Yes. There are some people who are born to play Soap Characters. IE Eric Braeden as Victor Newman is a Prime Example. In the UK there were two College Students who auditioned for a New Character on a Soap Opera called Emmerdale. The Actress who won the Part Emma Atkins is a Soap Legend while Suranne Jones made a name on another UK Soap Coronation Street. Suranne would also narrarate a Documentary called "I'm In A Girl Group".
Right On! Dennis Parlato did his best but he wasn't Michael Zaslow. In the UK there was an Actress named Daniella Westbrook who played Samantha "Sam" Mitchell on EastEnders. She at one point was the biggest Young Actress on UK Soaps but she had so many problems. Drugs, Alcohol, Rape, and she had to leave. Another Actress named Kim Medcalfe played her and tried as she might she was no Daniella Westbrook.
What made Michael Zaslow so amazing as a Villian was the fact that he always managed to gain sympathy from the viewers because all he wants is to be accepted, and I think we can all identify with that. Before there was Stefano DiMera on Days Of Our Lives, or even Victor Newman on The Young & The Restless, there was Roger Thorpe.
Here's a fun fact. Peggy Fletcher was played by Fran Myers and in the UK Series Bad Girls The Warden's name was Fran Myers. What made Roger Thorpe so amazing was that he was the only Soap Villian whom you could feel sorry for. He grew up with so little, worked so hard for his, didn't have an Ivy League Education nor a Silver Spoon in his Mouth but he could hold his own.
God, Zaslow was so glamourous and dashing. What a marvellous run he had as Roger. I'm praying that Maureen Garrett joins Crystal Chappell's enticing Venice internet series... i miss Mmaureen's grace, wit and fire.
One of the things I love about this DVD is the fact that even if you don't know anything about the man, he explains who he is and why he does what he does and gives a brief but sufficient summary of his life.
Here is what angers me: when Michael was starting to have syptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Proctor and Gambel let him go and wouldn't let his character deal with the same disease because it wasn't sexy or attractive for a villian. So he had a beautiful farwell on OLTL where he acted after leaving GL in the eighties. It pained me to know that GL producers & Proctor and Gamble robbed him of saying a proper goodbye. His stint on OLTL was brief. He would always be remembered on GL. Shame.
Proctor & Gamble have always done their Actors dirty. Discriminating against Older Actors and Black Actors who had so many storylines to show. They fired Maeve Kinkead (Ex-Vanessa) because she wouldn't die her hair when it became gray.
I never heard of Michael Zaslow until he was on One Life To Live in 1998, but I heard he was a powerful actor playing the role of the evil Roger Thorpe and he was amazing and outstanding during the years. He will never be forgotten. He will forever be the best.
You know, looking back, you really saw what "damaged" goods Holly & Roger were "Emotionally". Neither had a good relationship with their parent, Roger's Mother died, so he may have felt "abandoned", and Holly never could win over her father Stanley Norris. Sadly enough, Blake would suffer the scars of their marriage for years and it took her a long time to realize that although she was their child, she didn't have to make the same mistakes because she was their child.
You know if P & G were smart, they would take a page from the UK Soaps and do some DVD Specials about the people and the characters they play. Coronation St., did that and repackaged some Old School Episodes and they are fantastic.
You know what would have been cool. If they took a page from the UK and did a special called "Back To Ours" where Cast Members sit in a Living Room, go down memory lane and just talk about their characters, favorite scenes and stories that fans may not have known about.
Holly was without a doubt the "Love" of Roger's Life and vice versa. Here's a Fun Fact. Peggy Fletcher was played by Fran Myers and on the UK Drama Bad Girls About Women IN Prison, there was a character named Fran Myers. Michael Zaslow was on Star Trek and in the UK a lot of Soap Stars have done Dr. Who, either as a Member or The Assistant including Jenna Louise Coleman who before doing Victoria was on A UK Soap Emmerdale from 2005-2009.
@TIPTON340 'We need him to be fun and dynamic and sexy, not a wizened, little old man..." That's what SOMEONE at CBS Daytime, was quoted as saying BEFORE the concrete diagnosis of ALS was publicized. Even before his illness was confirmed (he was on leave and was still undergoing testing), I thought that was a cruel thing to say, so once it was known just how sick he was… I wonder if the ‘lady’ who said that was fired.
Yes. When they paid homage to him at The Soap Opera Digest Awards alot of Actors stood in respect for him. From David Canary (Ex Adam Stuart Chandler All My Children) (RIP) and Eric Braeden (Victor Newman The Young & The Restless). Even Shemar Moore (Ex Malcolm The Young & The Restless) stood with respect although he was still the new kid in town. I wish they had done a profile about this complicated relationship with his Father Adam Thorpe and not having his Mother and how it affected him. Same with Alan Spaulding. I told UK Soap Fans what they did to him and they were appalled. Another amazing Soap Villian from the UK was the Late Leslie Grantham who played Dennis Watts aka Dirty Den Watts who got his Daughter's Best Friend Pregnant on Eastenders. Another brilliant Actor was Larry Lamb who only played Archie Mitchell on Eastenders for One Year but created alot of havoc. Threatening his Daughter Veronica aka Ronnie or Raping a Young Lady named Stacey Slater or kicking his Young Girlfriend Janine Butcher to the Curb on Xmas Day. Yet Larry was also a very sweet guy in real life doing a Sitcom called Gavin & Stacey and even did The UK Series "I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!" that Caitlyn Jenner recently did. Roger should have gone to Albert Square they have some of the most miserable Xmases on A UK Soap.
This was sold in the 1990's through CBS along with Reva: The Scandal Years. I would have loved for Michael to talk about his Career in Soaps the other work he did on other P & G Shows, most notably Search For Tomorrow where he played Dr. Dick Hart. He also was on Love Of Life the same show that the late Christopher Reeves started out on. I also would have loved for him to talk about wht it was like working with "Both" Hollys. Lynn Deerfield Holly #1 and Maureen Garrett #2.
Remember the Xmas Special around 1996 and he and Dinah #3 played by Wendy Moniz were together and she kissed him and he had this disgusted look on his face. He wanted to be at The Bauers and most of all with Holly, Blake and even Ross. All he thought of on Xmas Day that year was Holly.
@themirrorsofmymind I hope she was...what a shame that they did this to him...but karma. I loved GL but it tanked...Roger made the show very interesting and Michael's firing shows that. But look at OLTL...it is still going. I do not think that it is necessarily b/c of Michael, but how interesting that the show that stabbed him in the back (not his co-stars, but the producers and such) is no longer on the air and the show that welcomed him back is still going. Just saying...
here are Two Soap Actors who were alot like Michael Zaslow. There's Larry Lamb who played the Villainous Archie Mitchell on Eastenders who terrorized his whole Family. He blackmailed a Town Resident, he kicked his Girlfriend out on Xmas Day and kicked his estranged Family out on Xmas Day where they lost their Pub but their House at the same time. He was also on th eSitcom Gavin & Stacey before James Corden came to the UK and he was such a "Sweet" Guy, he was also on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! that also had US Celebrities like Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke The Bold & The Beautiful), Jimmy Osmond (before his Stroke), and most recently Catilyn Jenner.. Another one was the late Leslie Grantham who played Dirty "Den" Watts who got a Teenage Girl Pregnant, threw Divorce Papers at his Wife on Xmas Day, B Slapped her, and got into his share of fights. His relationship with his Wife Angie made Holly & Roger look like Carol & Mike Brady.
If you want to see another SOB, type in Bad Girls and see the work of Jim Fenner, the head Male Prison Guard at Larkhall, a Women's Prison. He could give Roger a run for his money in dealing with people.
Peggy Fletcher thorpe was played by Fran Myers and here's another fun fact. On the UK Series Bad Girls about Women In Prison there was a Wing Governor (Warden) named Fran Myers.
I know but P & G wouldn't allow it due to some Copyright Issues. I would like to see an Updated Version of The Lewises, Spauldings, and even The Love Story Of Danny & Michelle. Do you think that Danny would have persued Michelle if she hadn't killed Mick.
Hey did you guys hear that Fran Myers (Ex-Peggy Fletcher's) Real Life Husband Roger Newman (Ex Ken Norris) recently died of a Heart Attack. Whenever I think of these two I always think of the song "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey.
