Actor Michael Zaslow playing croquet his adopted daughter Marika outside their home in Roxbury, Connecticut. Susan and her daughters sat in the seats in front of me. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. His first Trek role, Darnell, was the first death ever seen on Star Trek. 2023 SheMedia, LLC. Movies. . 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. GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers: Michael and Willows Wedding Explodes! Brad's Circle of Friends is a place to come and talk about Bradley Cole. "Michael always said he didn't want ALS to get him," she recalls. The fate of David Renaldi, onetime concert pianist living with ALS, has yet to be determined. While David was, like Michael Zaslow, unable to speak naturally, a voice machine enunciated David's dialogue -- and Zaslow's face and expressive eyes did the rest. With industry friends, they formed ZazAngels (www.zazangels.com), which operates under the Greater New York Chapter of the ALS Association to find "A Cure by 2000" (Zaslow ignored cautions that his motto might prove unrealistic) and to raise awareness. Sadly, in 1997 the actor was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, and passed away in December 1998. Bea Reardon and her daughter Nola Reardon were introduced in January 1980 while Roger Thorpe was on the run and trying to kidnap his daughter. SOAP ROLES: Alan Spaulding, GUIDING LIGHT (1977-1984, 1986-1988); Philip Todd, DARK SHADOWS (1969-1970 . Helena Hufford Zaslow. But Zaslow, who'd sought union arbitration and eventually negotiated a settlement with P&G, had more immediate concerns. One of his daughters died after he did but I can't remember the circumstances now. "What was groundbreaking was, he had a disease no one has ever survived, and it's progressive," Torchin observes. When it became noticeable on screen, he was placed on leave at Guiding Light. (What he actually said was "Dead, Jim".) These include the original run of the musical Fiddler on the Roof and a revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It was while working on Fiddler on the Roof that Zaslow met Susan Hufford, whom he would marry in 1975. Dont Miss a Very Special GUIDING LIGHT Watch Party! Hufford authored more than 20 books and also was a practicing psychotherapist with a private clinical practice in Manhattan, New York. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. In 2005, Susan published Not That Man Anymore: A Message from Michael, written by Zaslow and Hufford, which chronicles Michael's year-long battle with ALS. [2] Several of Zaslow's Guiding Light and One Life to Live castmates, along with many Broadway-based theater luminaries, have participated in tributes that were fundraisers for ZazAngels. Michael Zaslow is 80 years, 4 months and 27 days old. In 1997, while working on Guiding Light, Zaslow began to have difficulty speaking, which interfered with his performance. He was married twice, to Joanne Dorian and Susan Hufford, by whom he had two daughters, Helena and Marika. Zaslow also appeared in other television shows, including Law & Order. Her entire family goneI feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to support Michael, Susan, Marika and Helena at the softball game at Yankee Stadium on Sept 12, 1998. Who knew all this sadness would swallow them less than 8 years after Michael's passing? The ALS Association is profoundly saddened by the passing of Helena HuffordZaslow, daughter of ALSA National Trustee Susan Hufford and the late Emmy award-winning actor Michael Zaslow and sister . Though Zaslow acted off-Broadway and on (he and his actress wife met in the original production of "Fiddler on the Roof") and appeared in movies and prime-time series, he'll probably always be remembered as Roger Thorpe, the scourge of fictional Springfield, a role he left and returned to several times over more than two decades. He died on December 6, 1998 in New York City, succumbing to amyotrophic lateral . "They can think, they have a sense of humor, they can still be winners." He was married twice, to Joanne Dorian and Susan Hufford, by whom he had two daughters, Helena and Marika. His final appearance on One Life to Live was televised December 1. He was always in there fighting. Zaslow also took up the cause of clean water in upstate New York and was so staunchly anti-smoking that we still pity the fool who might elect to light a cigarette around him. She's "out there" somewhere, according to B&B boss Brad Bell. Edit. ROXBURY, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 01: Actor Michael Zaslow playing croquet his adopted daughter Marika, 11, as wife Susan Hufford and their other adopted daughter Helena, 14, look on outside their home in Roxbury, Connecticut. All Rights Reserved, Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google. Ms. Hufford-Zaslow embraced the fight. "It was horrible." The Locher Room is hosting a very special tribute to the late Michael Zaslow on Friday, March 19, at 4 p.m. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? A Houston specialist finally diagnosed ALS in 1997 and, Hufford says, "I couldn't tell you if it was worse before we knew, or afterwards." Met his second wife and widow, actress turned physical therapist Susan "We were outraged," says Teresa Brown, a fervent fan and an assistant attorney general in West Virginia who helped design a protesting Web page. Catch up With AS THE WORLD TURNS Alum Hayley Barr Sparks. Posted Friday, December 01, 2006 11:56:01 AM. Their daughter, Helena Hufford-Zaslow, died 28 December 2004 in Connecticut at age 19, only days after completing her first semester at Wellesley College. They had two daughters, Marika and Helena. Cancelled Daytime Drama Had to Endure Salt Being Rubbed in Its Wound: Only the Special Soaps Are Going to Survive Plus, a Photo-Filled Review of the Shows Epic History, Remembering Beloved Soap Opera Actors Who Passed Away in 2022 [PHOTOS], After Disclosing His Cancer Diagnosis, Young & Restless' Eric Braeden Reveals 'What's On My Mind'. B&B welcomes Vincent Irizarry back as Dr. Jordan Armstrong. She helped raise more than $1 million to find a cure for the disease. Michael Zaslow, an Emmy Award-winning soap opera star who portrayed a man with Lou Gehrig's disease on "One Life to Live" after being stricken with the illness in real life, died of the disease . In 2004, Zaslow and Hufford's daughter Helena died. "So I say, it didn't." - IMDb Mini Biography By: Marilyn Telowitz. As president of Michael Zaslow's ZazAngels, Susan worked tirelessly to raise awareness and funds for ALS. 6 but was the first to be broadcast. Posted Friday, December 01, 2006 11:56:01 AM, Heartbroken Emmy nominee withdraws their nomination from contention after "huge misunderstanding". You were looking for a crack in the floor that might be big enough for you to crawl into. Suggest an edit or add missing content. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in political science from UCLA. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Catch up With GUIDING LIGHT Star David Andrew Macdonald. Michael Zaslow, Emmy Award-winning actor who played victim of Lou Gehrig's disease on soap opera One Life to Live and who struggled with illness in real life, dies at age 54; photo (S) RANK: 19. But the show will go on, although subtly changed. This is just amazing news. He had suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for some time before his passing. The disease strikes about 5,000 Americans annually -- roughly equal to the number of cases of multiple sclerosis -- and the probable life expectancy is two to five years. His first Trek role, Darnell, was the first death ever seen on Star Trek. His final episode aired on 1 December 1998, just five days before Zaslow succumbed to his disease. (Reuploaded) This tribute to Michael Zaslow (Roger, Guiding Light) took place at the 1999 Soap Opera Digest Awards where Brynn Thayer and Robin Strasser pres. To his credit, the on-screen heavy used his influence for good. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Gregorio T. Binuya/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Jill Johnson/JPI, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Howard Wise/JPI, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, George De Sota/JPI, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Paramount Network, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Derek Storm/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Image: Kristin Callahan/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Arlene Ritchie/JPI, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, ABC, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Jennifer Graylock/JPI, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Steve Mack/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, J. Graylock/JPI, Image: CBS/Courtesy of the Everett Collection, John P. Iblis/JPI. Funeral services will be held Friday. Michael Zaslow will celebrate 81st birthday on a Wednesday 1st of November 2023. Self: The 15th Annual Soap Opera Digest Awards. "I started getting e-mails and letters from fans, asking if I knew what was wrong," Torchin says. He was 54. It was nice seeing Michael in person and I was surprised that he was a good singer. In 1997, Michael was diagnosed with ALS. His first was the 1977 romantic drama You Light Up My Life, in which he had a lead role. Young & Restless' Phyllis Rips Apart an Entire Community With Her Latest Stunt, Young & Restless Powder Keg: Sallys Revelation and Request Will Test Nick Like Never Before. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Michael Zaslow, 54, Soap Actor; Publicized Lou Gehrig's Disease", "Wife of GL Star Loses Fight With Cancer", Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Zaslow&oldid=1140180865, Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series winners, Neurological disease deaths in New York (state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from March 2013, All articles needing additional references, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 21:22. "The weeks he wasn't working were when he got depressed." Thanks for the information on the death of Michael's daughter. Zaslow, friends say, managed to resist despair and inertia in the face of such news. Zalsow received numerous Daytime Emmy nominations for his work on GL, taking home the gold for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1994. I only had one occasion to interview Michael Zaslow in my career as a soap journalist, in the mid-1990s. Caring for an increasingly disabled person drains families both emotionally and financially. When he died on December 6, 1998, at age 56, it wasn't entirely a shock. After being diagnosed with the ALS, Zaslow helped form ZazAngels, which raises funds and awareness to fight the disease. Hufford founded ZazAngels, a foundation that seeks to raise funds in order to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease. He played Dick Hart on the CBS soap opera Search for Tomorrow and Dr. Peter Chernak on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing. It was some time before Zaslow was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease (it was first thought he had suffered a stroke[1]). Zaslow had been spending hours in intensive physical therapy; his family thought he was regaining some strength. Before making a career change, she was an actress in regional theater in addition to her Broadway career. Dumped from the drama when his speech began to falter, he landed a job on ABC's "One Life to Live" playing a character with ALS; he and his daytime co-stars filmed public service announcements, held fund-raisers, buttonholed legislators. Ever since his diagnosis in 1997, Zaslow -- an Emmy winner as the despicable yet dashing villain of "Guiding Light" -- had determinedly exploited his daytime-TV celebrity. Carlita, you were very lucky to have seen Michael in person! Zaslow is perhaps best known for playing the villainous Roger Thorpe on the CBS soap Guiding Light for nearly twenty years, first from 1971 through 1980 and again from 1989 through 1997. Circle next Friday, March 19th at 4 p.m/EST and 1 p.m./PST for a special tribute episode to Michael Zaslow (Ex-Roger) of . After gasping, Im so relieved, because his daughters wouldnt have to write another consolation note for his dressing-room wall, he thanked his wife, Susan Hufford, whod made all the good things possible in my life since I met her, And I tell you that not only because its true, he hastened to add, but because she told me to tell you, because she said thats what [repeat victors] David Canary (Adam/Stuart, All My Children) and Peter Bergman (Jack, The Young and the Restless) always say.. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. (I didnt find one, by the way.). In addition to his film and television roles, Zaslow has performed on stage, including a number of Broadway productions. Roger Thorpe was played by the late actor, Michael Zaslow.