# Rick Hearst

Rick Hearst (born January 4, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for roles on Days of Our Lives as Scott "Scotty" Banning II, Guiding Light as Alan-Michael Spaulding, The Young and the Restless as Matt Clark, The Bold and the Beautiful as Whipple "Whip" Jones III, and General Hospital as Ric Lansing.

## Career

His first film was Brain Damage, directed by Frank Henenlotter. He has appeared in Days of Our Lives (1989–1990) as Scott "Scotty" Banning II, Guiding Light (1990–1996) as Alan-Michael Spaulding and The Young and the Restless (2000–2001) as Matt Clark. In January 2002, it was announced Hearst had joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful as Whip Jones; he made his first appearance on February 13 of the same year. In October of the same year, reports announced Hearst's exit from the role; that same month, it was announced Hearst was cast as Ric Lansing on ABC's General Hospital, making his first appearance on November 8, 2002. In November 2005, he signed on for three additional years in the role. In July 2008, following online speculation of his impending exit, Hearst assured fans it was his intention to continue his work in the role; two months later, Hearst re-signed with the serial again to remain in the role "for the foreseeable future". In April 2009, Hearst was demoted to recurring status; he remained in the role until the following month, when it was announced he would return to The Bold and the Beautiful. In May 2011, Hearst was dropped to recurring status and made his final appearance in the role June 17.
In January 2014, it was announced Hearst would reprise the role of Ric on General Hospital, returning during the February 24 episode. He exited the role in 2016. Following his exit, Hearst made episodic appearances on primetime soaps, such as Dynasty in 2018 and Ambitions in 2019.
In July 2024, it was announced Hearst would again reprise the role of Ric on General Hospital. His first day back on-set is July 29, with Ric's return airing on August 22, 2024.
Hearst also had a recurring guest-star role on Beverly Hills, 90210, and has guest-starred on other TV series such as Jenny and Pacific Blue. In 2000, he starred as "Rocky" in the theater production of Aven'U Boys with Danica McKellar.
Hearst has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award seven times, winning for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" in 2004 and 2007 for his General Hospital role, after previously winning "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" for Guiding Light in 1991. He has also been nominated for four Soap Opera Digest Awards, winning "Outstanding Villain" for The Young and the Restless in 2001. In 2005, Hearst filmed the lead role in Carpool Guy, directed by Corbin Bernsen. As of 2012, Hearst holds the distinction of being the only living actor to have appeared on all four remaining soap operas.

## Personal life

Hearst has been married to wife Donna Smoot since 1990. They share two sons, born in 1992 and 1995, respectively.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1988 | Brain Damage | Brian | |
| 1989 | Crossing the Line | Rick Kagan | |
| 1989 | Days of Our Lives | Scott "Scotty" Banning II #3 | 1989–90 |
| 1990 | Guiding Light | Alan-Michael Spaulding #2 | 1990–96 |
| 1997 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Alan Black | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | Alright Already | Frame Designer | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Jenny | Zak | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Maggie Winters | Lance Rubacky | |
| 1998 | Pacific Blue | Frank Kovac | 2 episodes; 1998-90 |
| 2000 | Charmed | Troxa | 1 episode |
| 2001 | The Young and the Restless | Matt Clark | 2000-01 |
| 2001 | Dead Sexy | Bellhop | as Richard Hearst |
| 2002 | General Hospital | Ric Lansing | 2002–09; 2014–16 |
| 2002 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Whipple "Whip" Jones III | 2002; 2009–11 |
| 2003 | SoapTalk | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2003 | The View | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2003 | Pyramid | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2004 | 1 Day with... | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2004 | The Oprah Winfrey Show | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2004 | The Wayne Brady Show | Himself | Guest appearance |
| 2004 | The 31st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards | Himself | |
| 2005 | The 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards | Himself | Presenter |
| 2005 | Carpool Guy | Joel | |
| 2010 | Castle | Dr. Elliot Lefcourt | 308: Murder Most Fowl |
| 2017 | Daytime Divas | Ted Windsor | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Dynasty | Senator Paul Daniels | Guest appearance |