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Donnelly Rhodes, Y&R’s Phillip Chancellor II, Passes Away At 80

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/VancouverSun

Sad news to report on the passing of former The Young and the Restless star, Donnelly Rhodes.

The Canadian-born Rhodes, who played the original Phillip Chancellor II from 1974-1975,  and was involved in one of the classic Y&R triangles between his wife, Katherine Chancellor (the late Jeanne Cooper) and Jill Foster (Brenda Dickson), passed away at age 80 from cancer.  Rhodes died  at the Baillie House Hospice in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, according to talent agency Northern Exposure.

After leaving Y&R, when Phillip was “killed-off”, which set the stage for the long, and enduring feud for decades between Katherine and Jill, Rhodes went on to star on the primetime series and spoof, Soap as the dim-witted Dutch.

In Jeanne Cooper’s interview with On-Air On-Soaps back in 2012, when asked about working with Rhodes, she responded:  “He was self-assured, nice and cocky, and a very talented actor.  I spent some time with Donnelly.  I had an affair with him, too. (Laughs)  I always say, don’t do things where you work.”

With a career that included over a 100 film and TV roles some of Donnelly’s other most notable roles included parts on: Battlestar Galactica Report to MurphyHill Street Blues, The Flash, The X-Files, Double Trouble, Canada’s Danger Bay and Da Vinci’s Inquest.

Watch a classic clip from Y&R after the jump when Phillip asks Katherine for a divorce.  Then share your thoughts and condolences on the passing of Donnelly Rhodes in the comment section below.

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I fondly remember the trio of Kay,Phillip and Jill Foster…..the “early years of Y&R”.The Foster’s and Brooks,also Lance Prentice (John McCook..Eric Forester).Written by William J.Bell.

I remember him as a caterer on the Golden Girls! He was of course, had by that show’s “Welcome Wagon”, the one and only Blanche Deveraux!!

YES! That is where I remember him from, The Golden Girls-still love that show!

I loved Donnelly Rhodes. I remember him in so many great and varied roles. Thank you Mr. Rhodes for sharing your wonderful talent with all of us. Rest in peace.

Classic soap! Mr. Rhodes enjoyed a long career, working with some great people. How wonderful we remember this talented man and his role on this iconic drama and ever affecting storyline. It still resonates.

Will never forget the scene when Jill walked into Phillip’s empty hospital room & was told he had died. Many memorable scenes between Katherine, Phillip & Jill. Sympathy to Donnelly’s family.

Oh Debbie, yes! So many wonderful memories of the 1970s years came flooding back with this sad news. I used to watch back then before going to high school classes (we had split schedules). I became a big fan of Jeanne Cooper/Mrs. C in her scenes with Philip and Jill. Mr. Rhodes also gave a sweet, memorable performance in an episode of THE GOLDEN GIRLS opposite wonderful Rue McClanahan in the mid-late 80s. Many condolences to his family.

One of my all-time favorite shows, The Golden Girls! I still watch it, never gets old!

Oh, how I loved Phillip on Y&R. Don’t think I ever forgave Jill, for taking him away from Katherine. I liked D.R on the nighttime SOAP too, with Billy Chrystal, etc.
Is it just me, or did he resemble our own Michael Fair man?

I so remember this watching this with my mom…I so miss these days of Y&R, long dramatic scenes and great drama/story lines…My mom loved Phillip Chancellor…So sad to continue to hear of losing these wonderful people like Donnelly, Jeanne Cooper then Beau Kazer died about a year of so after Jeanne…I loved Y&R from the beginning till 2006…RIP Donnelly, you will be missed and prayers for Donnelly’s family…

He was so handsome.

I know who he portrayed, but never watched him….before my time. But, I do enjoy watching the reruns of the sitcom SOAP, where Rhodes played the part of ex-con Dutch…..
RIP.

Hah….”Soap!” That is where I first encountered Mr. Rhodes, too, CeeCee! I was amazed when I discovered the actor who portrayed the thick ex-con Dutch had also played the late Phillip Chancellor who had been long dead by the time I started watching Y&R in the ‘80’s. At least it put a handsome face to the character when Jill and Katherine went umpteen rounds over her departed husband!

Hey Celia! And @Shay!

Soap was a great show, wasn’t it? Unless I am mistaken, it was the first role for Billy Crystal, too. Katherine Helmond, Richard Mulligan, Robert Guillaume, and Cathryn Damon were also great in it.

Hey, James,
You can catch SOAP on ANTTV—– you need to check your availability, depending upon your location…..
Love the show, and also, BENSON, where, the housekeeper, Olga? sounds just like Dr. O.
That show went to many ‘places’, which was , at the time, as outrageous as Elvis’ swinging hips, I read….LOL.
I think it must have been the first audacious program to dare tackle a gay storyline ( Billy Crystal).

James…oh, yes…Soap was DEFINITELY a great show!!!!! I found it to be TOTALLY LOL HILARIOUS!!!!! Classic example: Remember when that Burt Impostor took the Real Burt’s place??? L-O-L!!!!!

Later, Brother.

Thank you, Celia! I will check it out! 🙂

Liked him on Soap….

Don’t remember just a kid but I thought he was on longer but what a shame the Chancellor Mansion a joke and nobody left to go on with the legacy they screwed up!

Mail Young you are now making a joke out of Alzheimer’s you live supposedly what our family is living thru it is not a joke!!! You can’t let them out if your sight for one second yet Jack and the rest let Dina take taxis whatever no control what a bloody joke shame on you!

Mal excuse me

You are so right, Kay…..this is not a true, fair depiction of a person afflicted with the disease.
I think many people know someone or, of someone in this predicament.
My friend’s grandmother ( in her early eighties) displays very concerning actions—so, yes, these poor, poor souls need twenty-four hour surveillance.
These writers, it seems, have made a joke out of Dina’s illness. I did not find blowing kisses in the courtroom, by Graham and Dina, particularly ‘funny’ or ‘cute’.
Well, now we know….or do we, these two are married?
Timmm has said it. Graham had the trump card all this time? Is that a fake, also? A forgery?
Another ridiculous ‘incident’ was Ashley and Traci going through, possibly, thousands od papers/ documents to find something which would, somehow, discredit Graham. Are we in first grade, here??
In what universe is that humanly possible? Only two people looking for a needle in a haystack.
Let’s take this heartbreaking illness seriously….enough with the courtroom shenanigans…..jester and all.

Sad news, indeed. Each time I read about the death of one of the original cast members, I grieve. I hope he had a very fulfilling life after his works on the aforementioned shows.

Rest in peace, Mr. Rhodes…

The scene is illustrative of the brilliance of both actors. Jeanne Cooper was knocking it out of the park even back in 1975!

Actually, Mr. Rhodes replaced actor John Considine in the role of Phillip Chancellor II.

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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Dominic Zamprogna

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing, during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).

On last week’s episodes of GH, Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door, he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned.

Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC

HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT

Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where Dante and Elizabeth previously, recalling, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, ‘Well, so much for that!'”

Fast-forward to early 2025 and as Zamprogna remembered it, “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said, ‘We’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth,’ My internal monologue is going, ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is … or not.”

Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprogna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric … and a big fan base with with Jason … and you know, you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Dom and Liz

Photo: ABC

DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES

In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is 100% down for. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.”

Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit, The buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other, and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect: Ric, Sonny, Lulu. There’s so much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”

You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.

Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither guy  for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.

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Beyond the Gates

‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

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Mike Manning

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon)  and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.

According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.

Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene,  Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.

WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?

Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”

The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”

MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE

In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.

Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.

So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

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Patrick J. Gibbons

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.

However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.

Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC

FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG

Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!

Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”

MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL

Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).

Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI

PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY

Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”

It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”

A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons

IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS

As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”

He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”

Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.

So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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