Stuart Damon

Stuart Damon(bornStuart Michael Zonis; February 5, 1937 – June 29, 2021) was an American actor and singer. He was best known for his 30-year portrayal of Dr.Alan Quartermaineon the American soap operaGeneral Hospital, for which he won anEmmy Awardin 1999. Outside the United States, he was known for the role of Craig Stirling inThe Champions.
Damon was born inBrooklyn, New York, the son of Marvin Leonard Zonis, who was a manufacturer, and his wife, Eva (Sherer) Zonis.Damon's parents wereRussian Jewishimmigrants who made their home in America after fleeing theBolshevik Revolution.
After a series of roles on Broadway, Damon's appearance as the Prince in the 1965 version ofRodgers and Hammerstein'sCinderellastarringLesley Ann Warrenhelped pave the way to a long career in television soap opera. That same year, he had a prominent featured role in the Broadway musicalDo I Hear a Waltz?written byRichard Rodgers(music) andStephen Sondheim(lyrics). He had earlier appeared in an Off-Broadway revival ofThe Boys From Syracusewith music by Rodgers and lyrics byLorenz Hart. Damon is prominently featured on the cast albums of these musicals, as well as the hitIrma La Douce(1960).
Moving to Great Britain, Damon starred in the hit West End musicalCharlie GirlwithAnna Neaglein 1965,and was selected to appear as American secret agent Craig Stirling, alongside British actorsAlexandra BastedoandWilliam Gaunt, in theITCseriesThe Champions.He also appeared withRoger Moorein an episode ofThe Saintwhich has been credited as the inspiration for the later seriesThe Persuaders!, with Damon's role being played byTony Curtis. In 1968, he appeared in theBBCTV adaptation ofThe £1,000,000 Bank Noteand played Henry Adams in the starring role. Damon also played magicianHarry Houdiniin a lavishly staged London musical,Man of Magic.In 1970 Damon released an LP calledStuart 'Champion' Damonrecorded on Reflection records REF L7 which failed to chart.
In the 1970s, he was cast alongsideGene BarryandCatherine Schellfor the seriesThe Adventurer, appearing briefly in two episodes. Damon later spoke candidly about the fact that Barry did not want him in the series because of his height:at over six feet, he towered over the shorter Barry. After acting roles in several other British television series, includingThriller,The New Avengers,The Main Chanceand children's seriesThe Adventures of Black Beautywhere he played a hypnotist, he returned to the United States.
In September 1974, he appeared as a solo singer in an episode of the UK TV variety programmeThe Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club. The Champions theme tune was used as his walk-on music.
In 1977, he began his best known American role, as Dr. Alan Quartermaine Sr. onGeneral Hospital. He also repeated the role on the short-livedGHspin-offPort Charles(1997–2003). In 1999, Damon won the Best Supporting Actor Emmy, for his portrayal of Alan, a physician addicted to thepainkillerhydrocodone. In 2005, Damon was reunited with Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt for the first time in almost 40 years, to provide audio commentary on a DVD release ofThe Champions. In December 2006, it was reported that Damon had been fired fromGeneral Hospitaland his last air date was scheduled for February 26, 2007, when his character died. The reason behind his release was not made public.The taping of the final scene occurred on February 5, coincidentally Damon's 70th birthday.Fellow actors onGeneral Hospitalspoke to the press about how upset they were over Damon's firing, with Damon's on-show wife, played byLeslie Charleson, saying, "This is the 30th anniversary for the two of us, in August. The timing leaves me very discouraged about the way soaps are going, the total disregard for history and the blatant disregard for the veterans."
Despite the death of the character, Damon had remained on the show, playing the ghost of Alan Quartermaine, haunting his sisterTracyabout forging Alan's will. He remained with the show until December 23, 2008, when Alan appeared to Monica on Christmas to tell her that he loved her. On September 18, 2009, Damon began appearing onAs the World Turnsas Janet and Teri Ciccone's "Uncle" Ralph Manzo, a businessman most likely involved with themob. He left the series on October 30, 2009, but returned August 23–25, 2010. From March 19–25, 2010, Damon played the role of Governor Jim Ford onDays of Our Lives.
Damon returned toGeneral Hospitalfor two episodes (August 26, 2011, and August 29, 2011), in which Alan appears in a fantasy sequence of Monica's. He returned again in November 2012 as a ghost when son AJ was announced to be alive, after son Jason's disappearance. He appeared, along with Rick Webber (Chris Robinson) and Emily Quartermaine (Natalia Livingston), as a hallucination shared by Tracy and Monica, for the show's 50th anniversary episode, which aired on April 2, 2013.
Damon married Deirdre Ann Ottewill, a former actress, singer, and dancer on March 12, 1961. They had two children, Christopher and Jennifer Zonis.
Stuart Damon died ofkidney failureon June 29, 2021, aged 84, at theMotion Picture & Television Fundretirement community inWoodland Hills, Los Angeles, where he had lived for seven years. Deirdre Ottewill Damon died on December 25, 2019, from Alzheimer's disease.