{"id":427213,"date":"2024-12-02T12:54:29","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T12:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=427213"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Wayne-Northrop-Dynasty-Days-of-Our-Lives-Star-Dies-at-77","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Wayne-Northrop-Dynasty-Days-of-Our-Lives-Star-Dies-at-77\/","title":{"rendered":"Wayne Northrop, \u2018Dynasty\u2019 & \u2018Days of Our Lives\u2019 Star, Dies at 77"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wayne Northrop<\/a>, a star of soap operas of daytime and primetime, has died at age 77.<\/p>\n

The Dynasty<\/a><\/em> and Days of Our Lives<\/a><\/em> actor died on Friday, November 29, at a Motion Picture and Television home in Woodland Hills, California, according to publicist Cynthia Snyder.<\/p>\n

General Hospital<\/a><\/em> star Lynn Herring<\/a>, Northrop\u2019s wife since 1981, said in a statement that her husband was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer\u2019s disease six years ago. \u201cHe took his last breath in the arms of his family,\u201d Herring added. \u201cWe wish to thank the most caring and amazing place, The Motion Picture and Television Home, for taking such great care of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born on April 12, 1947, and raised in the small town of Sumner, Washington, Northrop earned a B.A. in communications from the University of Washington. Then he took acting classes at Seattle Community College \u2014 having only acted in his high school\u2019s senior class revue by that point \u2014 and linked up with the newly-formed Los Angeles Actors\u2019 Theatre. He soon booked his first television role, a small part in an episode of Police Story<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

After one-off appearances in Eight Is Enough<\/a><\/em>, Baretta<\/a><\/em>, The Waltons<\/a><\/em>, Northrop landed the part of chauffeur Michael Culhane on Dynasty<\/em>, playing the part in nearly three dozen episodes across the primetime ABC<\/a> soap\u2019s first and seventh seasons.<\/p>\n

And in 1981, Northrop joined Days of Our Lives<\/em>, originating the part of Roman Brady. He played that role until 1984 and again from 1991 to 1994. He returned to the NBC<\/a> daytime drama in 2005 in the role of Alex North.<\/p>\n

\"Deidre<\/p>\n

TV Guide\/Courtesy: Everett Collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In his role as Roman on Days<\/em>, Northrop frequently shared the screen with Deidre Hall<\/a> (Marlena Evans), who sang his praises in a 2018 Soap Opera Digest<\/em> interview<\/a>. \u201cWayne was always surprising and outrageous, onstage as well as off,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were also social friends, so I have had the pleasure of watching him hurl a 30-pound bale of hay [and] carry a frightened calf up a very steep hill. He\u2019s also very good at my passion, jigsaw puzzles. I have been close to Wayne and Lynn for as long as I can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between his two Days<\/em> parts, Northrop joined the General Hospital<\/em> spinoff Port Charles<\/a><\/em> in 1997, playing Rex Stanton on that ABC soap. His other TV credits include starring roles in the TV movies Guts and Glory: The Bill Johnson Story<\/em> and You Are the Jury: The State of Arizona vs. Dr. Evan Blake<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Northrop and Herring spent 35 years running a cattle ranch in Raymond, California together, and in 2008, they purchased the town\u2019s oldest house and turned it into a working museum. He was also committed to wildlife and conservation causes and ran his ranch accordingly, Snyder said in an obit for the actor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWayne touched so many people with his sense of humor and wit,\u201d Herring said in her statement. \u201cA husband for 43 years, the best dad ever to his two boys, Hank and Grady, and a rancher who loved his cows and was a friend to many.\u201d<\/p>\n

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