Jon Hensley
ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE
SOAP STAR STATS
Jon Hensley (Holden, ATWT)
 |
Jon Hensley (Holden, ATWT)
— PGP
|
Vital Statistics
- Birthday:
- August 26
- Marriages:
- Hensley wed Kelley Menighan (Emily, ATWT) in 1996.
- Children:
- Daughters Sophie May (b. December 23, 1998) and Georgia "Gigi" Grace (b. June 28, 2007), and son Spencer James (b. January 31, 2002).
The 411
he eldest of three children, Jon Hensley was raised by restaurateur parents in Bucks County, PA. Though he always wanted to act, he first studied broadcast journalism at New York University for six months before briefly working as a model, most notably for Tommy Hilfiger. He was fired from his first acting job on OLTL; burned out on the whole process, he showed up late and unshaven to his ATWT audition in 1985 because he was convinced that as a 19-year-old, he'd never be hired to play someone who was 16. But it worked — the powers-that-be (and Martha Byrne, who was already playing Lily) immediately saw him in the role of the smoldering Snyder stable boy who made Lily weak at the knees. Within months, he was half of the show's most enduring supercouple. Hensley left ATWT in 1988 and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, then returned in 1990 and left again in 1995 to work in L.A. His last comeback was in 1997, soon after marrying Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily). They live with their two children in suburban New Jersey; in his free time, the actor enjoys golfing and trading stocks online. He has been nominated for three Emmys, for Younger Leading Man (in 1986 and 1987) and Lead Actor (in 2001).
Et Cetera
—Still holds the record at his high school for the most goals scored in a soccer game
—First stage role was Geppetto in Pinocchio; won an art prize in the third grade for his drawing of a clown
Career Highlights
Other Soap Roles
ONE LIFE TO LIVE (ex-Brody Price, 1985)
TV Roles
ALMOST PERFECT (guest star, 1997)
WOUNDED HEART (TV movie, 1995)
BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 (guest star, 1996)
Memorable Quotes
"So many people come on to you all the time, you know.... It was difficult for me, coming from Pennsylvania, because I didn't know, I didn't know anything about it. And I was kind of thrown by it. I learned real fast. I learned to say no. To tell people, 'Now, look. Just don't.'" —on modeling in the big city, Soap Opera Digest, 3/25/86
"I had literally no experience. I was frightened of acting, and here I was doing scenes with Liz Hubbard [Lucinda] and that can be intimidating for anybody." —Digest, 10/2/90
"First of all, I have to thank Martha [Byrne, Lily/Rose], because I owe my entire career to her."—Digest, 1/13/98
"I would read these articles: 'The Reluctant Hunk,' and I'd go, 'What is that all about?' We're going back 15 years. I was a bachelor. I was a 21-year-old kid. Yeah, I'm much more settled now. What do you do at 35? Can you continue to do that stuff? I guess some people can. But I can't live like I used to and still function in the world of soap operas. Seriously, my wife and I are in bed at 8:30 at night."—Digest, 2/13/01
RELATED RESOURCES
