Breaking News
‘Ryan’s Hope’ Favorite Michael Levin Dead at 90
The heartbreaking news of the passing of beloved soap opera stars continues. Now comes word that Michael Levin, who played the fiery ace reporter with a heart of gold, Jack Fenelli, on Ryan’s Hope has passed away.
Levin died on January 6th at the age of 90 at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. Michael’s son, Jason Levin told The Hollywood Reporter of his father’s death.
What made Michael so endearing to Ryan’s Hope fans was not only his exceptional performances as Jack, but that he was with the show from the very beginning, and all the way to its end – a total of 13 years. Ryan’s Hope aired on ABC from July of 1975 to its final episode on January 13th, 1989.
According to IMDb. Levin appeared in 1,074 episodes and only Helen Gallagher (ex-Maeve), Bernie Barrow (ex-Johnny) and Nancy Addison (ex-Jillian) appeared more often.
Michael was nominated three years in a row for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series at the Daytime Emmys from 1978-80.
Along with Kate Mulgrew (ex-Mary), Levin was part of Ryan’s Hope first and most prominent and memorable supercouple of Mary and Jack. In a highly-awaited soap wedding back in 1976, Jack and Mary tied the knot on location at St. Benedict the Moor Church on Manhattan’s West Side.
Year later, in the final episode of Ryan’s Hope, Jack remarried Leigh Kirkland played by Felicity LaFortune. In fact, Kate Mulgrew returned for the series finale as the ghost of Mary in a voice-over, speaking to Jack from heaven.
Throughout his career, Levin appeared on two other soap operas, As the World Turns in the role of John Eldridge and All My Children as Dr. Tim Gould. Michael also appeared on the Broadway stage including three plays in 197o’s: Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real with Al Pacino, Sam Shepard’s Operation Sidewinder with Garrett Morris, and Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Woman of Setzuan with Colleen Dewhurst.
Levin is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, sons Jason and Aaron, and grandchildren Veronica and Nico.
Share your remembrances and condolences for one of the finest actors to grace the daytime screens, Michael Levin, via the comment section. But first, check out Mary and Jack’s wedding and the final episode of ‘Ryan’s Hope’ below.
Ironic that I was just watching an episode of Ryan’s Hope that featured his character. Rest-in-peace.
Remembering this very special actor who made us all feel special every time we watched an episode of Ryan’s Hope. I remembered taking a vacation day from work so I could say goodbye to this series final episode. Michael Levin forever in the hearts of his fans. Praying for his family.
Ryan’s Hope was a special daytime drama. I loved that New York City feel. Wonderful, and much credit for that goes to Mr. Levin.
I was not a regular Ryan’s Hope viewer but saw episodes from time to time. I always taught he was great as Jack. He and Kate Mulgrew were unforgettable together. My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
Thank you Mr. Levin for sharing your wonderful talent with all of us. May you rest in peace.
My heart is . I only watch Ryan’s Hope because of Michael Levin. Praying for his family. He will never be forgotten.
Loved his performance on Ryan’s Hope.
I wish you wouldn’t use click bait words like “heartbreaking”, “tragic”, “devastating” etc when an elderly person dies of natural causes. Of course it is sad when anyone passes away, but when a person has led a full and productive life, and now they are at peace, that is not tragic or heartbreaking. Many of these people were suffering or ill for prolonged periods of time. Many times it is a blessing. By all accounts, a person who lives until the age of 90 and then passes away leaving a legacy and a family is a a very heartwarming thing.
I am not trying to diminish anyone’s sadness, or tears. These actors are real people with family and friends who are in mourning. They do not need to be reminded how tragic and sad and heartbreaking the death is. They are living it.
I wish you would write your pieces more like a newspaper obituary. They tend to write their pieces as more a celebration of the person’s life. They remind us of their family members, their life accomplishments, and what they loved. They don’t dwell on the negative, or reinforce heartbreak or misery. Sometimes with the word or stylistic choices you use when an actor passes away, it feels like you want to emotionally force people into focusing on the sadness and death, rather than the positive and the life.
I love your site, and I hope you take this in the spirit it is intended. As viewers, we don’t know these actors personally. We know characters they portrayed, which are fictitious and not real. They entertained us for a time. We have our memories of them, and that is how we will remember them. Thanks for listening.
Janina
What you said was wonderful, thoughtful and true. Being 90 myself, I feel the same way. Why can’t we just be happy they led a good life if that was true and let it be a blessing ,if it wasn’t. Birth and death are facts of life to celebrate and grieve, not all the drama given when it’s over.
He was so solid as Jack on Ryan’s Hope and a darn good actor with charisma and sex appeal.
Breaking News
George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”
March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.
However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture
Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.
Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory, when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”
Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”
The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean, and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”
When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”
The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.
So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.
Breaking News
Robyn Bernard, ‘General Hospital’s’ Terry Brock, Dead at 64
Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.
The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.
Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.
So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.
-
PreviewsMarch 16, 2024
The Young and the Restless Previews: Jordan Still Has a Trick Up Her Sleeve, Ashley’s Troubling Alter, Connor’s OCD
-
General HospitalMarch 9, 2024
Kelly Thiebaud Shares Her Excitement at Former Leading Man, Steve Burton’s ‘General Hospital’ Return
-
NewsMarch 16, 2024
Daytime Talk Shows Hosts, Jennifer Hudson and Sherri Shepherd, Win 2024 NAACP Image Awards
-
General HospitalMarch 15, 2024
While ‘General Hospital’s’ Dante Lays in a Coma; Dominic Zamprogna Has Some Great New Portrait Headshots
-
General HospitalMarch 10, 2024
THIS WEEK on GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Explains Where He Has Been, Sam is Emotional
-
NewsMarch 18, 2024
Clint Howard, Brother of Ron Howard, to Make Guest Appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful