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PROFILE

Brandon Buddy

ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE

SOAP STAR STATS

Brandon Buddy (Cole, OLTL)

— ABC

Vital Statistics

Birthdate:: November 26
Years on Show:: October 2006-present
Marital Status:: Single
Birthplace:: Austin, TX

THE 411

Born in Austin, TX, Buddy moved around the country with his family before returning to San Antonio after high school. There, a management company showed interest in him and encouraged him to move to L.A., where he took acting classes for six months until he started going on auditions. His only acting experience prior to that was a part in his high school production of Guys and Dolls.

After spending 18 months in L.A., Buddy landed the role of Cole Thornhart, Marty and Patrick's son, and made the move to New York. "I worked hard. I took classes, I read a lot of books and I didn't go out on a lot of auditions, so I'm really fortunate that I'm doing this now," explains Buddy. Before his OLTL gig, he shot a CBS pilot called HERO'S WELCOME, but found that the prime-time experience didn't really prepare him for the fast pace of daytime TV. "You could really take your time and try new things and talk with the director," he recalls. "Here, they just give you your scripts, you don't have any acting coach.... You get up there and you do it."

Buddy also completed his associate's degree before becoming a full-time actor. "I'm gonna try to go back [to school], but right now, this job is consuming my life," says Buddy.

ET CETERA

— Buddy appeared in a music video for New York dance band Dangerous Muse for the song "The Rejection." He was initially picked for the part of a boy who rejects a girl because he's interested in boys, but at the last minute, the director brought in a friend to do the scene. Fans can catch a glimpse of a shirtless Buddy changing in a locker-room scene.
— Because of his stepfather's job, most of Buddy's childhood was spent relocating from city to city, including a move to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the hometown of co-star Forbes March (Nash).
— Enjoys playing football and baseball, and hanging out with OLTL co-stars in his spare time.

MEMORABLE QUOTES

"I sang in my shower before, but I've never done anything recorded like that." — On being asked to sing in Prom Night: The Musical on the show, Soap Opera Digest, 7/3/2007

"She's a looker. I was gonna go knock on her door and have a little chat, but I saw her security guard and I was [thinking], ‘That's not a good idea. He would, like, kill me with one punch.' " — On nearly meeting pop star Nelly Furtado when she appeared on OLTL, Digest 1/23/2007

"I played until everyone got bigger than me [laughs]." — On playing football before playing jock Cole, Soap Opera Weekly, 12/12/2006