Michael Zaslow
Encyclopedia
Michael Joel Zaslow was an American
actor
. He was best known for his role as villain Roger Thorpe on CBS's Guiding Light
, a role he played from 1971 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1997.
and Dr. Peter Chernak on Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He also played David Renaldi on ABC's
One Life to Live
from 1983 to 1986, and in 1998. Zaslow was also a writer for the NBC soap opera Another World
.
Zaslow guest starred on a number of other television
shows and soap opera
s, including Barnaby Jones
and Law & Order
. In the episode "The Man Trap," the series' September 8, 1966 premiere of Star Trek
, he played Crewman Darnell, the first Starship Enterprise
crew member to be killed off
. He also appeared as "Jordan" in the episode "I, Mudd". He also costarred in the 1977 feature film You Light Up My Life.
Zaslow's Broadway theatre
credits included Fiddler on the Roof
, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
, and Onward Victoria
.
Zaslow was also the godfather of film and television actor Christian Slater
.
However, it was for his work as Roger Thorpe on "Guiding Light" that Zaslow was always best known. One of the show's central villains of the 1970s, his first onscreen "death" was voted the top scene in the show's history when the series celebrated its 50th anniversary. In the late 1980s, he returned to the show and again became a central figure. Zaslow received multiple Daytime Emmy nominations (and one win) for his work in the role and continually appeared on both critics' and fans' lists of favorite soap performers.
In 1997, he began to experience difficulty speaking. When it became noticeable on screen, he was placed on leave at Guiding Light
. (There are conflicting stories as to whether Zaslow was then fired; there was for some time a legal action against Guiding Light and sponsor Procter & Gamble
, which eventually was settled.) It was some time before Zaslow was finally diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. Zaslow did not return to GL and his role was briefly recast before being written off. (In 2004, Zaslow's character on GL died off-screen.)
Zaslow was hired at One Life to Live in 1998 to play David Renaldi again; his condition was written into the storyline. Zaslow made several appearances before he was too ill to continue working; his final appearance on One Life to Live was televised December 1, 1998, days before his death. His character was never killed off the soap, which went through a series of writers over a two-year period, none of whom chose to deal with David's illness and Zaslow's death.
His widow, psychologist/writer Susan Hufford founded ZazAngels, a foundation that wishes to raise funds in order to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease. Several of his Guiding Light
and One Life to Live
castmates, along with many Broadway-based theater luminaries, have participated in tributes to Zaslow that were fundraisers for ZazAngels.
In 2004, Zaslow and Hufford's daughter Helena died. Hufford released a book about Zaslow and his fight with ALS, titled Not That Man Anymore. Zaslow had begun writing the book several years earlier.
In 2006, Zaslow's widow Susan Hufford died from cancer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was best known for his role as villain Roger Thorpe on CBS's 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...
, a role he played from 1971 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1997.
Life and career
Zaslow played Dick Hart on the CBS soap opera Search for TomorrowSearch for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
and Dr. Peter Chernak on Love is a Many Splendored Thing. He also played David Renaldi on ABC's
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...
One Life to Live
One 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...
from 1983 to 1986, and in 1998. Zaslow was also a writer for the NBC soap opera Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
.
Zaslow guest starred on a number of other television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows and 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,...
s, including Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
and Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. In the episode "The Man Trap," the series' September 8, 1966 premiere of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, he played Crewman Darnell, the first Starship Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...
crew member to be killed off
Redshirt (character)
A "redshirt" is a stock character in fiction who dies soon after being introduced. The term originates with fans of Star Trek , from the red shirts worn by Starfleet security officers who frequently die during episodes.-Star Trek:...
. He also appeared as "Jordan" in the episode "I, Mudd". He also costarred in the 1977 feature film You Light Up My Life.
Zaslow's Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
credits included Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
, and Onward Victoria
Onward Victoria
Onward Victoria is a musical with a book and lyrics by Charlotte Anker and Irene Rosenberg, and music by Keith Herrmann.Its subject is Victoria Woodhull, the 19th-century woman who with her sister were the first women to operate a brokerage firm, at which they became millionaires; and started a...
.
Zaslow was also the godfather of film and television actor Christian Slater
Christian Slater
Christian Michael Leonard Slater is an American actor. He made his film debut with a small role in The Postman Always Rings Twice before playing a leading role in the 1985 film The Legend of Billie Jean...
.
However, it was for his work as Roger Thorpe on "Guiding Light" that Zaslow was always best known. One of the show's central villains of the 1970s, his first onscreen "death" was voted the top scene in the show's history when the series celebrated its 50th anniversary. In the late 1980s, he returned to the show and again became a central figure. Zaslow received multiple Daytime Emmy nominations (and one win) for his work in the role and continually appeared on both critics' and fans' lists of favorite soap performers.
In 1997, he began to experience difficulty speaking. When it became noticeable on screen, he was placed on leave at 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...
. (There are conflicting stories as to whether Zaslow was then fired; there was for some time a legal action against Guiding Light and sponsor Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, which eventually was settled.) It was some time before Zaslow was finally diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
(ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. Zaslow did not return to GL and his role was briefly recast before being written off. (In 2004, Zaslow's character on GL died off-screen.)
Zaslow was hired at One Life to Live in 1998 to play David Renaldi again; his condition was written into the storyline. Zaslow made several appearances before he was too ill to continue working; his final appearance on One Life to Live was televised December 1, 1998, days before his death. His character was never killed off the soap, which went through a series of writers over a two-year period, none of whom chose to deal with David's illness and Zaslow's death.
His widow, psychologist/writer Susan Hufford founded ZazAngels, a foundation that wishes to raise funds in order to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease. Several of his 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...
and One Life to Live
One 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...
castmates, along with many Broadway-based theater luminaries, have participated in tributes to Zaslow that were fundraisers for ZazAngels.
In 2004, Zaslow and Hufford's daughter Helena died. Hufford released a book about Zaslow and his fight with ALS, titled Not That Man Anymore. Zaslow had begun writing the book several years earlier.
In 2006, Zaslow's widow Susan Hufford died from cancer.