Jerry Douglas, 88, who played John Abbott on “The Young and the Restless” for a quarter of a century, died a day before his 89th birthday. He was a lovely man, very kind and friendly. Lauralee Bell, who plays Christine, told Soaps in Depth how supportive he was when she joined the show. With little acting experience and slammed by the press because she is the daughter of “Y&R” head honcho William Bell, he helped the teen cope.
CBS was thrilled when Douglas agreed to play a central character. He had done tons of TV and films. He was a pro. His “Y&R” character was earnest, suave, dapper and the go-to guy for advice. He was a single parent to three children, all who were troubled and scared because their mother deserted them: playboy Jack, unstable Ashley and low self-esteem Traci. He dated and married a lot of women, not because he was a playboy but because he was searching for love to make up for Dina running off. His worst choice was Jill. Jess Walton, who played Jill after the first actress was canned, adored him. It has been a tough year for Walton, whose real life husband died this year.
Knowing Douglas was very ill, Peter Bergman arranged a lunch. A ton of actors attended. Douglas loved holding court. His eyes were twinkling and his smile wide.
So, why was he killed off on “Y&R”? A female writer stepped in. She did not think a man could own a beauty company. Tell that to Revlon, Estee Lauder, etc. Douglas, who had a football scholarship and a degree in economics, loved to sing. He loved to croon a la Frank Sinatra. Most of all, he loved his three children and his second wife, Kym. The one thing he did not love is having to change his name from Gerald Rubenstein. His agent said, “too Jewish.” He and Eric Braeden (Victor) kind of joked about it. He had to change his name from Hans Gudegast — “too German.” Several “Y&R” cast members would like to get together. That is on hold as COVID is peaking in Southern California.
Yes, Ingo Rademacher (Jax on “General Hospital”) is out as Jax. He would not take the COVID vaccine. He also posted an anti-trans view on Instagram. Cassandra Joyce, a transgender actress, plays Terry on “GH.” Rademacher tried to fix it with an Instagram apology but made it worse when he said how beautiful he was and he let his son dress as a princess when the kid was 3. OK. Anyway, he filmed his last show earlier this month. There are two rumors out there: Jax dies or he is recast. “GH” is not confirming anything
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