News
OLTL's Daytime Emmy Winning Favorite Al Freeman Jr. Dies!

Photo Credit: Getty Images
One of On-Air On-Soaps most beloved performers in the history of soaps, Al Freeman Jr. has died! For many years, Al played Llanview police Captain Ed Hall on One Life to Live. Freeman played the role from 1972 till 1987. Many long time OLTL fans will remember his on-screen relationship with Ellen Holly (Carla). But what we will always remember is the sweet and amazing friendship that Ed built with the hooker-with-the-heart-of-gold, Karen Wolek played by Judith Light.
Al Freeman was such a subtle performer of such dignity and charisma during his time on One Life. He finally won his long overdue Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in 1979 and was the first African-American to win a Daytime Emmy.
News of Freeman’s death came on Friday from Howard University through this short statement. “It is with tremendous sadness that the passing of our beloved Professor Al Freeman, Jr. is confirmed,” Kim James Bey, chair of the university’s theater department said in a statement. Freeman was a faculty member at the university. Bey gave no details about the death of Freeman, who was 78 and taught acting at the Washington-based university, but said a bigger statement would be issued later.
Freeman Jr., was also widely recognized for his portrayal of Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X, plus countless television, film and theatre projects throughout his enduring career. Now after the jump watch some scenes with Al Freeman Jr as Ed Hall on One Life to Live, and then share your thoughts on his passing with us.
Loved al freeman jr on oltl, as ed hall .great actor
He was a great actor and will be missed by many. I didn’t know he won the First African Ameican Emmy. Also did not know he had been gone from OLTL that long!
I saw Al Freeman, Jr. on OLTL during the brief time that I watched the show. Later, he appeared on an episode of The Cosby Show as Heathcliff’s former track coach(?). When I saw him on The Cosby Show, I immediately associated him with OLTL.
Did not know Mr. Freeman had served as a professor at Howard University, but glad to hear it. Phylicia Rashad who played Clair Huxtable, also taught at Howard University. They had much to talk about if they served at the same time.
My condolences to Mr. Freeman’s family and Howard University.
We were blessed to have him portray Ed Hall! Sad news of his passing. Our stars are so much biger than life. God bless he will RIP at home.
How sad, Ed, Carla, Sadie and the Woleks (all) made OLTL tremendous to watch and I miss them all so much. This news just makes me sad of all we lost over the years on soaps.
He was an awesome, ground breaking actor who gave legitimacy to the genre. His era of One Life was classically indicative of Agnes Nixon’s vision of daytime. This is a huge loss, particularly for the African American acting community.
His portrayal of Elijah Mohammad in Malcolm X was nothing short of brilliant. He will be truly missed.
So sad to hear of Al Freeman Jr.’s passing. Loved his portrayal of Ed Hall on OLTL and the romance/friendship between him and Carla. Ah, memories. OLTL forever!!
RIP Al Freeman Jr.
Seeing those old OLTL clips from ’84 brought back great memories of not only a great daytime soap, but also of a great actor like Al Freeman, Jr. It’s little wonder why he was such a success, not only on this show, but throughout his entire career, too. He always carried himself with such dignity, honor, and class! OLTL was very priveledged to have him as part of their cast! His presence will indeed be missed, but he’ll always be remembered for his great work, especially in “Malcolm X”. RIP, Al, and thank you for giving of yourself as you did, we’ll remember you always!
I’ve never forgotten Ed Hall or the truly great actor who portrayed him. Ed/Al is very much a part of fond OLTL memories. Very sad news.
Great to hear Michael Zaslow’s piano playing again. We’ve lost so many great ones. No one these days compares to them. RIP Al et al.
i remember when he started on oltl – what an awesome actor! my prayers & thoughts are with his family………………………
DITTO!!!!!!!!!
A class act and a beloved character who will always be remembered. May you rest in peace Al Freeman Jr.
RIP… what a great actor, class personified.
Rest In Peace, Dear Wonderful Al!
Freeman was a class act, it seems. I remember him on OLTL as Ed Hall and always wished as the years passed there would be a way to bring him back as Ed with Carla and others. I always loved the NYC-based daytime dramas for they were populated by such amazing talents. OLTL had many of them. Bless you, Al Freeman Jr.! You are remembered well.
I can still hear his voice in my head… he was a great actor on One Life to Live, but his acting career spanned from 1958 to 2004 (see IMDB for the long list). Not only was he the first African -American to win a Daytime Emmy Award, he was also the first African-American to direct a soap opera as he directed several episodes of One Life to Live.
I didn’t know about his teaching career but it seems to fit as he was such a great actor.
He will be greatly missed.
one door closes and another one opens….
today I read about news for 2 former OLTL actors – Al Freeman Jr.’s passing, and a birth of a first child for Brandon Routh (ex-Seth Anderson) and his wife Courtney Ford ( of True Blood), Leo James Routh, born Friday, August 10.
On One Life to Live his character Seth came to Llanview in 2001 with Natalie Balsom and he knew Natalie, not Jessica, was Viki’s true daughter. … back when they didn’t know they were both Viki’s daughters, that is.
You might remember Brandon more as the face of the new Superman in the 2006 movie, Superman Returns.
rememeber those days of OLTL, I watched with mt mom at that time….Ed Hall & Carla Gray marriage on OLTL Oct. of 1973……The Woleks………………….RIP…
When OLTL was in B&W……………………………….
Was a good old soul & will be missed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great actor. Loved his OLTL character and he was in many of my favorite storylines. Especially the Ed and Carla/Clara story.
I can hear his voice right now. Reminds me of just how good OLTL always was & makes me miss it more than ever.
Ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awww, how sad, I didn’t expect to read this. I just check in every now and then, to read the top news, stories, and updates. How sad. I enjoyed watching him on OLTL.
sad News.
sigh…………
He will be greatly missed. And has been missed off screen for a long time. I also remember him fondly from Hot l Baltimore….very funny show and a different side to Mr. Freeman!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

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?”

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

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

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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