Michael Zaslow
He is most remembered 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. He also played David Renaldi on ABC's One Life to Live, from 1983 to 1986. He was generally regarded as one of the best actors to star in a daytime drama.
When he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, he left Guiding Light, with speculation abounding in the press that executives at Procter & Gamble; had, in fact, pushed for his sacking (he had lost the ability to speak clearly, which the sponsor did not like). This became more evident, and eventually proven, when he returned to his old role at One Life to Live, which he played until shortly before his death.
Zaslow has been featured on a number of television shows and soap operas, including Law & Order;, Star Trek (where he was the first starship Enterprise crewmember to be killed off in the series' September 8, 1966 premiere "The Man Trap," an episode which featured Dr. McCoy's legendary line, "He's dead, Jim."), Search for Tomorrow, and Love is a Many Splendored Thing.
His widow and two adopted daughters founded ZazAngels, a foundation that wishes to raise funds in order to find a cure for Lou Gehrig's disease.
External links
