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My Favorite Actor
We liked each other instantly, and that was that. Terry wasn’t planning on having kids at that point in his life, and once we were united, I became the closest thing to a son that he would ever have. Sounds like a big card to fill, but taking it one step at a time made it seem like a lesser obligation.
We saw each other every weekend for almost two years, until I moved to the opposite coast, which naturally cut way down on our ability to see one another. But over the next twenty-something years, we remained very bonded, even when we weren’t in frequent contact. Despite distance or differences in taste, background or politics, we always respected each other very highly.
As I said, Terry was so full of talent, it was impossible not to be impressed, at the very least. He was also very striking, often revered as one of the best-looking men in the world. His looks, talent and superior intellect were quite a package, and he had certainly learned how to hone all that into a marketable commodity that everyone wanted a piece of. Terry’s parties were overflowing with fame, talent and accolade-laden people, and his shelves were lined with awards celebrating all the many things he had to offer to the world.
He lived in the Hollywood Hills, which was alive with both the whispers and the roars of fame. Under the shadow of the Hollywood sign, he found his playground, and stayed long enough to become a native son. Indeed, he knew more about local lore than anyone.
When we met, he was just starting on his biggest show, "The Young & The Restless", which remains his hallmark. After trying to get Terry to fill a vacancy for a long time, the show eventually decided to create a new role for him, the one that would make him the biggest star on the biggest show in daytime tv, that of Jack Abbott. Through that role and subsequent roles on "Santa Barbara" and "As The World Turns", he would garner more award nominations than anyone not named Susan Lucci. And like Lucci, he became known as a consistent near-miss, never quite winning the Best Actor Emmy.
This happened to coincide with Terry’s biggest lesson to me: don’t settle for less than you deserve, or rather, demand what you’re worth. Terry had been outspoken against the Academy for being a pat-on-the-back institution, and it cost him. The same integrity cost him his job on "Y&R", where clashes with the producers sent him off to the friendlier landscape of "Santa Barbara". When that show was cancelled, he took time off before relocating to New York City’s "As The World Turns", where his close friend Douglas Marland was the head writer. With Marland’s death a year later, Terry found his role diminished, and once again, chose integrity over paycheck, and left the show.
There aren’t a lot of people in this world that could walk away from that kind of paycheck, or the resplendent lure of the limelight, but Terry did it, again and again; he always proved to himself and those who knew him that his morality was most important. More than anyone I’ve known, he always did things his way, win or lose.
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This month's Get Personal List
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| Who is your favorite (type of) Exhibitionist? |
Jesse:
I've only seen archival footage, but Satchel Paige was The Man. He pitched originally in the Negro Leagues, and became the first black pitching star in the major leagues.
Paige was so good, he would do things like pitching the bases loaded, just so he could strike out the side. Perhaps a bit too much of a showman, but the idea of anyone dominating like that -- let alone a minority in that era -- is worth some flair.
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