr. Marlena Evans Black is a long-running fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, Days of our Lives, a long running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She was played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, with a few minor breaks in between from 1987 to March 1991 and...
. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
listed them among the top seventeen supercouples. Soap Opera Digest compared them to the real life couple Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
and Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
because of their tumultuous nature.
The romance between Dimitri and Finola Hughes' Alexandra Devane Marick also rose in popularity. Soap Opera Update named them the best couple of the year in 1999 for All My Children despite the fact that their love story played out through brief flashbacks. The magazine compared the couple's relationship to the television series Once and Again
Once and Again
Once and Again is an American television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999 to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father...
. Soap Opera Update also referred to them as the "break out supercouple of the year".
The Dimitri character took a darker turn in the 1997, in what Soap Opera Digest considered an effort to make Erica more sympathetic after her role in the kidnapping of the baby Maddie Grey (then known as Sonja). Soap Opera Digest praised the move in an article naming Nader Performer of the Week, saying, "Nader has been surprisingly effective as a meanie, and nothing short of brilliant taking an already complex character and making him more compelling." Soap Opera Weekly's Gabrielle Winkel expressed similar sentiments, saying, "Michael Nader is far more entertaining and compelling now that Dimitri is out for himself than when he was as Erica's devoted husband...AMC was right on target when it developed Dimitri's dark side. Nader's brooding looks and raspy voice have always given Dimitri that evil edge. Nader, though, wisely keeps Dimitri's obsessiveness sufficiently in check to make it believable." At the conclusion of the storyline Soap Opera Digest again named him Performer of the Week for "unleashing the sort of go-for-broke fury and fray that actors are usually reluctant to release unless they're certain their character is about to be killed off."
Dimitri and Edmund
Soap Opera Digest noted the rarity of brothers like Edmund Grey and Dimitri Marick. In the soap opera genre, brothers with a standing rivalry as well as a strong fraternal bond are considered to be a rarity. Sisters on soap operas were usually the ones who shared "men, makeup, and misery". Dimitri and Edmund's relationship was scripted as complicated, transitioning between loving and antagonistic. Growing up, Edmund was raised as the gardeners son while Dimitri lived the life of privilege. They did not find out they were brothers until they were well into adulthood.Their relationship gained positive feedback from both viewers and the soap opera media. Soap Opera Digest named them Best Brothers of 1994, saying, "In Michael Nader (Dimitri) and John Callahan (Edmund), AMC has charismatic performers with chemistry, and they're making the most of it." Complications in the brother's relationship included childhood jealousies, the revelation that they were brothers, the paternity of Maddie Grey, and the Dimitri, Alex, and Edmund triangle. Along with the conflict, they displayed a loving relationship where they stood by each other. In describing the relationship, Nader said, "The storyline with Edmund and Dimitri, the Marick brothers, there wasn't a brother duo on television that had the sort of power that John and I could bring to that relationship."
Storylines they featured in met with both praise and negative reactions. With the plot centering around Maddie Grey's paternity and kidnappings, All My Children "fans revolted en masse." Yet Soap Opera Digest hailed the plot as "one of the best told, most fascinating storylines of the year." In the Dimitri, Alex, and Edmund triangle, viewers took two opposing views on which brother should end up with Alex. Soap Opera Weekly proclaimed the triangle a hit, while Soap Opera Update rated it a ten out of ten. In the storyline, Alex and Edmund fall in love while her husband Dimitri is presumed dead. They eventually become engaged. When he returns and witnesses their happy relationship, Dimitri decides not to interfere. "The dilemma for Dimitri is his brother's happiness," Nader said. "As much as he loves Alex, he's made the choice to give her to Edmund." Alex discoveres Dimitri alive first. They reunite and engage in sex. Edmund finds out and feels betrayed by them both. The scenes of the confrontation between all three characters was written to express the views of both the Dimitri and Alex and the Edmund and Alex fans. The viewers who rooted for Edmund argued that Dimitri and Alex betrayed him by having sex immediately after reuniting. Viewers who supported Dimitri argued that the reunion was not a betrayal since Dimitri was Alex's husband. Alex ends up with Dimitri, which changes "Edmund from a jaded, one-note character into a far more multidimensional and intriguing hero." Soap Opera Weekly praised All My Children for not dragging the triangle out and instead using it as a catalyst for character development.
Controversy and Loyalists
In what Soap Opera Digest named the year's Dumbest Male Axing in 1999, Nader was fired from the role of Dimitri and the character was killed off. The firing "set off a firestorm of protest from devoted fans." Those fans came together to form a group called the Loyalists and campaigned for the actor's return. They "bombarded" All My Children with letters centering around three major complaints concerning Nader's dismissal, as summarized in Soap Opera Digest: "1) They have waited two years for a Dimitri/Erica reunion, which they won't get now that he's leaving. 2) They adore Nader's chemistry with on-screen brother John Callahan (Edmund) and don't want to lose it. 3) They fear that Nader has been sacrificed to make room in the budget for new- and younger- cast members." In response to the last complaint, an All My Children spokesperson pointed out the storylines planned for characters over thirty years old such as Tad, Dixie, Erica, David, Edmund, and Alex.Nader thanked the Loyalists for their support and expressed his surprise at the size of the response. "[T]he expanse and impact were quite astounding to me," he said. "In my years of doing this, I never experienced this kind of support." Susan Lucci commented on the fan response, saying, "So many people stop me on the street and ask me, 'Will Dimitri ever come back and will he and Erica ever get together.'"
At a fan luncheon, the Loyalists confronted All My Children's executive producer Jean Dadario Burke with a petition asking for Nader's return. They also organized a tune-out of the show on November 5, 1999. To appease them at least in part, Burke offered Nader his job back on a recurring basis, which he refused. In 2000, All My Children rehired him on a contract basis. His co-star, Hughes was happy about the news, saying his return would "give a huge injection of 'fuel'" to the Alex and Edmund romance.
In 2001, Nader was arrested for cocaine possession. All My Children suspended him and demanded he get treatment. They cast Addabbo in the role as a temporary replacement. Fans of Nader, the Loyalists in particular, rejected the recast. Though the majority of the viewers did not take to him, Addabbo gained an amount of support from fans who wanted him to continue in the role or portray a different character once Nader returned. Soap Opera Digest criticized the casting of Addabbo because the actor usually portrayed "all-American good guys", the opposite of the Dimitri Marick role. In July of that year, Addabbo was let go and Dimitri was officially written out.
After Nader got help for his drug addiction at Hazelton Clinic in Minnesota, All My Children opted not to bring him back. Nader filed a $31.7 million lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against ABC for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
under the Americans with Disabilities Act
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
. ABC's lawyers cited Nader's violation of the morals clause in his contract as justification for not rehiring him. The firing and lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
caught the attention of non-soap opera medias such as TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, Celebrity Justice
Celebrity Justice
Celebrity Justice was an American news show which ran from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Harvey Levin Productions, and directed by Brad Kreisburg, and Rob Dorn for one episode in 2005...
, Extra
Extra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
, Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, and Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
. Manhattan Federal Judge Jed S. Rakoff
Jed S. Rakoff
Jed Saul Rakoff is a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York.-Biography:Rakoff was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 1, 1943. Rakoff graduated with honors in English literature from Swarthmore College , earned his M. Phil. from Balliol College at Oxford University...
threw out the suit in 2004.